Recommendations for User Workstation Directory and E-mail Folder Structure

It is important to organize your work in a very hierarchical tree so that you will be able to find documents, e-mails, datasets, etc. We have found that the more sub- and sub-sub folders you create the better you will be able to keep your system organized.

An Example Directory Structure for Users

|-- R                             # for general-purpose R packages you develop
|   |-- Design
|   |   |-- CVS
|   |   |   |-- Entries
|   |   |   |-- Repository
|   |   |   `-- Root
|   |   |-- DESCRIPTION
|   |   |-- INDEX
|   |   |-- R
|   |   |   |-- CVS
|   |   |   |   |-- Entries
|   |   |   |   |-- Repository
|   |   |   |   `-- Root
|   |   |   |-- Design.Misc.s
|   |   |   |-- Design.s
. . . .
|   |-- test
|-- bin                           # contains personal executables
|   |-- syncFiles                 # tells rsync which files to sync
|   |-- syncfromvu                # script to sync home computer
|   |-- sync2vu                   # script to sync work computer
|-- data                          # global, example, teaching data
|-- doc                           # general documents - not programs
|   |-- Department                #  or analyses
|   |   |-- Admin
|   |   |-- Computing
|   |   |   |-- hardware
|   |   |   |-- software
|   |   |-- Faculty
|   |   |-- Goals
|   |   |-- MS
|   |   |-- OtherAreas
|   |   |   |-- Bioinformatics
|   |   |   |-- Meharry
|   |   |-- Philosophy
|   |   |-- Problems
|   |   |-- Projects
|   |   |   |-- Outside
|   |   |   |-- VUwide
|   |   |-- Resources
|   |   |-- School
|   |   |-- Staff
|   |   |-- Web
|   |   `-- todo
|   |   |-- Staff
|   |-- Papers
|   |-- Proposals                 # after grant award, move to ~/projects
|   |   |-- Cardiology            # example divisions/departments
|   |   |-- Forms
|   |   |   `-- biosketch.pdf
|   |   |-- GI
|   |   |-- K30
|   |   |   `-- supportLetter.sxw
|   |   |-- Medicine
|   |   |-- Meharry
|   |   |-- Neurology
|   |   |   `-- pd.doc
|   |   |-- Pediatrics
|   |   |-- methods
|   |   |   |-- budgeting.phases
|   |   |   |-- nih.howto.txt
|   |   |   `-- subcontract.forms.txt
|   |   |-- Orthopedics
|   |   |-- Radiology
|   |-- R
|   |-- Schedule
|   |-- Seminars
|   |-- Talks                     # slides, handouts, 1 folder/talk
|   |-- cv
|   |-- data
|   |-- databank
|   |-- emacs
|   |   |-- hints
|   |-- html
|   |-- images
|   |-- latex
|   |   |-- NIH
|   |   |-- emacs
|   |   |-- hints
|   |   |-- pdf
|   |   |-- texinput
|   |-- letters
|   |   |-- Proposals
|   |-- miscSystems
|   |   `-- openoffice
|   |-- perl
|   |-- refs
|   |-- reports
|   |-- reviews
|   |   |-- Books
|   |   |-- Departments
|   |   |-- Grants
|   |   |-- Letters
|   |   |-- Promotions
|   |-- societies
|   |-- travel
|   |   `-- Reservations
|   |-- twiki
|   |   `-- pages
|   `-- writing
|-- methods.research
|   |-- Bayes
|   |-- Economic
|   |-- bootstrap
|-- projects                      # perhaps the most important dir
|   |-- Cardiology                # organize by major area, within this 
|   |-- Gerontology               #  have a folder for each project; sometimes
|   |-- Hospital                  #  have a directory for each PI
|   |-- Medicine
. . .
|   |-- misc
|   |-- reduce                    # major outside project
|-- tmp                           # holds emacs backups etc.
`-- web
    |-- latex

An Example E-mail Folder Structure

|-- Consulting                     # for small consulting projects,
|   |-- BioNumerik                 #  1 folder/client
|   |-- GSK
|-- Department
|   |-- Admin
|   |-- Computing
|   |   |-- Accounts
|   |   |-- DBManagement
|   |   |-- Hardware
|   |   |-- Software
|   |   |-- Todo
|   |   `-- Web
|   |-- Faculty
|   |   |-- MS
|   |   |-- PhD
|   |   |-- Recruiting
|   |   |-- SecondaryAppt
|   |   `-- Visitors
|   |-- Goals
|   |-- GrantProposals
|   |   |-- ClinInvest
|   |   |-- HSR
|   |-- MS
|   |   |-- Admin
|   |   |-- JobClasses
|   |   |-- Recruiting
|   |-- OtherAreas
|   |   |-- BME
|   |   |-- Bioinformatics
|   |   |-- CCI
|   |   |-- CancerCenter
|   |-- Seminars
|   |-- Teaching
|   |   |-- CE
|   |   |-- GradProgram
|   |   |-- IGP
|   |   `-- MSCI
|   `-- Todo
|       `-- Web
|-- Grants
|   |-- ClinInvest
|   `-- MethodologyTraining
|-- Letters
|-- Methods
|   |-- DBM
|   |-- Research
|   `-- Stat
|       |-- Bayes
|       |-- Bootstrap
|-- Personal
|-- Projects
|   |-- GSK
|   |   `-- REDUCE
|   |       |-- Contract
|   |       |-- Data
|   |       `-- Travel
|   |-- Merck
|   |   `-- Travel
|   |-- Papers
|   |   `-- CADIndex
|   |-- Pfizer
|   |   |-- Course
|   |   |-- Distributions
|   |   |-- Todo
|   |   `-- Travel
|   `-- WHO
|-- Software
|   |-- BUGS
|   |-- HTMLJavascript
|   |-- LaTeX
|   |-- Linux
|   |   |-- CVS
|   |   |-- Debian
|   |   |-- Office
|   |   |-- Security
|   |-- Misc
|   |-- R
|   |   |-- CRAN
|   |   |-- Debian
|   |   |-- Devel
|   |   |-- Documentation
|   |   |-- Emacs
|   |   |-- GUI
|   |   |-- GraphicsLowLevel
|   |   |-- GridLattice
|   |   |-- ImportExport
|   |   |-- ModelingFunctions
|   |   |-- Namespace
|   |   |-- Perl
|   |   |-- Remote
|   |   |-- S4
|   |   |-- SQL
|   |   |-- Sweave
|   |   |-- Teaching
|   |   |-- Tricks
|   |   |-- Validation
|   |   |-- Web
|   |-- Teaching
|   |-- Todo
|-- Teaching
|   |-- Biostat Modeling
|   |   |-- Data
|   |-- CI
|   |-- Methods.Procedures
|   |-- Online Courses
|   |-- ShortCourses
|   |   `-- RMS
`-- Todo
    |-- Invitations
    |-- MeetingCommittees
    |-- Papers
    |-- Personal
    |-- Reviews
    `-- TravelTalks
        |-- ASA