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By default, the entry basename is a constant and unique identifier for an entry which is used as part of the individual entry's archive filename.
The basename is created by dirifiying[1] the entry title when the entry is first saved (regardless of the entry status). The system ensures that each basename is unique, even if the entry titles aren't, by adding an underscore and a number (_1, _2, ..., _10, etc) and incrementing that number until uniqueness is achieved.
From then on, barring direct manipulation, the entry basename stays constant even when you change the entry's title. In this way, Movable Type ensures that changes you make to an entry after saving it don't change the URL to the entry, subsequently breaking incoming links.
The entry basename can be modified by anyone who can edit the entry. If it is modified after it is created, it is up to the user to ensure uniqueness and no incrementing will occur. This allows you to have complete and total control over your URLs when you want to as well as effortless simplicity when you don't care.
separator - Valid values are "_" and "-". Specifying an underscore will convert any dashes to underscores. Specifying a dash will convert any underscores to dashes.[1] - Dirification is a process of text normalization done for the purpose of creating a consistent and predictable string. In Movable Type, this means removal of all non-ASCII characters, replacement of spaces with underscores, lowercasing of all letters, etc. See the description of the dirify global attribute for more.