Lesson 1.4: Practice — File System Navigation

Duration: 45 minutes

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Navigate your file system using the graphical file browser
• Create, rename, move, and delete files and folders
• Understand the practical layout of a typical computer
• Prepare for command-line navigation (coming in Module 2)

Introduction

Now it's time to put your knowledge into practice. In this hands-on lesson, you'll explore your computer's file system, create your own folder structure, and get comfortable navigating around. This is essential preparation for the command line, where you'll do the same things but with typed commands instead of clicks.

Main Content

Opening Your File Browser

First, let's open the tool you'll use to explore files:

Key Locations to Know

Every operating system has standard folders. Here's where to find important things:

On macOS

/
├── Users/
│   └── [your-username]/     ← Your home folder (~)
│       ├── Desktop/         ← Files on your desktop
│       ├── Documents/       ← Your documents
│       ├── Downloads/       ← Downloaded files
│       ├── Pictures/        ← Images and photos
│       └── Music/           ← Audio files
├── Applications/            ← Installed apps
└── System/                  ← macOS system files (don't touch!)

On Windows

C:\
├── Users\
│   └── [YourName]\          ← Your home folder
│       ├── Desktop\         ← Files on your desktop
│       ├── Documents\       ← Your documents
│       ├── Downloads\       ← Downloaded files
│       ├── Pictures\        ← Images and photos
│       └── Music\           ← Audio files
├── Program Files\           ← Installed 64-bit apps
├── Program Files (x86)\     ← Installed 32-bit apps
└── Windows\                 ← Windows system files (don't touch!)

On Linux

/
├── home/
│   └── [username]/          ← Your home folder (~)
│       ├── Desktop/         ← Files on your desktop
│       ├── Documents/       ← Your documents
│       ├── Downloads/       ← Downloaded files
│       └── Pictures/        ← Images and photos
├── usr/                     ← User programs
├── etc/                     ← Configuration files
└── var/                     ← Variable data (logs, etc.)

Navigation Shortcuts

Master these keyboard shortcuts to navigate faster:

Windows File Explorer

macOS Finder

Linux (Most File Managers)

Understanding the Address Bar

The address bar shows your current location. You can:

1. Click it to see the full path
2. Type a path to jump directly to a location
3. Click breadcrumbs (folder names in the path) to navigate up

macOS:  Macintosh HD > Users > alice > Documents > Projects
        Click "Users" to jump there ↑

Windows: This PC > Local Disk (C:) > Users > Alice > Documents
         Click any part to navigate ↑

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Explore Your Home Folder

Goal: Get familiar with your personal space on the computer.

Steps:

1. Open your file browser
2. Navigate to your home folder:
   • macOS: Click your username in the sidebar, or press Cmd + Shift + H
   • Windows: Click your username in the sidebar, or type %USERPROFILE% in the address bar
   • Linux: Click "Home" in the sidebar, or press Alt + Home
3. List all the folders you see
4. Open each standard folder (Documents, Downloads, Pictures) and note what's inside

Write down:

• How many folders are in your home directory?
• Which folder has the most files?

Exercise 2: Create a Project Structure

Goal: Create a folder structure for your programming projects.

Steps:

1. Navigate to your Documents folder
2. Create a new folder called programming
3. Inside programming, create these folders:
   • courses
   • projects
   • practice
4. Inside courses, create:
   • typescript-course
5. Inside typescript-course, create:
   • notes
   • exercises
   • projects

Your structure should look like this:

Documents/
└── programming/
    ├── courses/
    │   └── typescript-course/
    │       ├── notes/
    │       ├── exercises/
    │       └── projects/
    ├── projects/
    └── practice/

Verification:

• Navigate to typescript-course
• Can you see all three subfolders?
• What is the full path to the exercises folder?

Exercise 3: Create and Organize Files

Goal: Practice creating, renaming, and moving files.

Steps:

1. Navigate to programming/courses/typescript-course/notes
2. Create a new text file:
   • Windows: Right-click → New → Text Document
   • macOS: Open TextEdit, save a new file here
   • Linux: Right-click → New Document → Empty File
3. Name it module-1-notes.txt
4. Open the file and type: "This is where I'll take notes for Module 1"
5. Save and close the file
6. Create another file called links.txt
7. Move links.txt to the exercises folder (drag and drop, or cut/paste)
8. Rename links.txt to useful-resources.txt

Verification:

• You should have module-1-notes.txt in the notes folder
• You should have useful-resources.txt in the exercises folder

Exercise 4: Find Hidden Files

Goal: Learn that some files are hidden by default.

Hidden files start with a dot (.) and are usually configuration files. Let's reveal them:

Windows:

1. In File Explorer, click "View" in the top menu
2. Check "Hidden items"

macOS:

1. In Finder, press Cmd + Shift + . (period)
2. Press again to hide them

Linux:

1. In Files, press Ctrl + H
2. Press again to hide them

Look for:

• On Mac/Linux: Files starting with . in your home folder
• On Windows: Faded/transparent folder icons

These hidden files often contain settings for programs. As a developer, you'll create and edit these files (like .gitignore, .env, etc.).

Exercise 5: Path Challenge

Goal: Practice reading and writing file paths.

Using the structure you created in Exercise 2, write:

1. The absolute path to the practice folder
2. The absolute path to module-1-notes.txt
3. If you're in the exercises folder, the relative path to module-1-notes.txt
4. If you're in the projects folder (inside typescript-course), the relative path to the practice folder

Bonus Challenge

Create a file called my-first-program.ts in the exercises folder. Don't worry about what's inside yet — just practice creating a file with the .ts extension. This is the file type you'll be writing in throughout this course series!

Key Takeaways

• Know how to open your file browser and navigate with keyboard shortcuts
• Your home folder contains your personal Documents, Downloads, Pictures, etc.
• Always organize your programming projects in a consistent structure
• You can reveal hidden files with a keyboard shortcut
• Practice with absolute and relative paths — you'll need this skill constantly
• Creating a folder structure now will save you headaches later

What's Next?

Congratulations! You've completed Module 1. You now understand:

• How hardware and software work together
• How files and folders are organized
• What the operating system does
• How to navigate and manage files

In Module 2: Command Line, you'll learn to do all of this using typed commands in the terminal — a skill that's essential for programming.

Resources