File Manager Windows

File manager windows enable you to display and manage your files and folders. Figure 5–1 shows a file manager window that displays the contents of a folder.

Figure 5–1 Contents of a Folder in a File Manager Window

Table 5–1 describes the components of file manager windows.

Table 5–1 File Manager Window Components

Component	Description
Menubar	Contains menus that you use to perform tasks in the file manager.
Toolbar	Contains buttons that you use to perform tasks in the file manager.
Location bar	Contains the following elements:  Location field or Go To field: Enables you to specify a file, folder, or URI that you want to view. Zoom buttons: Enable you to change the size of items in the view pane. View as drop-down list: Enables you to choose how to show items in your view pane.
Side pane	Performs the following functions:  Shows information about the current file or folder. Enables you to navigate through your files. The side pane contains a drop-down list that enables you to choose what to show in the side pane. You can choose from the following options:  Information Emblems History Notes Tree To display the side pane, choose View -> Side Pane.
View pane	Shows the contents of the following:  Particular types of files Folders FTP sites Locations that correspond to special URIs
Statusbar	Displays status information.

You can also open a popup menu from file manager windows. To open this popup menu right-click in a file manager window. The items in this menu depend on where you right-click. For example, when you right-click on a file or folder, you can choose items related to the file or folder. When you right-click on the background of a view pane, you can choose items related to the display of items in the view pane.

View Pane

The view pane can display the contents of the following:

• Particular types of files

• Folders

• FTP sites

• Locations that correspond to special URIs

The file manager contains viewer components that enable you to display particular types of file in the view pane. For example, you can use a text viewer to display text files in the view pane.

Displaying a file in the view pane provides the following benefits:

• Uses less system resources than when you launch an application.

• Takes less time than when you launch an application.

However, you cannot edit a file in the view pane.

The file manager also includes views that enable you to display the contents of your folders in different ways. For example, you can display the contents of a folder in the following types of view:

• Icon view: Shows the items in the folder as icons.

• List view: Shows the items in the folder as a list.

• Audio view: Shows only the audio items in the folder.

Use the View menu to choose how to display a folder. For more information on views, see Using Views to Display Your Files and Folders.

Side Pane

To display the side pane, choose View -> Side Pane. You can choose what information you want to view in the side pane. You can choose to display one of the following:

• Information

  Displays an icon that represents the current file or current folder. Also displays information about the current file or current folder. If a file is displayed in the view pane, buttons appear in the side pane. The buttons enable you to perform actions on a file, other than the default action.

• Emblems

  Contains emblems that you can add to a file or folder.

• History

  Contains a history list of files, folders, FTP sites, and URIs that you have recently visited.

• Notes

  Enables you to add notes to your files and folders.

• Tree

  Displays a hierarchical representation of your file system. You can use the Tree to navigate through your files.

To close the side pane, click on the X button at the top right of the side pane.

Icons and Emblems

In icon view, the file manager displays your files and folders as icons. You can add emblems to your file icons and folder icons. An emblem is a small icon that you can add to an item to visually mark the item. For example, to mark a file as important, you can add an Important emblem to the file icon to create the following visual effect:

For more information on how to add an emblem to an icon, see To Add an Emblem to a File or Folder.

The following table describes the structure of the file icon:

Component	Description
	Emblem. This emblem is the Important emblem.
	Icon that represents the file. This icon might contain a preview of the contents of the file.
	Icon caption. You can modify what items of information are displayed in the icon caption.

The file manager includes default emblems for the following types of item:

• Symbolic links

• Items for which you have the following permissions:

  • Read permission only

  • No read permission and no write permission

The following table shows the default emblems:

Default Emblem	Description
	Symbolic link
	Read permission only
	No read permission and no write permission