In this lesson, you’ll explain the role of folders or directories in organizing files on a computer. You'll describe the different file types and their extensions. You'll explain file operations, such as copying, moving, renaming, and backing up files. You'll also explain the procedure for running a program file on a computer.
File Management
A file is a storage unit on a computer. It stores all the information, data, settings, and commands used by a computer program. You can identify a file by its file name. There are various types of files. A file type is the standard used to code data and information in a computer. It determines the format in which the computer encodes data bits in a file. Some file types are suitable for specific type of data. For example, graphic files store images and pictures.
All file types have unique file extensions that help you determine which program to use to open them and to access their data. Operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS use a dot character before a file extension to separate it from the filename. However, the UNIX file system interprets the dot as a character in the main file name.
In this lesson, you’ll list and describe career opportunities in the fields of computer graphics and multimedia. You'll describe employment opportunities in entrepreneurship. You'll also describe the job responsibilities of a graphic designer. Finally, you'll create a résumé.
File Management
A file is a storage unit on a computer. It stores all the information, data, settings, and commands used by a computer program. You can identify a file by its file name. There are various types of files. A file type is the standard used to code data and information in a computer. It determines the format in which the computer encodes data bits in a file. Some file types are suitable for specific type of data. For example, graphic files store images and pictures.
All file types have unique file extensions that help you determine which program to use to open them and to access their data. Operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS use a dot character before a file extension to separate it from the filename. However, the UNIX file system interprets the dot as a character in the main file name.
File Extensions
Let’s look at some of the common file types and their file extensions used in Microsoft Windows.
File Types File Extensions
programs .com, .exe
documents .doc, .txt, .htm, .mhtml, .xml, .rtf
graphics .bmp, .tif, .jpg, .eps, .gif, .png, .pcx
audio .wav, .au, .mp3, .wma, .snd
video .mpg, .mov, .avi, .mpeg, .asf, .rm
compressed files .zip, .sit, .sitx, .tar
You can organize and group files in relevant folders or directories. Organizing files in folders helps you find them quickly. You can identify each file and folder because it has a unique name and a path. You can also place folders within folders. These folders are known as sub-folders. Such folders help in storing very specific information. For example, you can name a folder “photographs” and create sub-folders inside it for specific birthday photographs, or for holiday photographs.
When you arrange files, folders, and subfolders logically, you get a file hierarchy, which resembles a tree. The trunk of the tree represents the main system drive, the various branches represent different folders, and the leaves represent the files. This visual image of a tree helps you understand the links between files and folders.
Effective file management reduces the stress of looking for files, and saves you a lot of time. It also improves your productivity and efficiency at work. To hone your file management skills, make logical groups of related files and folders, and give them appropriate names.
