Viewing and Sorting Files

It is pretty common to save a file and then not be able to find it again. Either you didn't save it to the location you thought, or you cannot remember in which folder you saved it. Sometimes, you don't remember the exact filename. One way to find files is to change how they are displayed in the folder window. You can view the contents of a window in a variety of ways. You can also sort the contents so that files are listed in alphabetical order, by date, or by type. As another option, you can group similar files together (by name, type, and so on). All these viewing and sorting options are covered in this section.

Changing the View

You have several choices for how the contents of a window are viewedthumbnails, tiles, icons, lists, and details. Changing the view can help you better locate the item you want. Each view has its advantages. For instance, if you want to see more of a window's contents at one time, you can change the view to List. Figure 16.1 shows files in List view.

Figure 16.1. List view contains the bare bonesa simple, compact list of the filenames.

tip

When you want to select a group of files, List view is the best view in which to work.

Another simple view is Icon view, which displays the filename and icon (see Figure 16.2).

Figure 16.2. In Icon view, the filename and icon are listed left to right across the window.

As another alternative, you can add a little more information by changing to Tiles. In this view, you see the file icon, plus the document type and size (see Figure 16.3).

Figure 16.3. Use Tiles to view the filename, file type, and file size.

Want even more information? Change to Details view to see the name, size, type, and modification date. Figure 16.4 shows Details view. Use this view if you want to find out, for instance, the date a file was last accessed.

Figure 16.4. If you want detailed file information, change to Details view.

You can also select Thumbnails, which is useful for pictures, and you'll see a thumbnail image of each picture. Also available for file windows with graphic files is a view called Filmstrip view (see Figure 16.5). In this view, you can scroll through the pictures, seeing both the selected image in the main area as well as other picture files along the bottom (or filmstrip).

Figure 16.5. For picture files, you can use Thumbnails or Filmstrip (shown here).

tip

Another helpful way to find a file is to view the file properties. Right-click the file and then select Properties. Some files may have several tabs with identifying information. When you are done reviewing the file properties, click OK.

Also, remember that when a file is selected, you can view the Details section in the task pane for information about the type and size of the selected file.

To change to a different view, follow these steps:

1.	In the window you want to change, click the View menu. The current view is indicated with a dot (see Figure 16.6). Figure 16.6. You can see the current view selection as well as select another view from the View menu.
2.	Select the view you want. The window displays the contents in that view.

tip

If you see faint gray highlighting in one of the columns, it means the contents have been sorted on that field. The field name also has an arrow next to it. You learn more about sorting in later sections of this chapter.

Sorting Files

In addition to changing the view, you can sort the contents of a folder window so that you can more easily find the folders and files you want. Windows enables you to arrange the contents of a window by name, type, date, and size. Your sorting will be visible in all views, but the change is most apparent in Details view since this view includes columns for size, type, and date.

tip

You can also use the View button in the file window toolbar. Click the down arrow next to the Views button and then select the view you want.

Follow these steps to sort files:

1.	Open the window you want to sort.
2.	Click View and then click the Arrange Icons By command. The current sort order is indicated with a dot. For instance, if you see a dot next to Name, you know the contents are sorted by filename.
3.	Select the sort order you want. Windows XP then sorts the files in the selected order. For example, Figure 16.7 shows the files sorted by size (from smallest to largest). Note that the sort column is indicated with a very faint shading and an arrow in the heading. Figure 16.7. You can sort files to make it easier to find the file you need.

tip

In Details view, you can also click the column heading as a shortcut for sorting. For instance, to sort by Date Modified, click this column header.

To change the order (ascending to descending or vice versa), select the same command again. Doing so reverses the sort order.

Grouping Files

Windows XP has added a new file view featurethe capability to group file icons. The grouping depends on how the items are sorted. If you sort by name, the contents are grouped alphabetically. If you sort by type, the contents are grouped by type. Grouping enables you to work with a select group of files or folders more easily.

caution

Grouping does not work in List view. Change to one of the other views (Thumbnails, Tiles, Icons, or Details) if you want to group a window's contents.

To start, sort first and then group. You can group in any view. Follow these steps to group files:

1.	Sort the contents by how you want them grouped. For instance, to group by type, sort by type.
2.	Click View, Arrange Icons By, Show in Groups. Windows then groups the icons by the sort order. Figure 16.8 shows the files sorted and then grouped by type. Figure 16.8. You can group files to keep similar file types together.

Choosing File Details

In addition to the file details in Details view, you can select to display other file information, such as author or the date the file was created. These details are especially helpful for picture and music files; you can display the date a picture was taken or the artist of a song. You can also hide other file details.

tip

To undo the grouping, select the command again to remove the checkmark next to Show in Groups and remove the grouping in the file window.

To choose the file details that are displayed, follow these steps:

1.	Open the View menu and click Choose Details. You'll see the Choose Details dialog box (see Figure 16.9). Figure 16.9. You can select to display other file information.
2.	Check any details you want displayed. Uncheck any details you don't want included. You can scroll through the list to select from several different file detail options. tip These details are especially useful for viewing MP3 (music) files since most of the MP3 information does not show in the regular view.
3.	Click OK. The file list is then updated to include the details you selected.