Computer science and information processing Exercises

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Computer science and information
processingExercises

• S. Alessandro SARCIA, PH.D.

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Outline
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• Understanding to file handling under Windows
• How to find a file in the filesystem
• Network folders
• How to copy files and folders
• How to delete files and folders
• How to move files and folders
• Archives compress and extract
• How to set language and numberdate formats.

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Basic Knowledge (BK) - The Keyboard
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BK - OS settings in Windows
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• Modify the language of the operating system
• Control pannel ? Regional and Language Options ?
  Languages
• Modify date and number formats
• Control pannel ? Regional and Language Options ?
  Regional Options ? Customize
• Notice these settings influence the behavior of
  some applications like Word and Excel

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BK - How to change keyboard settings
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• See the left side of your task bar
• Left click on the icon containing the simbol IT
  or EN or DE

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Windows
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• Preliminary activities
• Modify folder settings in order to avoid
  potential misunderstandings
• Start ? Control Panel ? Folder Option ? View
• Uncheck hide extension for known file types
• This way Windows always shows the final extension
  of each file.
• Check display the full path in address bar
• This way Windows shows you the absolute path
  while browsing the file system
• You know exactly where you are in the file system.

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Windows find a file
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• Consider the problem of finding a file (or a
  folder) given its absolute path.
• Windows provides you with two alternative 2 ways
• Browsing the file system
• Typing the absolute path in the address bar.
• As an exercise, try to find the following file
  C\windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\SharedReg12.dll
  
• Use both methods
• Hint (when browsing the file system) view
  ?details arrange icons by ? name

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Windows find a file - solution
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• Double-Click on My Computer
• Double-Click on C\ ? windows ?Microsoft.NET?
• Search the file in the listpress s to go at
  the first file starting with s
• Option folders in the tools bar shows the
  filesystem tree unfold folders by clicking the
  symbol
• Alternative
• double-click on My Computer and then type the
  full path in the address bar
• then search the file
• notice how Windows suggests recent addresses.

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The Files
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• A computer file is a block of arbitrary
  information, or resource for storing information,
  which is available to a computer program and is
  usually based on some kind of storage.

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The main operations over a File or a Folder
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• Mouse Right Click

• Short-Cuts

• Copy
• Paste
• Cut
• Delete
• Rename

• CTRL C
• CTRL V
• CTRL X
• DEL
• F2

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Windows network disks
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• Network disks are located on a remote machine and
  can be accessed as common directories
• Shared network folder for our course is
• \\ubz01fst\Courses\Course_Coletti\
• Attention it is not mapped in your filesystem
• You wont find it if you browse through your
  disks.
• You can get there only typing the full path in
  the address bar
• \ ALTGR ? key.
• Windows will remember it and suggest later.

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Windows Folders (directories)
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• Solve the following exercises in order to get
  familiar with handling directories.
• Please use the correct names where specified.
• Create a new directory named course_computer in
  disk F
• My Computer ? F\ ? right-click ? new ? folder ?
  type the folder name (course_computer)
• Rename the new folder as course_ex1
• right-click on the folder ? rename ? type the new
  name (course_ex1)
• Exercise
• In course_ex1 create 2 new folders named
  first_folder and second_folder.

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Windows copying files
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• Windows offers to the user 3 different ways to
  make a copy of a file already present in the
  filesystem.
• Consider the following exercise
• \\ubz01fst\Courses\Course_Coletti\Intro_Labs
  contains three text files
• ex1_first.txt
• ex1_second.txt
• ex1_third.txt
• copy those files in F\course_ex1\first_folder
• keep the same names
• use a different copying method for each file.

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Windows copying files (1)
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• First method right-click copy/paste (cut)
• browse to the network folder (type the full
  address)
• right-click on ex1_first.txt ? copy
• go to F\course_ex1\first_folder
• right-click (somewhere in the window) ? paste.

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Windows copying files (2)
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• Second method CTRLC (or CTRLX) CTRLV
• Go to the network folder
• click on ex1_second.txt
• CTRL C
• Browse to F\course_ex1\first_folder
• CTRL V

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Windows copying files (4)
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• Third method drag and drop
• Go to the network folder
• ex1_third.txt ? drag the file keeping pressed the
  mouse button
• There must be the symbol!!
• (if not keep CTRL pressed)
• F\course_ex1\first_folder
• Drop the file (release the mouse button)

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Windows copying files (4)
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• Exercise
• Try to copy files from first_folder to
  second_folder
• Try to use each way
• Rename each copied file adding _copied at the
  end of the name (before the extension).

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Windows deleting files
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• Again there are 3 ways among which you can choose
  to delete a file
• right-click ? delete and answer YES
• drag the file in the Recycle bin and drop
• click on the file and press DEL-ENTF and answer
  YES.
• Pay attention your settings do not allow file
  recovering from the recycle bin
• As an exercise try to delete each file in
  second_folder
• Use all 3 available methods.

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Windows moving a file
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• Moving a file involves actually two actions
• Windows first copies the file
• Then it deletes the original file.
• Again you can choose among 3 different ways
• Very similar to the methods for copying
• right-click ? cut ? right-click ? paste
• drag and drop (without otherwise press
  SHIFT)
• CTRL X and CTRL V

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Windows moving a file (2)
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• As an exercise consider the three files in
  first_folder and move them to second_folder
• use all the ways available (one for each file)
• Exercise
• Try to move files back to their original folder
• Use a different method for each file.

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Windows links
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• Beware a link is not a real file but only a
  shortcut to a file (or a folder).
• Links are identified by an arrow at the bottom
  left corner of the icon.
• 2 ways to create a shortcut
• drag the file WITH THE ARROW (otherwise press
  ALT or SHIFT CTRL).
• right-click ? create a shortcut ? move the
  shortcut to where you want
• Exercise
• in second_folder create a shortcut of files in
  first_folder.
• delete the links.

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Windows links and files (2)
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• REMEMBER what follows
• If you copy a link you do not copy the real file
• If you delete the real file, the link does not
  work anymore
• General hintDuring the exam ensure that you
  actually copy your work in the given folder
  instead of making a link.

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Windows folders
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• Moving, copying and deleting folders is the same
  as for files
• When you do something to a folder you do the same
  to its contents
• Exercise
• Copy second_folder in first_folder with
  dragdrop and rename it as third_folder
• Delete third_folder in first_folder with DEL
• Copy again second_folder with right-click copy
  and rename it as third_folder

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Windows group of files/folders
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• Any operation can be performed on a group of
  items (files or folders)
• Select a group of files
• Keep the left button pressed as grab items moving
  the mouse
• CTRL click on each item
• Exercise
• Copy all files in first_folder down to
  third_folder in one shot
• Move all files in third_folder to
  second_folder
• Rename files in second_folder adding moved at
  the end of the file name (before the extension).

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Windows creating an archive
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• On your machines you can find one of the
  following tools for file compression
• IZarc
• Whit IZarc
• right-click ?IZArc ? add to
• If IZarc is not present
• Open with ? browse ? Programs ? IZArc ? IZArc.exe
• Check always associate this extension to this
  program.
• Compress the file ex1_first.txt in first_folder.

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Windows extract from archives
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• Problem extract the archive ex1_first.zip in
  second_folder
• Solution
• double-click on the archive
• PowerArchive (or IZArc) opens a folder-like list
  of the archive contents
• 2 ways
• Drag the file where you want to extract it
• use the extract button and specify the address.
• Pay attention the folder is only a list of the
  archive content
• do not edit files directly from the application
  but extract them first!!

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Windows compress folders
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• Compress the folder course_ex1
• Same way as for files right-click ? compress to
• Double-click on course_ex1.zip to see the
  archive content
• Notice that the archive includes the whole
  directory structure
• If you are using PowerArchive folders are on the
  left.

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Windows extract files and folders
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• Extract single files
• Click on the file you want to extract and either
• Drag the file
• Click the extract button
• Remember in this way you lose the folder
  structure.
• Extract ex1_first.txt from course_ex1.zip
• the directory structure is lost.
• Extract the whole archive course_ex1.zip
• Use the extract button without selecting any
  file
• Hint create a temporary folder to extract the
  archive

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What should you do in case of problems?
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• Press simultaneously the key CTRL SHIFT
  ESC
• Choose Start Task Manager
• Go to the Pane named Application, select the
  process with Status Blocked and push the button
  End Task