What is a NAMES file?
A .NAMES file is a plain text file that stores metadata for machine learning datasets. Researchers and data scientists use these files to define the structure, attributes, and classes of a corresponding data file. The UCI Machine Learning Repository popularized this format to distribute datasets alongside their documentation.
Some computer vision frameworks, such as YOLO and Darknet, also use .NAMES files. In these systems, the file contains a list of object detection classes, where each line represents a specific object category like "car" or "person".
How to open NAMES files?
Because they contain standard text, you can open .NAMES files with basic text editors like Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, or Apple TextEdit. Machine learning software packages like Weka can also parse these files to understand dataset schemas automatically.
Best practices and troubleshooting
If your dataset fails to load during training, verify that the attribute names in the .NAMES file exactly match the columns in your .DATA or .CSV file. In object detection workflows, ensure the line numbers in your .NAMES file match the class IDs in your annotation files.
Inspecting files with viewer.online
viewer.online/names can analyze .NAMES files to identify the exact format and creator software, inspect the file structure, extract readable text, and check whether an online preview is available. Because the .NAMES extension has multiple possible meanings across different machine learning frameworks, viewer.online/names can help identify the actual format of your specific file.
If you need to process the data in a different application, you can convert your file to sensible target formats like .TXT or .CSV on convert.guru.
Summary
viewer.online/names is useful for identifying, inspecting, and understanding .NAMES files without installing software or dealing with compatibility problems.