Filenames and file formatting

This document provides guidance on how feed files should be named, encoded and formatted.

Filenames

Feed filenames should remain static once a feed has been delivered.

Changing the filename after this point can result in feeds being misplaced by Google's pipelines.

Some file names reference data points that change over time, for example, the date of an election in a pre-election feed filename. Even if such a data point changes in the feed itself, the feed's filename shouldn't be updated to match it.

File formatting

Encode all XML files with UTF-8. Enter line breaks as LF (\n) as opposed to CR LF (\r\n).

For consistency across files and to aid human readability, use two spaces for all indentation of elements. Don't use tabs to indent. Be sure to indent each child node of an element an additional two spaces.