Windows Explorer opens to display a
file tree in the Navigation pane on the left, a Content pane in the
middle, and a Display or Preview pane on the right. Figure 1
shows Explorer with its ribbon open. That ribbon is context-sensitive
and will open a different tab depending upon the current selection. You
can modify what you see in the Explorer window by selecting options on
the ribbon or from menus. The Layout group allows you to view the
contents of a folder in many different ways: as icons, as tiles, by
content, in a detailed spreadsheet-like style, and so forth. You can
suppress the ribbon by toggling the Ribbon button on the right.
Figure 1. Windows Explorer
Explorer uses the
address bar to indicate your current position in the file system with a
“breadcrumb.” If you click in the address bar, the breadcrumb turns
into a file path that you can copy and paste (for example, E:\Public\Pictures\National Geographic Photos). Click an element of the breadcrumb, and Explorer moves your view to that location.
When you click the Explorer tile in the
tile-based interface, Explorer opens by default to the top of your
libraries, which are virtual folders that can contain pointers to
folders in many locations. The Refresh button updates the location in
the address bar. The search functionality in Explorer is accessed by
entering a search string into the Search box to the right of the
address bar.
Tip
You can move from tab to tab in Explorer by
using the keystroke Alt+first letter. To move to the Home tab, for
example, press Alt+H. When you do, you will notice that small boxes
containing letters will appear on the ribbon. Enter the key shown to
activate the feature you desire.
Tip
If you click the Options button on
the View tab of the ribbon, the Folder Options dialog box will open.
This dialog box allows you to modify the way folders open in Explorer,
the items you see in the Navigation pane, click behavior, what you can
view, and how searching is performed. Windows hides system files and
folders by default. As you become a more advanced user, you may need to
access these items, and the Folder Options dialog box is where you do
that.
