dA-Mac Tip Sheet

This is the second half of this tip. For the beginning, read Newsletter #022004.

Dude, where's my file? continued
In the newsletter we covered using the find command to retrieve that lost file. Here, we cover another method for figuring out where the computer (you,) put that file.

A cool trick that works in any version of the Mac OS is to use the "Save As" dialog to find a recently created & lost file. Sometimes when you are in a program and save a file, it doesn't go where you expected. How do you find it?

One way that I use, is to realize that programs usually have some default actions when it comes to storing files. If you neglected to specify where you wanted the file to be saved, it may have been placed in one of the "default" locations. And there is a quick way to find out.

Use the "Save As" command under "File" in the menu-bar. When the dialog opens up, stop & look at several things; What is the name that the file is being saved as? Where is it saved?

This picture is of a Save As window in OS X, but the same elements are also present in Classic. Notice the name of the file in the text box at the top of the window. In pre OS X, this is at the bottom of the window but has the same funtion. The filepath popup menu looks a little different, but it is in the same place. (In OS X, the double black triangles are a hint that this is a pulldown menu.) Click on this to get a hierarchical listing of the filepath, to where your file is saved

OS 9 Save As dialog box

Above is the "Save As" Dialog in OS 9, Note the "Save As" text area where you type the name of your file, and the filepath pulldown menu at the top of the file listings. (the downward pointing black triangle is a hint that this is a pulldown menu.)

Mac 101
"Using the hierarchical file system." Wow, that sounds tough. Understanding this concept is important, but not really hard. It just takes getting used to thinking about where your files are going, until it becomes automatic.

On the Macintosh we store files inside folders. Think about folders in the real world, you put items in named folders to make it easier find them later. But unlike folders in the physical world, the ones on your computer have virually no limit as to what you can put into them. So you can have a folder with hundreds of folders inside holding hundreds of files. This is known as a hierarchical file system.

Hierarchical systems are everywhere. The military, for example, which has generals at the top of the pyramid and privates at the bottom, is a hierarchical system. in a magazine you could have topics like People, Sports, & Movies. Inside the Movie topic you might have reviews & gossip. Inside each of these you might have columns & photos. On your computer a hierarchy can be represented like this:

A hierarchical system
Notice that in the example above, the levels of the hierarchy are shown as folders. Folders, directories or rank, they are all a way of breaking up things into smaller, managable chunks.

Instead of just having everything you write on your desktop or stuffed into the "Documents" folder. You can make relevant subfolders like; "Ideas" "Letters" and "Contracts. If you have a lot of files in "Letters," you might also put sub folders in it like "Family" and "Business."

Knowing and using this idea will not only make it easier to organize your files, but also it is very important to keep your folder hierarchy in mind when you are saving files. Be sure to use the Filepath pulldown menu just above the file window, if you are uncertain of your location.

If you keep the "folder within a folder" concept in mind when you hit that "Save" command, you'll know where your files are.

I am not associated with Bob Levitus, a more well known "Dr. Mac" (it's a fairly obvious Mac maven moniker) nor am I legally associated with Apple Computer, Computer Nerds or any other company or persons listed in this newsletter or site. Copyright for many images used here are held by their owners and are used here only for reference.

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