Files have descriptive data written
into them that tells a viewer more information about the file’s
contents. Data about data is called metadata, but the Windows operating system calls this data properties. Properties are also called tags or attributes .
File properties
Properties are important because they control
what you see in Explorer and how you see it. Properties allow you to
organize your content, search for and find items, back up and protect
your files, and much more.
To view and modify an object’s properties in the file system
• Select the object, right-click it, and select the Properties command.
• With the object selected, click the Properties button on the Home tab of the ribbon.
To view properties in the Details view of a folder
Not all properties can be edited from within
a Properties dialog box; it depends on the file type. Music files and
photos are two categories of objects for which a large number or
properties may be edited. An example of an MP3 music file’s Properties
dialog box is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 . MP3 file properties
To get some idea of how this affects your view in Explorer, lets take a look at the Details view of this music album Figure 1.
1. Open the folder of interest.
2. Click the View tab, then click the Details button to change to that view.
3. Right-click the column header to view the properties that are displayed as columns in that view.
4. Click a property to
enable its view (add the check mark) in the listing; or click to
disable the view of a property (remove the check mark).
Tip
Notice that the folder is sorted by
the Name property. You can sort on any property by clicking the Sort
arrow to the right of the column (property) name. Just as you can in a
spreadsheet, you can drag a column header border to resize the column,
and you can drag the header itself to move the column from left to
right.
