Folders and files. What is a folder? What are files and folders

All information, in the form of files, recorded on a hard disk or any other medium for storage, reading and processing is located in folders. Folders are also called directories. What is a folder? Figuratively speaking, a folder is a kind of container for storing other containers with information -. In a simplified way, you can make an analogy with a filing cabinet, where information is stored in cards. Imagine that cards are files, and folders are boxes with them, in turn boxes are stored in cabinets.

A folder (directory or directory) is a place on the medium where files or other folders with files are stored. Those. such a storage system can be quite extensive. The main folder contains another folder or folders, which may contain another folder, etc. Subfolders are commonly referred to as subfolders or subdirectories, a system designed to organize the information stored on a computer's hard drive. All folders have names, the names of which are given by the operating system itself, the program, or yourself, if the directory is created by you. You can create a folder in by right-clicking in the explorer window or on the desktop. Clicking the button brings up a menu with intended user actions, where you need to select the "create" menu item with a drop-down submenu "folder".

The base or root of this whole system is the root folder.

What is the root folder?

This is the first and main folder (root) in which all the others are located. It has no name and is denoted by the special character "\\". For example, the designation C: \\ tells us that this is the root folder of the C drive. If you created the “My Music” directory in the root folder, then its path will look like this - C: \\ My Music. Suppose that in the folder "My Music" you have created another one called "Rock", where you will store audio files with rock bands, then in this case its path will be "C: \\ My Music \\ Rock. In turn, let's say that you wanted to sort rock music into groups. In this case, it would be logical to create folders with group names in the Rock subfolder. Thus, we get a chain of subfolders.

What does a folder look like?

In the Windows operating system, a folder is indicated by a yellow graphic element in the form of a stationery folder. The icon may differ slightly depending on the appearance settings of the elements.

A file is a collection of data that has a name and is stored in the computer's external memory (on a hard drive, on a floppy disk or CD). A file name consists of two parts: base name and extension (type), separated from each other by a period. WINDOWS does not impose such strict restrictions on the file name as DOS, but the extension is three characters long and usually indicates which application created the file.

A directory is a special kind of file that contains information about other files (name, size, location, date and time of creation). However, you can think of a directory as a place where files are located. The top directory - root - on each disk carries the name of the corresponding disk. In WINDOWS, the term "directory" has been replaced by an equivalent term "folder"... A set of folders, in which other folders with files are nested, form a hierarchical "tree-like" structure. Each folder has a number of properties, the most important of which are: name, type, icon, size, creation date. The name can be up to 255 characters long.

The folder or file can be saved or copied. To save a file or folder, they need to be assigned a unique name, since two files with the same name cannot exist. The name serves as an address, which means that there cannot be two files with the same name on the computer, however, if the files are in different folders, then they can have the same names, because the full filename includes all directory names that lead to it. This fully qualified filename is also referred to as file lookup or file access path. Folders can be created on the disk, inside which files or other folders, called subfolders, can be stored. Folder names are separated from each other and from the drive name with a backslash.

The name of the file, which must be unique, is supplemented with an extension - the format (type) of the file, which determines what nature (content) the file is, in which program the file was made.

The file name structure has the following form: name [.exp], where name is a unique file name, file extension is optional, but its use is convenient for work, consisting of a maximum of three letters - an optional sign.

The file name consists of two parts, separated by a period: the actual file name and the extension that determines its type (program, data, etc.). The actual name of the file is given by the user, and the file type is usually set by the program automatically when it is created.

Different operating systems have different file name formats. In the MS-DOS operating system, the actual file name must contain no more than eight letters of the Latin alphabet and numbers, and the extension consists of three Latin letters, for example: proba.txt

In the Windows operating system, the file name can have up to 255 characters, and the use of the Russian alphabet is allowed, for example:
Information units.doc

Before the advent of Windows 95, most IBM PCs ran the MS-DOS operating system, which had very strict file naming rules. These rules are called the 8.3 convention.

By convention 8.3, a filename can have two parts separated by a period. The first part can be up to 8 characters long, and the second part (after the dot) up to 3 characters. The second part after the period is called the name expansion.

When writing the file name, only English letters and numbers are allowed. The name must begin with a letter. Spaces and punctuation marks are not allowed, except for the exclamation mark (!), Tilde (~), and underscore (_).

Since the introduction of the Windows 95 operating system, the file naming requirements have been significantly relaxed. They also apply to all subsequent versions of Windows operating systems.
1. It is allowed to use up to 255 characters.
2. It is allowed to use symbols of national alphabets, in particular Russian.
3. Spaces and other previously prohibited characters are allowed, with the exception of the following nine: / \\: *? "<>|.
4. Multiple periods can be used in the file name. All characters following the last dot are considered a name extension.

The role of the file name extension is purely informational, not command. If the file with the picture is assigned the name extension TXT, then the contents of the file will not turn into text. It can be viewed in a program designed for working with texts, but such a view will not give anything intelligible.

File system. Each storage medium (floppy disk, hard disk or laser disk) can store a large number of files. The order in which files are stored on disk is determined by the installed file system.

Long filenames have the following properties:

1. they can contain up to 255 characters, including the extension;

2. they can contain spaces;

3. they can contain several periods (the expansion of the name is those characters that follow the last period);

4.they can contain any keyboard characters except the following:

5. the length of the full file name, including its search path, cannot exceed 260 characters, so it is not recommended to give too long folder names;

6. it is undesirable to use spaces in the name, because some programs do not work correctly with such files. It is recommended to replace spaces with underscores, for example: control_by_informatics_Asanov_Alexey.

Now imagine the complete picture of the file structure as follows: all the external memory of a computer is a cabinet with many drawers. Each box is an analogue of a disk; in the box - a large folder (root directory); there are many folders and documents (subdirectories and files) in this folder, etc. The most deeply nested folders contain only documents (files) or can be empty.

The path to the file. To find a file in a hierarchical file structure, you must specify the path to the file. The path to the file includes a logical disk name written through the "\\" separator and a sequence of names of nested directories, the last of which contains the required file.

The full name of the file.
The file path, along with the file name, is referred to as the full file name.
An example of the full name of files:
C: \\ Abstracts \\ Physics \\ Optical phenomena.doc
C: \\ Abstracts \\ Informatics \\ Internet.doc
C: \\ Abstracts \\ Informatics \\ Computer viruses.doc
C: \\ Pictures \\ Sunset.jpg
C: \\ Pictures \\ Winter.jpg

The Windows operating system uses the concept of a folder instead of directories. A folder is a Windows object for organizing files and other folders into groups. A folder is broader than a directory.

On Windows, at the top of the folder hierarchy is the Desktop folder. (The next level is represented by the folders My Computer, Recycle Bin and My Network Places (if the computer is connected to a local network).

There are a number of common things you can do with files and folders.
Such actions with files as "create", "save", "close" can be performed only in application programs ("Notepad", "Paint", ...).

Actions "open", "rename", "move", "copy", "delete" can be performed in the system environment.
... Copy (a copy of the file is placed in another directory);
... Moving (the file itself is moved to another directory);
... Deletion (file entry is deleted from the directory);
... Rename (file name changes).

The Windows graphical interface allows you to perform operations on files with the mouse using the Drag & Drop method (drag and drop). There are also specialized applications for working with files, the so-called file managers.

Questions and tasks:
1. Make a note of the full names of all files

2. Build a directory tree
C: \\ Pictures \\ Nature \\ Sky.bmp
C: \\ Pictures \\ Nature \\ Snow.bmp
C: \\ Pictures \\ Computer \\ Monitor.bmp
C: \\ My Documents \\ Report.doc

9.5. Windows operating system

The MS DOS operating system with its graphical shells Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11 was replaced by full-fledged operating systems of the Windows family (first Windows 95, then Windows 98, Windows Millennium, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7). The figure shows the stages of development of PC class personal computers and the Windows operating system:

Family operating systems Windows is a 32-bit operating system that enables multitasking and multithreading of applications. They support an easy-to-use graphical user interface, secure mode capability, real-mode software compatibility, and networking capabilities. Windows includes Plug and Play hardware support technology, allows long file names, and provides improved resiliency.

32-bit means that operations on 32-bit data are faster here than on 16-bit data. 32-bit Windows applications run in their own address space, which is not accessible to other programs. This protects applications from each other's errors. If one application fails, the other continues to function normally. A failed application can be terminated.

Multitasking provides the ability to work in parallel with multiple applications. While one of them is engaged in, for example, printing a document on a printer or receiving e-mail from the Internet, the other can recalculate a spreadsheet or do other useful work.

Multithreading allows applications designed in a certain way to execute several of their own processes at the same time. For example, working with a multithreaded spreadsheet, the user will be able to recalculate one table while printing another and loading a third into memory. While one thread is in a waiting state, such as completing a communication operation with a slow peripheral, another can continue to do its work.

A distinctive feature of Windows is the object-oriented approach to building the system. At the user level, the object approach is expressed in the fact that the interface is a semblance of the real world, and working with a machine is reduced to actions with familiar objects. So, folders can be opened, removed to a briefcase, documents - viewed, corrected, transferred from one place to another, thrown into the trash, fax or letter - sent to the addressee, etc. The user works with tasks and applications in the same way as with documents on his desk. The object-oriented approach is implemented through the model desktop - the primary Windows object. After Windows boots up, it is displayed on the screen. Various objects can be located on the desktop: programs, folders with documents (texts, pictures, tables), shortcuts to programs or folders.

Labels provide access to a program or document from different locations without creating multiple physical copies of the file. On the desktop, you can place not only icons of applications and individual documents, but also folders. Folders are another name for directories.

A significant innovation in Windows is task bar ... Despite the small functionality, it makes the multitasking mechanism visual and greatly speeds up the process of switching between applications. Externally, the taskbar is a strip, usually located at the bottom of the screen, that contains the application buttons and the start button. On the right side of it, there are usually hours and small icons of programs that are currently active.

Windows allows you to work with audio and video files of various formats. A significant advancement in Windows is its built-in computer communications software. Windows communications are designed for general users and do not require any special knowledge. These tools include LAN and WAN capabilities, modem configuration, email connectivity, and more.

In the Windows operating system, the mouse is widely used when working with windows and applications. Usually the mouse is used to select fragments of text or graphic objects, check and uncheck boxes, select menu commands, toolbar buttons, manipulate controls in dialogs, "scroll" documents in windows.

In Windows, the right mouse button is also actively used. By placing the pointer over an object of interest and right-clicking, you can expand context menu that contains the most common commands applicable to this object.

When shutting down, you cannot just turn off the computer without shutting down the system according to all the rules - this may lead to the loss of some unsaved data. For a correct shutdown, it is necessary to save data in all applications with which the user worked, close all previously launched DOS applications, open the Start button menu and select the Shutdown command.

Available on every computer. In this lesson, you will learn what files and folders are and why they are needed.

What is a file

To better understand what are files and folders I will give you an analogy with stationery. Imagine that you have several sheets of colored paper. They come in different sizes, colors and shapes. You can put these sheets in a drawer of your desk, where they will be stored, and when you need to take a sheet, you will open the required drawer and take a sheet.

So on a computer, each piece of paper is a file, and a folder is a box in which you put files.

All data on the computer is stored as files. File Is the smallest unit of data in a computer. Film, text document, drawing, song - these are all files.

A sheet of paper has properties: color, size, weight, etc. Each file also has its own properties: size (the amount of space it takes up on the hard disk), name (file name), type (text, music, etc.). To understand what type the file has, you need to look at its name.

The file name is written as “name.extension”.

You can understand the file type by the extension. For example, the "report.txt" file indicates that you have a text file. The file extension is needed to know which program to open this file. The text file is opened using the Notepad program. There are a huge number of file extensions, and it's impossible to remember them all.

Why are folders needed

Let's go back to the pieces of paper. You have many different sheets of paper in different sizes. It is inconvenient to store them in one drawer, they mix and it is difficult to find a small leaf among the large ones. It is best to put each type of paper in a separate box. So are the files on the computer. Imagine that you are storing music files, films, pictures in one place. It turns out a lot of small, in which it is very inconvenient to find the desired film or song.

Folders are needed to separate files by type, like boxes divide paper. You can create as many folders as you like and place files in them. For example: create a "Movies" folder and store movies in it, and store songs in the music folder.

But it is inconvenient to store all the songs in the "Music" package. There are many performers there. You can create a folder in the Music folder with the artist name or album name. So, in the end, we get a directory from folders in which it is convenient to store files.

This concludes the lesson. We will look at how to create folders in the next lesson.

Throughout our lives, many of us, without even noticing it, put everything in boxes, drawers and folders. Take the same kitchen. Plates lie with plates, knives, forks and spoons usually lie in a dryer, or on a special stand. We store spices either in jars or in bags. Clothes and bedding are in our dressers or wardrobes. Women needlewomen keep their threads, ribbons, beads, buttons, and tools in special chests and boxes. They will never leave it anywhere.

Men also store their tools in special boxes and boxes. A good master has each screw in size in a special drawer with retractable cassettes. And if he has a workshop, then, like a good master, he will find any instrument with his eyes closed.

Collectors of stamps, cards, badges, and coins put their treasures in separate envelopes, folders and boxes.

We all try to keep the same documents, passports, diplomas, TIN, pension certificates, and other securities in one place.

The same thing happens on our computers. Only in this case we do not store material things, but information in the form of files.