Document Name Presets: Set It Once, Auto-Name Everything
Build a workspace-scoped filename catalog with tokens and transformers so every document you upload or generate gets a clean, sortable name automatically.
You'll learn
- How to build a filename preset using tokens like {date}, {insured_name}, and {claim_number}
- How to chain transformers (case, spacing, date format) on a single token
- Why numeric-prefix presets sort folders correctly even with mixed sequence widths
- Where to apply a preset from (Settings, the upload dialog, or per folder)
Why this matters
Every appraiser knows this scene. The carrier emails you their estimate, the insured texts you 30 inspection photos, the TPA uploads "Scan-2024-05-23 14_36_19.pdf" to your portal, and your phone camera dumps in "IMG_0042.jpg" through "IMG_0067.jpg". By the time you open the appraisal folder, you cannot tell what is what without clicking each file.
The alternative is renaming files one by one on a Friday afternoon, or giving up and accepting that your archive is unsearchable. Neither is a real plan. The minute you have 10 open files at once, the time you lose hunting for the right document compounds fast.
Presets fix this. You define the naming convention once, AwardLettr applies it to every upload and every generated document automatically, and your folders sort the way your brain expects them to. Most useful if you are juggling 10 or more cases at once, or if you work with multiple TPAs that each send documents in their own format.
A document name preset is a recipe for naming files. You define it once at the workspace level, and every document you upload or generate that uses the preset gets a clean, predictable name. No more "Final_Report_v3_USE_THIS_ONE.docx" sitting next to "report.pdf".
Where to find it
Token syntax
A preset is plain text with one or more tokens. A token is wrapped in curly braces and resolved at filename-build time. The simplest form is just a token name:
{insured_name} - {claim_number}For "John Smith" on claim "CLM-12345" that produces:
John Smith - CLM-12345Available tokens
| Token | Resolves to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| {date} | Today's date (or the document's date if set) | 2026-05-23 |
| {insured_name} | Insured name from the appraisal | John Smith |
| {claim_number} | Carrier claim number | CLM-12345 |
| {carrier} | Carrier name from the appraisal | State Farm |
| {document_type} | Document type label | Award Letter |
Transformer chains
You can chain one or more transformers on a token using the pipe character. Transformers run left to right, so the output of one feeds the next:
{token|transformer1|transformer2}Common transformers
| Transformer | Effect | Example input → output |
|---|---|---|
| UPPER | Force uppercase | john smith → JOHN SMITH |
| lower | Force lowercase | JOHN SMITH → john smith |
| title | Title case each word | john smith → John Smith |
| lastname | Keep just the last word of a name | John Smith → Smith |
| firstname | Keep just the first word | John Smith → John |
| underscore | Replace spaces with underscores | John Smith → John_Smith |
| hyphen | Replace spaces with hyphens | John Smith → John-Smith |
| YYYY-MM-DD | Date format (on {date} tokens) | 2026-05-23 |
| YYYYMMDD | Compact date (no separators) | 20260523 |
| MM-DD-YYYY | US-style date with hyphens | 05-23-2026 |
Chain examples
{date|YYYY-MM-DD} - {insured_name}Resolves to:
2026-05-23 - John Smith{claim_number|UPPER} - {insured_name|lastname|UPPER}Resolves to:
CLM-12345 - SMITHPattern starter pack
Date prefix
{date|YYYY-MM-DD} - {document_type} produces "2026-05-23 - Award Letter". Newest at the top when sorted by name.
Claim + Insured
{claim_number} - {insured_name} produces "CLM-12345 - John Smith". Best when carriers ask for filename-readable identifiers.
Sequence number
Prefix with "01_", "02_", "03_" to control folder order. Natural-sort means "10_" lands AFTER "09_", not after "01_".
Natural sort: why "10_" lands after "09_"
AwardLettr sorts folders using natural (numeric-aware) order. Plain alphabetical sorting interprets "10" as starting with "1", so it would put "10_award.pdf" right after "01_intake.pdf". That is rarely what you want.
Plain alphabetical
- 01_intake.pdf
- 02_inspection.pdf
- 10_award.pdf
- 11_invoice.pdf
Natural sort (AwardLettr default)
- 01_intake.pdf
- 02_inspection.pdf
- 10_award.pdf
- 11_invoice.pdf
Both look the same in this case because the numeric prefixes are zero-padded to the same width. The difference shows up when you mix widths. With plain alphabetical, "1_intake.pdf" lands before "10_award.pdf" but AFTER "01_intake.pdf". With natural sort, the numeric value is what is compared. Either zero-pad your widths (recommended) or trust natural sort to do the right thing.
Phone cameras and numeric prefixes
Presets per folder template
Different folders usually want different filename conventions. Award letters benefit from a date prefix so the latest version is easy to find. Inspection photos work better with a sequence number. Here are starter recommendations:
Estimates pile up fast (yours, theirs, revisions). Date prefix makes the timeline obvious at a glance.
{date|YYYY-MM-DD} - {document_type} - {insured_name|lastname}Produces: "2026-05-23 - Estimate - Smith"
You usually only have one or two finals per file. Claim + insured is the most readable.
{claim_number|UPPER} - {insured_name} - AwardProduces: "CLM-12345 - John Smith - Award"
Inspection reports often have a chronological narrative. Date prefix + descriptor wins.
{date|YYYYMMDD}_{document_type|underscore}_{insured_name|lastname}Produces: "20260523_Inspection_Report_Smith"
Set it up
Open Settings → Integrations
Scroll to the Presets section. You will see your existing presets (if any) and a New Preset button.
Create a preset
Give it a name (e.g. "Award letters"), then type the pattern using tokens and transformers. A live preview shows what the filename will look like for a sample appraisal.
Apply at upload time
When you upload a document, the Quick Name dropdown lists your presets. Pick one and the filename auto-fills. You can still edit the result before saving.
Assign to a folder (optional)
A preset can be set as the default for a specific folder. Every upload into that folder gets the preset applied automatically.
Edits after the fact
Common pitfalls
- •Mixing zero-padded and non-padded numeric prefixes ("01_", "02_", "10_" vs "1_", "2_", "10_"). Natural sort handles both, but eyes do not. Pick a width and stick with it.
- •Using {date} without a format transformer. The raw date includes a timestamp that is not filename-safe in some cases. Always pair {date} with a format like {date|YYYY-MM-DD}.
- •Forgetting to verify the preview before bulk-uploading from a phone. Phone-camera filenames starting with digits can collide with your own sequence-number scheme.
- •Renaming a preset that other folders reference. The preset is matched by ID, not name, so renaming is safe, but deleting a preset that a folder default uses falls back to no-preset behavior.
Next steps