214:
20:
138:
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276:
to help present the contents of the computer to the user in a fairly consistent way that frees the user from having to deal with absolute directory paths, which can vary between versions of
Windows, and between individual installations. Many operating systems also have the concept of "smart folders"
201:, Unix systems treat directories as a type of file. Caveats include not being able to write to a directory file except indirectly by creating, renaming and removing file system objects in the directory and only being able to read from a directory file using directory-specific library routines and
97:
are often used to describe the relationship between a subdirectory and the directory in which it is cataloged, the latter being the parent. The top-most directory in such a filesystem, which does not have a parent of its own, is called the
157:, meaning subdirectories were not supported; there were only a group of top-level directories, each containing files. In modern systems, a directory can contain a mix of files and subdirectories.
141:
Diagram of a hierarchical directory tree. The root directory is here called "MFD", for Master File
Directory. Usually a file can only be in one directory at a time, but here File 2 is
175:
in which they execute. Typically, file names accessed by the program are assumed to reside within this directory if the file names are not specified with an explicit directory name.
300:
refers to the way a structured list of document files and folders are stored on the computer. The distinction can be due to the way a directory is accessed; on Unix systems,
569:
186:
or project directory, thus isolating their activities from all other users. In early versions of Unix the root directory was the home directory of the
544:
281:
that reflect the results of a file system search or other operation. These folders do not represent a directory in the file hierarchy. Many
734:
234:
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allow the creation of folders to organize email. These folders have no corresponding representation in the filesystem structure.
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1137:
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For local filesystems, DNLC entries normally expire only under pressure from other more recent entries. For
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727:
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Operating systems that support hierarchical filesystems (practically all modern ones) implement a form of
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The path specifies the disk name, or location, and all of the drawers that lead to the specified file.
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81:(that is, one in which files and directories are organized in a manner that resembles a
19:
988:
978:
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623:"Organization and Retrieval of Records Generated in a Large-Scale Engineering Project"
1111:
864:
453:
359:
269:
172:
153:, the file systems either had no support for directories at all or had only a "flat"
24:
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is necessary to ensure that entries have not been invalidated by other clients.
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50:, and possibly other directories. On many computers, directories are known as
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Files are organized by storing related files in the same directory. In a
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that lists the phone numbers of all the people living in a certain area.
43:
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used in offices, and used in a hierarchical file system design for the
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as the desktop environment – is "inode/directory". This is not an
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35:
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85:), a directory contained inside another directory is called a
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114:
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A reference to a location in a directory system is called a
371:
113:
systems – including but not limited to systems using
682:"Close-To-Open Cache Consistency in the Linux NFS Client"
492:
218:
190:, but modern Unix usually uses another directory such as
245:' desktop environments. Folders are often depicted with
46:
cataloging structure which contains references to other
304:
is usually referred to as a directory when viewed in a
627:
Proceedings of the
Eastern Joint Computer Conference
1124:
620:
249:which visually resemble physical file folders.
237:(ERMA) Mark 1 published in 1958 as well as by
728:
735:
721:
529:. Commodore-Amiga. July 1991. p. 46.
602:. The Linux man-pages project. 2021-03-22
264:metaphor that is used to represent it (a
709:by The Linux Information Project (LINFO)
315:, users may sometimes call it a folder.
235:Electronic Recording Machine, Accounting
212:
205:that return records, not a byte-stream.
136:
18:
16:File system structure for locating files
542:
109:media type for directories within many
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676:
674:
311:, but if accessed through a graphical
149:Historically, and even on some modern
716:
621:Barnard III, G. A.; Fein, L. (1958).
70:. The name derives from books like a
649:""Xerox Star User Interface (1982)""
412:
322:
671:
30:window showing a directory listing.
13:
742:
208:
178:Some operating systems restrict a
14:
1154:
700:
145:so it appears in two directories.
600:"readdir(3) — Linux manual page"
326:
252:There is a difference between a
659:from the original on 2021-12-21
318:
296:is more appropriate. The term
241:, is used in almost all modern
229:, presenting an analogy to the
901:Hidden file / Hidden directory
641:
614:
592:
562:
543:Leonard, Thomas (2018-10-02).
536:
518:
378:(DNLC), although it is called
374:world, this is usually called
171:, programs have an associated
1:
944:Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
574:Behavior Genetics Association
511:
434:Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
7:
1078:Comparison of file managers
877:List of filename extensions
545:"Shared MIME-info Database"
400:
376:Directory Name Lookup Cache
132:
10:
1159:
127:IANA registered media type
66:or the traditional office
1085:File system fragmentation
1045:
1002:
969:
909:
842:
750:
576:. c. 2002. Archived from
527:Using The AMIGA Workbench
288:If one is referring to a
217:Sample folder icon (from
889:Extended file attributes
797:Proprietary file formats
262:graphical user interface
79:hierarchical file system
1138:File system directories
1090:File-system permissions
707:Definition of directory
525:"Chapter 1: Tutorial".
1143:File system management
570:"Everything is a File"
290:container of documents
222:
146:
31:
1133:Computer file systems
635:10.1109/AFIPS.1958.75
216:
182:access only to their
140:
22:
1105:File synchronization
954:Semantic file system
777:List of file formats
391:network file systems
272:uses the concept of
934:Directory structure
551:. Non-regular files
424:Directory structure
395:coherence mechanism
155:directory structure
72:telephone directory
872:Filename extension
655:. 28 August 2009.
338:. You can help by
223:
194:for this purpose.
147:
32:
1120:
1119:
1112:File verification
865:Filename mangling
792:Open file formats
580:on March 10, 2012
508:
507:
454:Working directory
356:
355:
270:Microsoft Windows
268:). For example,
260:concept, and the
243:operating systems
173:working directory
169:operating systems
25:Microsoft Windows
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1068:Data compression
949:Grid file system
927:Temporary folder
917:Directory/folder
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684:. Citi.umich.edu
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370:lookups. In the
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197:In keeping with
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151:embedded systems
23:Screenshot of a
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1058:File comparison
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1010:File descriptor
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782:File signatures
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549:X Desktop Group
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403:
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336:needs expansion
321:
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279:virtual folders
274:special folders
211:
209:Folder metaphor
199:Unix philosophy
191:
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107:freedesktop.org
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884:File attribute
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834:Zero-byte file
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744:Computer files
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701:External links
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498:tree (command)
495:
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488:pushd and popd
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449:Virtual folder
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444:Root directory
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439:Home directory
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184:home directory
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68:filing cabinet
48:computer files
28:command prompt
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1095:File transfer
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1037:Symbolic link
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860:Long filename
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478:dir (command)
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347:December 2013
341:
337:
334:This section
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329:
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295:
291:
286:
284:
283:email clients
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267:
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256:, which is a
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96:
92:
89:. The terms
88:
84:
80:
75:
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
45:
41:
37:
29:
26:
21:
1100:File sharing
1073:File manager
1063:File copying
916:
910:Organisation
855:8.3 filename
809:Sidecar file
787:Magic number
686:. Retrieved
661:. Retrieved
652:
643:
626:
616:
606:November 27,
604:. Retrieved
594:
582:. Retrieved
578:the original
573:
564:
553:. Retrieved
538:
530:
526:
520:
502:
468:cd (command)
388:
379:
375:
357:
344:
340:adding to it
335:
319:Lookup cache
313:file manager
306:command line
297:
293:
289:
287:
265:
253:
251:
226:
224:
203:system calls
196:
177:
166:
159:
148:
119:KDE Plasma 5
104:
99:
94:
90:
87:subdirectory
86:
76:
55:
51:
39:
33:
939:File system
824:System file
814:Sparse file
772:File format
758:Binary file
688:19 November
663:19 November
407:File folder
292:, the term
258:file system
231:file folder
143:hard linked
123:ROX Desktop
102:directory.
44:file system
1127:Categories
1046:Management
971:Operations
922:NTFS links
843:Properties
555:2023-03-13
512:References
366:of recent
239:Xerox Star
1015:Hard link
896:File size
819:Swap file
767:Data file
762:text file
629:: 59–63.
584:April 30,
302:/usr/bin/
298:directory
254:directory
225:The name
188:root user
111:Unix-like
64:workbench
60:analogous
40:directory
36:computing
1020:Shortcut
850:Filename
804:Metafile
657:Archived
462:Commands
429:Filename
418:Concepts
401:See also
167:In many
133:Overview
1003:Linking
653:YouTube
360:caching
309:console
56:drawers
52:folders
1053:Backup
1030:Shadow
503:
473:chroot
380:dcache
294:folder
266:folder
227:folder
180:user's
91:parent
1025:Alias
994:Write
984:Close
751:Types
483:mkdir
384:Linux
247:icons
192:/root
121:, or
115:GNOME
95:child
62:to a
54:, or
42:is a
989:Read
979:Open
961:Path
690:2014
665:2014
608:2022
586:2021
372:Unix
368:path
162:path
105:The
100:root
93:and
83:tree
38:, a
631:doi
493:pwd
382:on
364:RAM
362:to
342:.
277:or
219:KDE
34:In
1129::
760:/
673:^
651:.
625:.
572:.
547:.
393:a
386:.
221:).
164:.
129:.
117:,
58:,
736:e
729:t
722:v
692:.
667:.
637:.
633::
610:.
588:.
558:.
349:)
345:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
