Ahoy! Proper names fer yer folders an' files!

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Ahoy! Proper names fer yer folders an' files!

This is a machine-translated text that may contain errors, ye scallywag!

When ye be craftin’ files an’ folders, ‘tis wise to bestow upon ‘em names that truly tell ye what they hold within their belly. This be o’ great import when we toil with all subjects at IM. Trust me, matey, ye shall not want to sit here a year hence knowin’ naught on where ANYTHING in yer computer doth rest its bones.

What shall a fine folder name signify?

Cast yer eyes upon these folder names:

📁 Loot
📁 Scheme
📁 New Chest
📁 gibberish
  1. What do the folders tell ye about their cargo?
    Not a lick o’ info… Ye be required to open ‘em up t’ see wha’s inside!
  2. Does it work?
    Aye, she runs fine enough… But she ain’t much help fer yer own navigation.
  3. Can we make her better?
    Aye!

A Better Solution:

📁 Hero Website
📁 Interview Task
📁 Python Calculator
📁 Photoshop Poster

Here be it beggarly easier t’know what’s in the scuttles without havin’ t’unlatch ‘em first.

“This be a problem fer future meselfe” 🔮

A good name should still make sense if ye open th’ project again in a year. “Project” might seem clear right now. But, in a year ye migh’ have 40 different projects!

Task 1 - Which name’s the best, ye scallywags?

Ye’ve cobbled together a webpage fer yer favorite game o’ war an plunder.

Which o’ these folder names strikes yer fancy the most, matey?

- 📁 website
- 📁 SchoolAssignment
- 📁 Website about Minecraft
- 📁 stuff
- 📁 Web Project 1

Answer ye querys:

  1. What name would ye pick fer yer vessel?
  2. Why so?
  3. Be there any other names that could serve as well?

Is there always one right answer?

Nay!

The most important thing be that the name be clear an’ make sense fer those who’ll use ye files.

Renamin’ files an’ folders ✏️

Ye be sure to give a file or folder a lousy name once ‘n all (or ye’ve already done so). Lucky fer us, we can just change the name.

It be as easy as right-clickin’ on the file or folder an’ choosin’ Rename.

Tricks ye scallywag!

Ye can also select the file or folder an’ press:

  • F2 if ye be on Windows.
  • Enter if ye be on Mac.

Tip

Renaminin’ a file or folder be don’t change its contents.

Ye just alter what it’s called, matey.

Task 2 - Give folders better names

Find a folder in yer documents folder that may have an ill name an’ try to give it a new one!

Aye ahoy! Two things cannot share the same name

Within one folder, two items can’t have an identical name, matey.

Ye simply can’t have this arrangement:

📁 Web Development
├── 📁 Hero Website
└── 📁 Hero Website ❌

Should ye attempt to bestow a name that already exists in the same hold, yer machine shall demand a different moniker from ye.

This rule applies t’ both files and folders.

But what about files that appear to have the same name?

These two files actually got different names, ye scallywag:

📄 bilde.png
📄 bilde.jpg

.png an’ .jpg be part o’ the file’s name. We call this here thingie a file extension, arrr.

Tricks: Show file extensions 👀

To actually see da whole filename it’s smart to turn on display of fileextensions.

Then ye’ll fer example spy:

📄 bilde.png
📄 rapport.docx
📄 nettside.html

aye instead o’ just:

📄 picture
📄 report
📄 webpage
  1. Open up yer File Explorer, matey.
  2. Give a click on View, right there at the top o’ the screen.
  3. Pick out Show from the list.
  4. Mark the box fer File name extensions.

Now be it that file endin’s like .png, .docx an’ .html shall show themselves clear as day!

  1. Open yer Finder, matey!
  2. Bop on Finder → Settings up at the top o’ the screen.
  3. Head over to Advanced.
  4. Check off Show all file extensions, ye scallywag!

Don’t ye delete the file extension, me hearties!

When bein’ visible, file extensions become part o’ the name yeh see when givin’ a new moniker to yer plunder.

If the booty’s named thusly:

bilde.png

Ye may change bilde to summat else if yership pleases, but mind that .png still stands at the stern.

The file extension doth tell the machine what manner of loot it be, arrr.

Task 4 - Why me? 🤔

Answer these questions with yer own words, matey:

  1. Why ‘tis wise to use clear names for files an’ folders?
  2. How come a name like project might work fine right now, but turn into a headache later on?
  3. How can good file an’ folder names make it easier to sail together with others?
  4. What d’ye reckon could happen if a big project had hundreds o’ files with poor names?
Example Answer Key

These be examples o’ answers. Ye need not have penned the exact same words, matey.

1. Clear names make it easier fer me t’find what I seek without havin’ t’open every single file an’ folder on deck.

2. Right now, perhaps I know which project ye mean, but later there may be many different projects an’ I might forget which one be which, arrr.

3. Others can understand what the files contain an’ where to find things without needing t’beg fer information from me.

4. It be hard t’find the right file, an’ ‘tis easy t’use the wrong one, lose track of the whole rigmarole, or have t’do the work all over again.