Computer File

We explain what a computer file is and what it is for. Characteristics of a file. File formats and examples.

computer files
Word files and excel files, along with some folders.

What is a file?

In computing, a file is known as a file. organized set of information units (bits) stored on a device. They are called that way as a metaphor for traditional office files, written on paper, since they would be their digital equivalent.

Each file has a unique identification or name, which can be modified or assigned at the discretion of the user or programmer, and an extension that determines what type of file it is and what functions it performs. Usually both terms of your name are separated by a period For example: Command.com

Within the files there are small packets of data expressed in bits (the smallest computer unit that exists) and that are ordered in registers or lines, being individually different but with some common feature. How this information is grouped depends on who makes the file, so There are numerous file structures simpler and more complex, which are more or less standardized today.

These minimum units of operation and organization of an Operating System that are the files, then, can be created, deleted, relocated, compressed, renamed and activated (executein computer language), along with other basic organizational operations.

What is a file for?

Files can have numerous functions. From simply containing information in an orderly manner, such as text files, and allowing access to it by specific programs, to executable files that trigger a certain sequence of actions (and other files) that result in a specific action.

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From turning off the computer to starting a video game, everything that happens in a computer system occurs through interconnected files running in turn in the computer's memory.

What is a folder?

Archive
All files necessarily exist within a folder.

The files on a traditional computer system are organized into folders (or directories) and subfolders (or subdirectories), as a way to categorize them and distinguish those that belong to one application or program from those that belong to another. The folders are nothing more than labels to represent the compartments of information.

This is what the file organization system is all about: a complex cataloging that at the same time allows a simple interface with the user, since the transit of some files between two supports (say: a hard disk and a pendrive) can be as simple as telling the system to move them from the mother folder to the destination folder, without them undergoing any modification along the way or running the risk of getting lost.
All files necessarily exist within a folder.

General characteristics of a file

In general terms, the files of a computer system are:

  • Representatives The files usually have a name of maximum 255 characters and are usually represented in graphical interface operating systems (such as Windows) by a certain icon.
  • Unique per directory Two identical files with the same name cannot exist in the same folder or directory. When this happens, one of the two will have to change their name slightly or in any case one will be replaced by the other.
  • Modifiable Except for those that have been expressly protected against modification, as is the case of the vital files of the computer system, which should not undergo changes because it would be destabilized, the common thing is that the files can be deleted, created, modified, renamed at will or need. .
  • have a size Depending on the amount of information that a file contains, it will have a size or “weight”, measurable in Kb, Mb or even Gb. The larger the file, the more capacity the support must have where it is located.
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File format

The way information is encoded and arranged within files It is known as a format, and it responds to various existing standards. Depending on these formats, there will be compatibilities or incompatibilities when accessing said information, since it is a form of distribution that responds to a certain pattern.

This is because inside the files on any medium there can only be bits since computer systems must be able to convert that information into binary code (ones and zeros) in order to process it. Thus, each type of file can be stored in various possible formats.

File Examples

Some typical file examples are:

  • Text files Usually identified with .doc, .txt, .rtf or .odt extensions, they contain sequences of alphanumeric characters arranged in specific sequences, which we call “documents”.
  • Executable files Usually ending in .exe (executable“executable” in English), .com (command“command”) or .bat (batch“batch”), are those that trigger actions, such as running an application or a video game.
  • Image files Typically called .jpg, .gif or .tiff, they are images whose recomposed information is translated into an image, illustration or photograph.