Researched and writted, by: Miss. Bayo E. Cary, A.A., B.A., M.L.I.S.
“Directories, Folders, and File System Paths: An Illustration of an
Inverted Tree Metaphor”
Computer
directories are, where and how a computer’s folders, and the “document files” they
contain, are stored (Folder (computer), n. d.). “You might think of directories
as being drawers in a file cabinet; each drawer contains a bunch of files that
are somehow related” (Ray, D. S., & Ray, E. J., 2007). A folder is most easily and accurately
conceptualized as a container for a directory’s files (Folder (computer), n. d.).
A tree metaphor is utilized to describe file
system paths within a directory (Levine, & Young, 2004). A directory on a computer’s hard drive begins
at “root” (Levine, & Young, 2004).
The root directory is “the” directory on the computer’s “hard drive” and,
as such, it is the storage unit for all the information on the computer’s “disk”
(Levine, & Young, 2004, p.93). A file system path name begins at “root”
(Levine, & Young, 2004).
Following a file system path, a computer’s Operating System, is able to
locate a specific file (Levine, & Young, 2004).
A
computer’s root directory is divided up into subdirectories (Levine, &
Young, 2004). Subdirectories are directories nested within directories
(Levine, & Young, 2004; Ray, D.S., & Ray, E. J., 2007). Subdirectories are utilized to divide folders,
and the files that they contain, into smaller units of aggregated information
(Levine, & Young, 2004; Ray, D.S., & Ray, E. J., 2007). The division of directories into subdirectories,
which contain smaller topically defined folders and their files, enables for faster
more specific folder and file location--a greater degree of system organization
(Levine, & Young, 2004).
A more complete explanation of file system paths’ requires additional
information, regarding the structure of a computer’s directory, as a “tree
structured directory” (Goyal, n.d.).
Computer file systems are organized into paths which reflect a “tree”
structured directory (Goyal, n. d.). The
“tree” structured directory, is represented metaphorically by an inverted tree
(Goyal, n.d.; Levine, & Young, 2004).
The “tree’s” root directory is at the top of the “tree” structure, and
the branches of the “tree” are represented by the directories or various
subdirectories, of the file system paths (Goyal, n.d.; Levine, &
Young, 2004). Figure 1., presents a pictorial representation of a “tree”
structured directory:
Tree Structured Directory
Figure 1.
The following information regarding: computer
directories, folders and the files that they contain, was available from
Wikipedia:
Folder, directory[1],
catalog, or drawer[2],
in computing,
is a virtual container within a digital file system,
in which groups of computer files and other folders can be kept
and organized. A typical file system may contain thousands (or even
hundreds of thousands) of folders. Files are kept organized by storing related
files in the same folder. A folder contained inside another folder is called a subfolder or subdirectory of that folder. Together, the folders form a hierarchy,
or tree structure. (Folder (computing), n. d.)
The following, is a summary of the organization the
of file systems paths, within a computer directory:
·
Directories hold subdirectories;
·
Subdirectories hold folders;
·
Folders
hold subfolders;
·
Folders are, therefore, subdirectories;
·
Subfolders
are also referred to as subdirectories;
·
Subdirectories are also considered directories;
·
Files are contained within subdirectories, which
as previously mentioned, are also referred to as directories;
·
The last file in a file system path, is not a
directory, it is simply a file. (Folder (computing), n. d.; Levine, & Young, 2004)
In conclusion, based on my comprehension of:
directories, folders and the files that they contain, it follows that: the file
system path, which is utilized to describe the exact location of a file, lists
the file name last (Levine, & Young, 2004). According to the statement posted by Dr.
Jorgensen to the DB regarding the application of a character to the end
of a file system path:
"For maximum clarity a file system path ending with
a directory name should have a slash following it. A file system path ending
with a file name should not have a slash at the end." (Jorgensen, 2010)
Therefore, the final character, after the last path
listed in a file system path, should be excluded (Levine, &
Young, 2004). Because the last path listed in a file system path, is the
name of a file and not the name of a directory (Folder (computing), n. d.;
Levine, & Young, 2004).
Works
Cited
Figure 1. (n.d.). [Graph illustration: PowerPoint
Slide]. Tree Structured Directory. Retrieve from
Folder (computing). (n.d.).
Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_directory
Goyal, N. Operating System [PowerPoint slides].
Retrieved from Department of Computer
Science and Information System Retrieved from
Jorgensen, P. (2010, May 29). Re: Question Pertaining to File System Path Termination.
Retrieved from
Levine, J., & Young, M. L. (2004). Unix
for Dummies: A Reference for the Rest of Us!.
Indianapolis : Wiley Publishing, Inc..
Ray, D. S., & Ray, E. J. (2007). Visual Quick Start Guide: Unix Third
Edition.
Berkeley: Peach Pit Press.
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