Working with Files, Folders, and Libraries
When you work on a computer, you will create files and folders to store your work and use it later on. A file is a resource for storing information that can then be opened and used with the help of a computer program. To make it simpler, imagine the file to be the digital counterpart of a paper document. Similarly, a folder is the digital equivalent of the file folder used in offices. Libraries are a new concept that was introduced in Windows 7 and used in all subsequent versions of Windows. A library is a virtual collection of folders on your computer.
Files Files can store any kind of data. For example, Word files will store documents created with Microsoft Word. Documents can include text, graphics, tables, and so on. Images are also files – the digital counterpart of pictures. Images can be opened with programs that are designed to deal with images and render them on the screen. Videos and movies are also stored as files, and they can be viewed with specialized programs that render them on the screen.
Files can be created by the user, by the applications they are using, and by the operating system. They are generally stored in folders with different names and sizes.
Folders Folders are a way of organizing files and other folders on your computer. You can think of a folder as a collection of references to other files and folders that are inside it. Some people also refer to them as directories. Folders always have a hierarchical tree-like structure. One folder contains several files and other folders (also named subfolders). Its subfolders have their own files and subfolders, and so on (Figure 1.11).
FIGURE 1.11 A folder and its contents displayed by Windows Explorer
Libraries Libraries do not exist as actual folders on the computer but only as references to one or more folders and the files stored inside them. Libraries are named using the type of files and folders they tend to store: Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos. The Documents library will link to the folders where you store your documents, the Pictures library will link to the folders where you store your pictures, and so on.
Libraries are useful because they have direct shortcuts throughout the operating system, and you can easily access them. Also, their content is automatically indexed by Windows so that you can quickly search for the files you are looking for. Searching for files that are not part of a library generally takes longer than when searching for files that are part of a library.
Accessing Your Files and Folders
All operating systems provide an easy way for you to access your files and folders. In Windows 7, you can use Windows Explorer. To open this program, click the folder icon on the taskbar – the transparent bar that runs across the bottom of the screen. You can see the folder icon in Figure 1.12.
FIGURE 1.12 The shortcuts on the Windows taskbar, including the one for Windows Explorer
The left side of Windows Explorer is named the Navigation pane. There you will see several sections and shortcuts to different locations on your computer. Whatever is selected in the Navigation pane determines what is shown on the right pane (Figure 1.13).
FIGURE 1.13 The Windows Explorer window
By default, Libraries is selected. There you will see the four default libraries that exist in Windows 7: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos. To make things easy for you, it is best to save your documents in the Documents library, your pictures in the Pictures library, and so on.
In order to successfully navigate through your computer's files and folders, you have to learn how Windows Explorer works. First, let's take a look at its window and each of its elements, as they are highlighted in Figure 1.14.
FIGURE 1.14 The different navigation elements of the Windows Explorer window
Now let's discuss them one by one:
Address Bar On the very top of the Windows Explorer window you will see a bar that initially says Libraries. As you navigate through your computer, this bar will always tell you where you are on your computer.
Back and Forward On the left side of the address bar you have two buttons pointing left and right. The left button is for going back, and the right is for going forward through the folder structure in your computer.
Search Box On the right side of the address bar is a box that you can use to quickly search for a file or folder. If you enter the name of a file and press Enter on your keyboard, Windows will start searching for files and folders that correspond to the search term you are using.
Toolbar The toolbar is displayed just beneath the address bar. This bar includes contextual buttons depending on where you are on your computer. You will notice that as you browse your files and folders, the number of buttons available changes. The toolbar tries to adapt and present you with options that help you be more productive depending on what you are doing.
Menus On the left side of the toolbar you will find the Organize menu. As you can see, this menu has an arrow pointing downward. Each time you see that arrow for an item on the toolbar, it means that it is a menu that can be opened.
Views On the right side of the toolbar you will notice another button with an arrow pointing downward, signaling that it is actually a menu. If you click it, you will be able to change the way you view the files and folders displayed in the right pane. Your files and folders remain the same; only the way they are presented here changes, depending on which view you select. We will discuss views in more detail shortly.
Preview Pane On the right side of the toolbar, near the Views menu, you will find the button for enabling or disabling the Preview pane. When it's enabled, a third pane is displayed on the right side of the Windows Explorer window. When you select a file in the middle pane, you can see a preview of its content in this Preview pane. If you have a larger screen that can accommodate this pane, it is a good idea to enable it because it can be useful when navigating the files on your computer.
Arrows In the Navigation pane on the left side of the Windows Explorer window you will notice that many elements have a small arrow to the left of their name. You can use these arrows to expand or collapse the element. For example, if you click the arrow for Libraries, it will collapse them. Click it again and it will expand them.
Your computer stores not just your data but also lots of files and folders that are installed by the operating system and the applications that you are using. All this data is always stored in the Local Disk (C:) drive on your computer. You will always find this drive in the Navigation pane. Please note that the C: drive may have a different name because it can be easily customized, but on most computers it is named Local Disk.
When navigating this drive, you will see plenty of folders with names like Windows (this is where Windows is installed), Program Files (this is where applications are installed), or Users (this is where your user files and folders are stored as well as those of other users on the same computer). You can double-click any of these folders and explore their content. However, you should refrain from deleting or changing anything. Most of your work should be done in the Users folder. If you open it, you will see a subfolder for each user that has been created on your computer, and one of them will be yours. If you open your subfolder, then you will see your Documents, Pictures, and Music folders, and so on.
We mentioned earlier the concept of views. They are just different ways of viewing your files and folders. The views you