# Naming conventions

Good names make shortcuts self-explanatory. Bad names make people stop using them. This page covers the technical rules Lora enforces and the conventions that help keep a growing library consistent.

## Allowed characters

Shortcut slugs may only contain lowercase letters (a-z), digits (0-9), and hyphens (-) between segments — as enforced server-side (`^[a-z0-9]+(?:-[a-z0-9]+)*$` in the database). Underscores are not allowed.

- Lowercase letters (a-z)
- Numbers (0-9)
- Hyphens (-) between word segments (for example, `vacation-request`)

Uppercase letters are automatically converted to lowercase. Spaces are not allowed. Emojis and other special characters are rejected.

## Uniqueness and style

Each shortcut has exactly one stored slug string. Two different valid names — for example, `all-hands` and `allhands` — are two different shortcuts if both are created. Align on one style for your workspace and stick with it. Hyphens are the most common convention because they're standard in URLs and easy to read.

## Length

There is no hard character limit, but shorter slugs are better. Aim for one to three words. If the name gets longer than that, it probably needs simplifying.

Some examples:

| Instead of | Use |
| --- | --- |
| `/vacation-request-form` | `/pto` or `/vacation` |
| `/quarterly-business-review-deck` | `/qbr` |
| `/engineering-team-standup-notes` | `/standup` |
| `/internal-knowledge-base-wiki` | `/wiki` |


## Language

Pick one language for all shortcuts in a workspace. In international teams, English is the most common choice. In teams where everyone shares the same language, the local language works fine.

Mixing languages (`/onboarding` next to `/einarbeitung` next to `/new-hire-prozess`) creates confusion and makes it harder to guess shortcut names.

## Prefixes

For workspaces with many shortcuts, a light prefix can help organize links by area:

- `/hr-pto`, `/hr-payroll`, `/hr-benefits`
- `/it-vpn`, `/it-password`, `/it-ticket`
- `/eng-deploy`, `/eng-runbook`, `/eng-oncall`

Avoid deep hierarchies like `/hr/recruiting/application/form`. Nobody remembers the full path, and department names change over time.

If a term is unambiguous on its own (`/vpn`, `/roadmap`, `/wiki`), skip the prefix.

## Aliases

When a shortcut might be known by multiple names, create an alias instead of a second shortcut. For example, the primary slug might be `/pto` with `/vacation` and `/urlaub` as aliases.

Aliases keep the library clean (one canonical entry) while accommodating the different words people use.

## Cleanup

Review your shortcuts quarterly. Look for links that haven't been clicked in 90 days, links that point to pages that no longer exist, and names that overlap or conflict. Removing dead shortcuts keeps the library trustworthy and makes search results more useful.