Mac OS® X Leopard™ For Dummies®

Chapter 6. Organizing and Managing Files and Folders

In This Chapter

• Checking out the Mac OS X folder structure

• Getting (and staying) organized

• Opening icons

• Saving your document before it's too late

• Finding your stuff, fast

This could be the most important chapter in this book. If you don't understand how to open and save files using the Open dialog and Save sheets or how to use the file and folder system, you'll have a heck of a time getting the hang of your Mac. Ask any longtime Mac user — the old lament is pretty common: “Well, I saved the file, but now I don't know where it went.” It happens all the time with new users; if they don't master these essential techniques, they often become confused about where files are located on their hard drives.

This chapter is the cure‐all for your file and folder woes. Hang with me and pay attention; everything soon becomes crystal clear.

You work with Open dialogs and Save sheets within applications. You see them only after you launch a program and use that program's File menu to open or save a file. (For more on launching applications, read the parts of Chapter 5 that discuss icons; for more on creating and opening documents, see the documentation for the program that you're using.)

Understanding the Mac OS X Folder Structure

Start by looking at the folder structure of a typical Mac OS X installation. Open a Finder window and click the icon for your hard drive (which is typically called Macintosh HD) in the Sidebar. You should now see at least four ...