# Design the path for the output destination
Perform this step if you haven't yet designed the full destination path or paths. If you've already designed the paths, go to [Complete the fields on the Console](hls-destinations-s3-specify.md).
**To design the path**
1. Collect the bucket names that you [previously obtained](origin-server-hls-s3.md) from the Amazon S3 user. For example:
`amzn-s3-demo-bucket`
1. Design the portions of the destination paths that follow the bucket or buckets. For details, see the sections that follow.
**Topics**
+ [The syntax for the paths for the outputs](#hls-syntax-s3)
+ [Designing the folders and baseFilename](#hls-path-s3)
+ [Designing the nameModifier](#hls-nameModifier-design-s3)
+ [Designing the segmentModifier](#hls-segmentModifier-design-s3)
## The syntax for the paths for the outputs
An HLS output always includes three categories of files:
+ The main manifest
+ The child manifests
+ The media files
The following table describes the parts that make up the destination paths for these three categories of files.
The destination paths for these three categories of files are identical up to and including the *baseFilename*, which means that MediaLive sends all these categories of files to the same folder. The modifiers and file extensions are different for each category of file. When sending to Amazon S3, you must send all the files to the same folder. The downstream systems expect all the files to be together.
| File | Syntax of the path | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Main manifest files | protocol bucket path baseFilename extension | The path for a main manifest in the bucket *sports*, with the file name *index*:s3ssl://amzn-s3-demo-bucket/sports/delivery/curling/index.m3u8 |
| Child manifest files | protocol bucket path baseFilename nameModifier extension | The path for the child manifest for the high-resolution renditions of the curling output`s3ssl://amzn-s3-demo-bucket/sports/delivery/curling/index-high.m3u8` |
| Media files (segments) | protocol bucket path baseFilename nameModifier optionalSegmentModifier counter extension | The path for the file for the 230th segment might be:s3ssl://amzn-s3-demo-bucket/sports/delivery/curling/index-high-00230.ts |
These destination paths are constructed as follows:
+ The Amazon S3 user should have provided you with the bucket names.
+ You must determine the following:
+ The folders
+ The baseFilename
+ The modifier
+ The segmentModifier
See the sections that follow.
+ MediaLive inserts the underscore before the counter.
+ MediaLiveautomatically generates this counter. Initially, this is a five-digit number starting at 00001, and increasing by 1. So 00001, 00002, 00003 and so on. After 99999, the next number is 100000 (six digits), then 100001, 100002, and so on. Then from 999999 to 1000000 (seven digits), and so on.
+ MediaLive inserts the dot before the extension.
+ MediaLive selects the extension:
+ For manifest files – always `.m3u8`
+ For media files – .ts for files in a transport stream, or .mp4 for files in an fMP4 container
## Designing the folders and baseFilename
Design a folder path and baseFilename that suits your purposes.
If you have two destinations for each output, the destination paths must be different from each other in some way. Follow these guidelines:
+ At least one of the portions of one path must be different from the other. It is acceptable for all the portions to be different.
Therefore, if the buckets are *different*, the folder path and file names for the two destinations can be different from each other, or they can be the same. For example:
`s3ssl://amzn-s3-demo-bucket/sports/delivery/curling/index-high.m3u8`
`s3ssl://amzn-s3-demo-bucket1/sports/delivery/curling/index-high.m3u8`
or
`s3ssl://amzn-s3-demo-bucket/sports/delivery/curling/index-high.m3u8`
`s3ssl://amzn-s3-demo-bucket1/sports/redundant/curling/index-high.m3u8`
+ If the buckets are *the same*, the folder path and file names for the two destinations must be different from each other. For example:
`s3ssl://amzn-s3-demo-bucket/sports/delivery/curling/index-high.m3u8`
`s3ssl://amzn-s3-demo-bucket/sports/redundant/curling/index-high.m3u8`
## Designing the nameModifier
Design the `nameModifier` portions of the file name. The child manifests and media files include this modifier in their file names. This `nameModifier` distinguishes each output from the other, so it must be unique in each output. Follow these guidelines:
+ For an output that contains video (and possibly other streams), you typically describe the video. For example, **-high** or **-1920x1080-5500kpbs** (to describe the resolution and the bitrate).
+ For an output that contains only audio or only captions, you typically describe the audio or captions. For example, **-aac** or **-webVTT**.
+ It’s a good idea to start the `nameModifier` with a delimiter, such as a hyphen, in order to separate the` baseFilename` from the `nameModifier`.
+ The `nameModifier` can include [data variables](variable-data-identifiers.md).
## Designing the segmentModifier
Design the segmentModifiers portion of the destination path. The segmentModifier is optional, and if you include it, only the media file names include it.
A typical use case for this modifier is to use a data variable to create a timestamp, to prevent segments overriding each other if the channel restarts. For example, assume that you include the timestamp **\$1t\$1-**. Segment 00001 might have the name `index-120028-00001`. If the output restarts a few minutes later (which causes the segment counter to restart), the new segment 00001 will have the name `index-120039-00001`. The new file won't overwrite the file for the original segment 00001. Some downstream systems might prefer this behavior.