Windows 7 Libraries
Libraries enable you to organize files by using metadata about the file, such as author, date, type, tags, and so on—instantly. You’re not limited to just browsing files by folder hierarchy. When you save files in a Library, Windows® 7 indexes the files. You can use Library features like the Arrange By control to instantly browse the files in the Library by metadata or use the Search Builder, which is built into the Search box in Windows Explorer, to instantly search the files in the Library by metadata.
These features are only available in Libraries and are real productivity boosters. For example, Libraries can help you find a file based on something you remember about it such as what type of file it is, who wrote it, or when it was last modified. Libraries can prevent the need for you to drill into many levels of folder hierarchy to find a file.
This article is for IT pros who use Windows 7 at home or who support friends and family who use Windows 7. You’ll learn how Windows 7 Libraries can make finding, organizing, and accessing files fast and easy.
The step-by-step instructions in this walkthrough provide a brief tour of the new Libraries feature in Windows® 7. These instructions assume that you have not removed the default Libraries or the sample music, pictures, and videos that come with Windows 7.
To browse the default Libraries
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. In the Navigation pane, under Libraries, Windows 7 displays four default Libraries: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos. Click each Library to open it. Each of the default Libraries includes two folder locations: one from your profile folder and the other from the Public folder.
To create a new, empty Library
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click Libraries, point to New, and then click Library.
2. Type Incoming, and then press ENTER.
To add folders to the new Library
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the Incoming Library, and then click Properties. (You can also add a location to the Library by clicking the Include a folder button in the details pane or by right-clicking a folder and then clicking Include in library.)
2. Browse to C:\Users\Name\Downloads (where Name is your username), and then click Include folder.
3. Click Include a folder again, browse to C:\Users\Public\Downoads, and then click Include folder.
4. Confirm that the Incoming Properties dialog box looks similar to the one that Figure 1 shows, and then click OK.
To arrange a Library
1. In the Navigation pane, click the Incoming Library to open it. The default arrangement is Arrange by: Folder.
2. In the Arrange by control, which Figure 2 shows, click Date modified to arrange the Incoming Library by the date of the most recent modification.
3. Optimize the Incoming Library for videos as follows:
A. Right-click the Incoming Library, and then click Properties.
B. In the Optimize this library for list, click Videos.
C. Click OK.
4. Expand the Arrange by control, and note the new arrangements: year, type, length, and name.
5. Click the Pictures Library.
6. In the Arrange by control, click Month to arrange the Pictures Library by month. Note how Windows Explorer stacks the pictures, as shown in Figure 3.
To include a specific folder in a Library
1. In Windows Explorer, open C:\Users\Public.
2. Right-click Public Recorded TV, point to Include in library, and then click Videos.
To save a file in a Library
1. Open Notepad as follows:
A. Click Start.
B. Type Notepad.
C. Press ENTER.
2. In Notepad, click File, and then click Save As.
3. In the Navigation pane, click the Documents Library.
4. Enter a file name in the File name text box, and then click Save.
5. Close Notepad.
6. In Windows Explorer, open the Documents Library. Notice that Notepad saved the document in the My Documents folder. This is the default save location for the Documents Library.
To change the default save location for the Documents Library
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the Documents Library, and then click Properties.
2. In the Library locations list, click Public Documents (C:\Users\Public), and then click the Set save location button.
3. Click OK.
4. Repeat the instructions to save a file in a library. Notice that Notepad now saves the document in the Public Documents folder.
To delete the Incoming Library
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the Incoming Library, and then click Delete.
2. Click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the Library.
3. In Windows Explorer, open Downloads. Notice that the folder and its contents are still there.
4. In Windows Explorer, open C:\Users\Public\Public Downloads. Notice that the folder and its contents are still there.
Tags: document, folders, Libraries, Library, library features, optimize, productivity, tips, walkthrough, Windows, Windows 7, Windows 7 Libraries
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