Files, Directories, Downloading, Zips
This is an exercise in working with files on your own computer's hard drive.

But first: a bit of vocabulary...

We will use "hard drive" even though many of you don't use or have hard drives any more.  Recently, many computer manufacturers have replaced hard drives with "solid-state" drives.  Nevertheless, we'll use the term "hard drive" to mean the device that stores long term datafiles inside your computer.

The word "directory" (often used by Windows users) means the same thing as the word "folder" (often used by Mac users) -- meaning a container of files and directories (folders) with a designated name.  For instance, your "documents" directory (folder).  We'll use the word "directory" rather than "folder".

The Exercise:

Part 1 -- For Windows users:

1. Create a directory called "CSTemp" somewhere on your hard drive.  Remember where it is, because you're going to be putting files and directories into it.

2. Download the following .ZIP file and remember where you downloaded it, because you'll need to retrieve it shortly:

http://bert.stuy.edu/pbrooks/IntroResources/FilesDirsExercise/CSTemp_original.zip

3. Find this CSTemp_original.zip file and unzip its contents into the CSTemp directory you created. 

Part 1 -- For Mac users:

1.  Download the following .ZIP file and remember where you downloaded it, because you'll need to retrieve it shortly:

http://bert.stuy.edu/pbrooks/IntroResources/FilesDirsExercise/CSTemp.zip

2. Double-click (or decompress) this file.  It should create a folder called "CSTemp"

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The contents of CSTemp should now look like (in the Windows File Explorer view):


Now you can get started by reading the readme.txt file inside the CSTemp directory and following its instructions...

You'll be:

  • Creating/writing a text file using a text editor (like Notepad for Windows)
  • Copying, moving, deleting files
  • creating and moving directories
  • Viewing a JPEG file, a PDF file, an HTML file.
  • downloading a file directly into a specified directory
  • Creating a .ZIP file as your exercise answer and submitting it to your teacher

There'll be many instructions.  If you get lost, delete the CSTemp directory and all of its contents and start again.