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I am designing a User Interface for a system.

Users can upload files, but the files are not necessarily authored by them.

I display the name of the user who uploaded the file, but I am unsure how to title this.

'Uploader' comes to mind, but this is apparently something I have made up as it does not appear in the dictionary.

Is there a word to describe this type of person?

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    I think "uploader" is fine for this.
    – GEdgar
    Dec 10, 2018 at 14:30
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    It's something that lots of people have independently made up. Even if it doesn't qualify for its own dictionary entry, it's readily understandable, as -er is a well-known suffix and combines easily. I think you can go with it. :-)
    – Hellion
    Dec 10, 2018 at 14:37
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    What dictionaries did you look in? Looks ok according to many of them: en.wiktionary.org/wiki/uploader yourdictionary.com/uploader wordsense.eu/uploader
    – Mark Beadles
    Dec 10, 2018 at 16:15
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    Note that in technical fields it is acceptable to define a new term if one doesn't already exist. Just make sure (a) You define it clearly the first time you use it, (b) Your index includes it and refers back to the page where the term was defined.
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Dec 10, 2018 at 16:54
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    Do you really need a dedicated word for this ? Why not just use "uploaded by" in the UI as @Typeset Mask suggested.
    – zakinster
    Dec 10, 2018 at 17:59

4 Answers 4

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The word 'uploader' is fine; many verbs in English are suffixed with -(e)r to describe a person doing the verb, e.g. baker, builder, dealer, driver, singer. 'Downloader' and 'uploader' are widely understood, and while it's not an official dictionary, Wiktionary even has it as an entry:

Noun

uploader (plural uploaders)

  1. Someone who uploads files
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  • As it happens, I struggle to think of another word to describe what this question requires. "Uploader" is indeed the ubiquitous word.
    – Dan
    Dec 11, 2018 at 15:07
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I believe “uploader” is the most obvious, and therefore the right choice. You might prefer a different word if:

  1. There is potential confusion about “upload” versus “download” (the terms are ambiguous in the context of peer-to-peer file transfers); or,
  2. Your application needs to make precise distinctions between, say, the user account that physically sent the file and the person or company who was legally responsible for sending it.

In that case “submitter” would also work.

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9

You could use "uploader" although I agree it sounds a little strange. You might also consider "source", "poster," or "contributor."

Alternatively, you could use the word "by" and say "uploaded by:" or "posted by:" or "contributed by:"

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4

I would go with "submitter".
Also, can someone submit for a company, or for someone else? In that case maybe add a new field.

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