Common Folder

Common Folder

You know that Windows has some common folders such as Documents, Pictures, Music and others that you can use to organize your files. The panel at the left is the Navigation pane. At the top, commonly used folders are displayed under the heading “Favorite Links”. You can view additional folders by clicking “Folders” at the bottom of the Navigation pane. This displays the “Folders list”, where you can click any folder to navigate directly to it. When you click a location in the Navigation pane, the folder contents in the right panel change to display the contents of the location you clicked.

In the Folder List, folders created in the main folder appear indented below the main folder. Subfolders appear indented below their parent folders. So a “Folder System” is made up of folders and subfolders. A Folder System is also called a “Directory System”. When you move the mouse pointer into the area of the Folders list, you see a small triangle next to each folder which has subfolders. Click the triangle to expand the folder. Click the resulting triangle to collapse the expanded list. To close the Folders list, click “Folders” again.

Click the “Organize” button to organize the contents of a folder. Click “Layout” to specify whether to display Menus, a Details Pane, a Preview Pane, and/or the Navigation Pane. Let us select “Menu Bar”. You can now see a menu with the items File, Edit, View, Tools and Help.

Click the “Views” button to specify how you wish to view the contents of a folder. You can choose from the options: Extra Large Icons, Large Icons, Medium Icons, Small Icons, List, Details and Tiles.

Sorting and Grouping Files and Folders: You may click on any column heading to sort the files by that column. Clicking again reverses the sort order from ascending to descending.

Using Windows Explorer, you can copy, move, rename, and search for files and folders. For example, you can open a folder that contains a file you want to copy or move, and then drag the file to another folder or drive. You can use the context menu that appears on right-clicking the mouse to perform various functions.

Creating Folders: Using the Folders list, you may select the location where you wish to store your data files. Let us click on “Documents”. To create a new folder, select “File → New → Folder” from the menu bar. A folder icon with “New Folder” written next to it is displayed. You may type a new name for this folder.

Folder and File Names: When a file or folder is created, it must be assigned a name. The following characters cannot be used in a folder or file name:  \ / : * ? > < |

If you think you will need to use a folder frequently, drag it to the Favorite Links area. These links let you open folders quickly, no matter which folder you are presently in.

Renaming Folders: To rename a folder, click on the folder name and select “File → Rename” from the menu bar. Alternately, you may select the folder, right-click and select “Rename”.

Deleting Folders: When you no longer need a folder you can delete it. If you delete a folder containing subfolders and files, all the subfolders and files contained within the folder are removed. Select the folder that you wish to delete. Press the “Delete” key or select “File → Delete” from the menu bar. Confirm deletion by clicking “Yes” in the “Folder Delete” window.