Practicing the Black Art (10/02)
Understanding the Save As dialog box
by Vinny La Bash, vlabash@comcast.net
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.
Any version of Windows consists of a multitude of files that are installed in a myriad of folders. The same is true of any application or program you may have on your system, and it doesn't matter if what you have is a word processor, Internet browser, utility, game, video editor or anything else.
If you work, surf or just fool around, you add to these files, and sometimes what you save can get lost in the crowd. Files get "lost" because people don't pay attention when they attempt to save something. Experienced people know that when you save anything, you have to give the object a name and specify the folder in which it is to be stored.
As a teacher, I get to observe many new users in action. Even with the best educational materials available, the first dozen times most people save a file they appear to enter a state of temporary insanity, and are reduced to an emotional state where they hit buttons and pray. There's really no need for this level of anxiety, because sitting in front of them, in the Save As dialog box, is all the information anyone needs to properly store files on their computer.
The first time you save a newly created file, the Save As dialog box appears. It doesn't matter if you click the Save icon on your toolbar or select Save from the File menu, the Save As dialog box appears either way. The reason for this is simple. The system has to know the name of the file you wish to save and the folder you wish to save it in. Since neither piece of information has been provided as yet, Windows gives you the Save As dialog box to tell it what to do.
The Save As dialog box will have some variations in appearance, depending on what level of Windows you are using and the application that creates the file. These variations are relatively unimportant because all Save As dialog boxes, from whatever the source, will display all necessary information to save a properly named file in a specified folder.
Windows even provides a solution for the totally clueless. You are provided a default folder (My Documents) in which to save your work, and a default object name which varies depending on the application.
Take a close look at the Save As dialog box shown here. It's from the Windows XP version of WordPad, and while it has some new features, most of what you see displayed is also displayed in most Save As dialog boxes, whether in a Microsoft product or a product from any other developer. Let's examine the individual components of the Save As dialog box starting at the top and working our way down.
The Save In list box at the top of the dialog box, is where you select the folder to store your file. As stated previously, the My Documents folder appears automatically as the default folder for all your work. If you are not familiar with file management in Windows, it may be a good idea to save your work here until you become familiar with how to move around your system.
Additional folder management icons
To the right of the Save in box there are several miniature icons. Microsoft put them there to let you perform some basic file management operations without having to close down the Save As dialog box. The arrow pointing to the left moves you back to the previous folder you visited. The folder icon with the green arrow brings you "up one level". The additional folder icon allows you to create a new folder if you need one right now. The remaining icon lets you switch among several different ways of displaying information in the dialog box. If these icons are a mystery to you, simply save all your work in the My Documents folder until you learn more about file management. Some programs, such as Microsoft Office, add additional icons and buttons for added flexibility and power, but these standard components will always be present.
1.Examine the column of large icons just below the Save in box as
illustrated on the right. These larger icons are shortcuts to places on
your computer (or a network) from which you can open a file, such as the
History folder, the Desktop, or My Network Places. When you click a
location such as the Desktop, it will appear in Look in, and the files
and folders in the selected location will be displayed in the large list
box to the right of the icons. The list of icons in this column will
vary depending on the application.
2.Look toward the bottom of the dialog box for the File name text box where you type the file name. You can name the file anything you like as long as you don't exceed 255 characters, including spaces. Don't get carried away. Keep the file names simple and short. Use "Aunt Sally's 25th Anniversary" rather than "Congratulatory Letter to Aunt Sally On The Celebration Her Twenty-Fifth Wedding Anniversary to Uncle Charlie Held At The Grand Ballroom of the Hifalutin Hotel". Which title are you more likely to remember?
3.The Save as type box is where you can choose the format in which to save the file. If you don't understand file types accept the default RTF. The RTF file type was developed so people could exchange documents easily without being concerned about what operating system or applications others were using. Other applications will have their own default formats. Unless you know why you shouldn't use an application's default file type, don't change it.
4.When you're satisfied you have the file name typed correctly, it's time to click on the Save button and store your file.
5. If you decide the file isn't worth saving, click on the Cancel button and close the application. Since Windows tries desperately to save your work you will get a final dialog box asking if you want to save the file. This is your last chance to change your mind. If you're thoroughly convinced the file is worthless, select the option that closes the application without saving the file.
Summary: We have explored one of the most important dialog boxes in Windows. The applications you use will probably have variations on the Save As dialog box, but the functions we have examined are almost universal. It is very important to understand that when it comes to saving a file, you need to take the time to study and understand the Save As dialog box. Dialog boxes can provide an enormous amount of information if you know how to interpret them. Understanding file management is critical to understanding the Save As dialog box.
Notes: This section is for those who have at least a working knowledge of file naming conventions, file structure in Windows, paths, and wildcards. Those wishing to enhance their knowledge of these important subjects should consider taking a course in Windows file management. Your local PC User Group is a good place to start.
The latest version of the Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification (version 1.6) is available from the Microsoft Developer Network Web site. RTF specifications: <http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/?url=/library/en_us/dnrtfspec/html/rtfspec.asp?frame=true>.
The Rich Text Format (RTF) specification provides a format for text and graphics interchange that can be used with different output devices, operating environments, and operating systems. RTF uses the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), PC_8, Macintosh or IBM PC character set to control the representation and formatting of a document, both on the screen and in print. With the RTF Specification, documents created under different operating with different software applications can be transferred between those operating systems and applications.systems and
When working with graphics, your program will let you save graphics files as bitmaps (BMP), JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group), GIF (Graphic Interchange Format), as well as in many other formats. You choose which format you want from the Save as type box when you save the file.
Similarly, a Save As dialog box for a word processing program will let you save your documents in native or default format or as plain text, as HTML, or in a variety of other word processing formats. ''Native'' or ''default'' means the program's own preferred style. Microsoft Excel 2002 saves files by default in Excel 2002 format.
It also lets you save files formatted for previous versions of Excel, CSV, Unicode, HTML, Lotus, Dbase format, and others.
Microsoft Office XP is based on an international character encoding standard called Unicode that allows those upgrading to Office XP to more easily share documents across languages. Unicode support in Office XP also allows people to read international documents created in any previous versions of Office.
If you are searching for a file, you can use asterisks (*) as wildcards. For example, you can type *.* to see a list of all files. You can also type the full path of a file.
For example: C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\SendTo. If you are saving a file, you cannot use a question mark (?) or an asterisk (*) in the file name. If you use a question mark or asterisk and click Save, the file will not be saved and the dialog box will not close.?
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Copyright 2002. This article is from the October 2002 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/
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