File trails: find, copy and move

Find the right file

Imagine two folders that both contain a file called sketch. One belongs to art and one belongs to science. The names match, but the drawings do not. Today we will follow a folder trail and predict what copying, moving and renaming actually change. No real files need to move.

Read the path in order

In our paper model, a slash separates the steps in a path. Start in Projects, open Art and then find sketch dot P N G. The Science sketch has a different middle step. A path is like a set of directions, not a contest to choose the fanciest file icon.

A copy adds another file

Now take a pretend four-line draft. Copy it from Work to Archive. Work still has its original, and Archive has a separate copy. Add two lines only to the Archive copy and save it. That copy has six lines. The original still has four. We have deliberately turned synchronization off in this model.

Move and rename have other jobs

Moving the original from Work to Done leaves Work empty and puts the original in Done. Renaming changes a name, not the stored content. Calling a text file a picture does not turn its sentences into pixels. The name has changed clothes, but the contents did not learn a new trick.

Pause: follow a fresh trail

Try a new folder. The History project and the Art project both have a sketch. Choice A goes through Art. Choice B goes through History. Pause and choose the History sketch. Then imagine copying it to a separate Practice folder. Does copying, by itself, remove the History original?

Check both decisions

Choice B follows the History folder. Copying adds the Practice copy and leaves the History original where it was. If you had moved it instead, the original location would change. These predictions depend on our stated independent-copy model. Real applications can synchronize files, so ask before experimenting on important work.

One name, two places

Fun fact: two files can have exactly the same name when they are in different folders. That is why the full path matters. Even a name like final, really final, absolutely final cannot tell you everything. Check the location and the expected contents, and keep important work protected.

Continue with a paper file trail

Continue to the worksheet below. Find the Art sketch, count the files and explain why the name alone is not enough. Then try Copy, Move or Rename a File. Use the supplied fictional folders and numbers. You do not need to open, upload, rename or delete anything on your own device.