| Hierarchical
Structure
A
hierarchical file system is one that uses directories to organize
files into a tree structure. File management makes good sense
once you realize the hierarchical structure of the Windows environment.
The uppermost level of file structure is the Desktop. Branching
off from the Desktop are whatever folders or files you see displayed
on the Desktop screen. Each of these folders may contain additional
folders or files. The following examples show how folders branch
out--such structure is sometimes referred to as an "inverted
tree" or "waterfall." Similar to a family tree,
the branches keep growing and growing the further away you are
from the starting point, which in our examples is the Desktop.
Note:
The following image is a highly simplified diagram. Your computer
may have much more information than what you see here, and depending
on the operating system, the structure may look different.
Further
Note: The My Documents folder may appear under C:\ or on the
Desktop, or in both places, depending on your operating system
and file configuration. In cases where My Documents appears in
multiple locations, only one instance is the actual folder. The
other instances are shortcuts, or links, to the original My Documents.
Return
to Top of Page
Folders
(Directories), and Files
The
diagram above shows an example overview of the entire file structure
on your computer. You are probably more familiar with the way
file structure is displayed by your operating system. Windows
Explorer or My Computer are convenient ways to display
file structure on Windows machines.
Windows
Explorer
The
screen capture above shows a root and many parent
folders, also known as directories, with sub-directories (or sub-folders)
and files expanding beneath them. In the example below, clicking
the plus sign beside My Documents expands the files and
additional sub-directories inside, or beneath, My Documents. Clicking
the minus sign collapses the sub-directories and files.
Windows
offers several different ways to view your files and folders.
The Windows Explorer view above is the List view option,
which shows files and folders in a simple alphabetical list. Select
your preferred view option from the View menu. The list
option is useful for managing files because you can see many folders
and files at once.
| View
Option |
Definition |
| List |
Alphabetically
lists files and folders, no detail |
| Large
Icons |
Shows
files and folders as large icons (similar to Desktop), no
detail, no set order |
| Small
Icons |
Shows
files and folders as small icons, no detail, no set order |
| Details |
Alphabetically
lists files and folders, with date, size, and file type |
Return to Top of Page
File Types and Extensions
When
managing files in Windows, it is helpful to know the type of each
file, especially if you have files for the same project or with
similar names that were created in different applications. Each
application has its own file type or types (Dreamweaver, WordPerfect,
SPSS, to name a few), indicated by a three- or four-letter file
extension, such as .doc for a Microsoft Word document.
These extensions are pre-defined by the supporting application.
On some Windows installations, file extensions are hidden by default.
To
show file extensions in Windows 98 and 2000:
- From
the Desktop, double-click My Computer.
- Select
Folder Options from the View menu.
- Select
the View tab, then uncheck the box beside Hide file
extensions for known file types.
- Click
the Like Current Folder button to apply this setting
to all of your folders, then click OK.
To
show file extensions in Windows XP:
- From
the Desktop, double-click My Computer.
- Select
Folder Options from the Tools menu.
- Select
the View tab, then uncheck the box beside Hide file
extensions for known file types.
- Click
the Apply to All Folders button to apply this setting
to all of your folders, then click OK.
|
Common
File Extensions
|
|
Extension
|
File
Type
|
Application
Required |
| .doc |
Microsoft
Word Document |
View
with Microsoft Word or Wordpad, create with MS Word |
| .exe |
Executable
program (required to run applications, do not move or delete
these files carelessly). |
various |
| .gif |
Graphical
Interchange Format, most common Internet graphics format |
View
with a Web browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer,
edit or create with a graphics editor such as Photoshop or
Fireworks |
| .html
or .htm |
Hypertext
Markup Language, most common format for Web pages |
View
with a Web browser, edit or create in UNIX or with a Web page
editor such as Dreamweaver |
| .jpg
or .jpeg |
Joint
Photography Experts Group, common Internet graphics format
for photographs and other complex images |
View
with a Web browser, edit or create with a graphics editor
such as Photoshop or Fireworks |
| .mdb
or .mde |
Microsoft
Access Database |
View
or create with Microsoft Access |
| .pdf |
Adobe
Acrobat Portable Document Format, common format for downloadable
Internet documents |
View
with Acrobat Reader (usually installed with Netscape), create
with Acrobat Distiller |
| .ppt |
Microsoft
PowerPoint Presentation |
View
or create with Microsoft PowerPoint |
| .sps,
.spo, and .sav |
Statistical
data files |
View
or create with SPSS |
| .txt |
Text
file |
View
with Notepad, MS Word, or other word processor |
| .xls |
Microsoft
Excel Worksheet |
View
or create with Microsoft Excel |
| .zip |
common
Windows compression format, often used to compress .exe or
other large files for transfer |
Extract
or create with Winzip |
Note
that some applications are able to create files with several different
file extensions.
Additional note : There are many other file extensions
such as .com, .dll, .mp3. .mpeg, .tif/.tiff, .vsd, etc. that are
not included in the table above. These file types, while not very
common, may be of relevance to you. For a definition of other
file extensions, see http://www.file-ext.com.
Return
to Top of Page
Methods
for Categorizing Data
Now
that you know what types of files you might have, it is time to
think about the best way to organize them so that you can:
- locate
important files quickly
- keep
related documents or files together
- more
easily move groups of data, rather than having to search for
individual files, when you move to a new computer
- facilitate
sharing of appropriate files and protection of non-public files
- more
easily and quickly back up important data
Your
files might look something like the diagram below right now, especially
if you have usually accepted the default location in most applications
for saving files. If not, My Documents might be found under the
root folder C:\, under Desktop, under Profiles (Windows 2000),
or under Documents and Settings (Windows XP) depending on the
Windows operating system you are using.
There
are two main approaches to organizing data files. The first is
program- or application-based organization, which organizes
files by their file extension type. An example of this approach
is diagrammed below:
The
second approach is project-based organization, in which
you organize files by your work projects. In this approach, files
of many extension types are grouped in a single folder. Files
are organized by the contents of their data, rather than by the
data type. An example of this approach is diagrammed below:
The
project-based approach works well for most people, since it is
easier to relate files and folders by their content rather than
by the method used to create them. Take some time to think about
the projects you do in your job, and how you could sort your existing
and new data files into categories that match those projects.
Use the worksheet that accompanies this class to come up with
an ideal project-based structure for your files and folders.
Return
to Top of Page | Continue to Organizing
Files and Folders
|
| |
|
Introduction