The Hierarchical File System

If you are new to computers, the idea of a "hierarchical file system" may be new to you. Here are the basic concepts ...

What's a file?  A file is a named container for information. Most of the files you use contain data of some particular format—a document, a spreadsheet, a chart.

Most applications understand a limited number of file formats. For example, a document editor may not be able to read a spreadsheet file. HP VUE helps you recognize different types of files using a filetype database. A filetype identifies the files of a particular format and associates them with the appropriate applications. These associations mean you don't have to remember commands to accomplish frequent tasks.

On some computers, file names cannot be longer than 14 characters. If you are not sure if your computer can support longer file names, check with your system administrator.

What's a directory? A directory is a container for files, similar to a folder in a file cabinet. Since a directory can contain other directories—sometimes called subdirectories—you can create multiple levels of organization that form a hierarchy.

Within any single directory, each file name must be unique. However, files in different directories may have the same name.

As you navigate from directory to directory, your current location is referred to as the current working directory.

What's a path? The location of a file is often specified using the directories and subdirectories that lead to the file—this is called a path. An absolute path specifies a path from the root directory to the file. For example, this is an absolute path to the file sys.vuewmrc:

   /etc/vue/config/sys.vuewmrc

Here's a diagram showing that path:

Figure 5-2  An absolute path in the hierarchical file system.

A relative path specifies a path from the current directory to the file. If a path does not begin with a slash, it is a relative path. For example, if the current working directory is /etc/vue/, the relative path to the sys.vuewmrc file is:

   config/sys.vuewmrc

Two special directory names are useful for specifying relative paths. The ./ directory (sometimes called "dot") represents the current working directory. The ../ directory (sometimes called "dot-dot") represents the parent directory—the directory one level up in the directory hierarchy. For example, if your current working directory is /etc/vue/config/panels/, then the relative path to the sys.vuewmrc file is:

   ../sys.vuewmrc

	NOTE: You may be used to computer systems that use the \ character to separate the components of a path name (for example, \work\myfile). Note that UNIX uses the / character instead (for example, /work/myfile).