We explain what a file is and the types of files that exist. Also, how a computer file is composed.
What is file?
The concept of archive comes from Latin archiveand refers to the set of documents produced by natural or legal persons, public or private in the exercise of their activity. This definition is the one proposed by the International Council of Archives, and contrasts with that of Elsevier (which focuses on the conservation of the document), and with that of the Spanish Historical Heritage Law (which refers to the use of the archive).
The documents can be books, photos, newspaper clippings and are of utmost importance when undertaking a historical research activity. Libraries are the archive repositories par excellence, and must have good classification and distribution for efficient use.
The word, however, has expanded its use and the places it is found prepared to house and safeguard large amounts of information They are known as files. Some countries have General Archives, which house information in an organized way regarding the history and culture of their people.
In many cases, files also serve the function of preserve and help restore the documentation they have. The verb “file” is often used to imply the closure of a process, such as, for example, when saying 'the case file has been ordered'.
See also: Word processor
Computer file
In the field of computing, it is called a “file” information element composed of a sum of records (byte combinations). They bear this name because they are the digitized equivalents of the files described above. So much so that many “paper” files are currently being digitized, to reduce their physical size and make them easier to organize and search. Computer files, in general, have some characteristics in common:
- Name Each file is identifiable with a name, which cannot coincide with another that is in the same location.
- Extension Files have an optional extension, which often indicates their format.
- Size As said, they are made up of a series of bytes that determine their size. It can reach kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes.
- Description In addition to the name and extension, they usually have other characteristics. Within these features, file protection may appear, which means limited permission for reading or modifying.
- Location All files belong to a certain place on the computer (or occasionally outside of it), the so-called storage space. Most are stored on hard drives, which are organized. hierarchically in folders and subfolders. There is necessarily a path to that location, starting with the referenced disk (C:, D:).
- Format The way the file will be interpreted depends on its format, which includes text, executable, data, image, audio, video formats, among many others.
The way computers organize files are usually called file systems and depend on the operating system you are working with. Files can be executable or non-executable, depending on whether they work on their own (such as a PC game) or whether they require another application to load them (such as a Word document).
