File Management
The term computer file management refers to the manipulation of documents and data in files on a computer.
Specifically, one may create a new file or edit an existing file and save it; open or load a pre-existing file into memory; or close a file without saving it. Additionally, one may group related files in directories. These tasks are accomplished in different ways in different operating systems and depends on the user interface design and, to some extent, the storage medium being used.
What inspired me to write about this topic is the general lack of understanding about looking for information that will tell you more specifically about the file (document) ie. file format, date/time and size. This applies more specifically to the Windows file management system that displays a tooltip when you use your mouse pointer and hover over a folder or file.
Tooltip
A tooltip is a common graphical user interface element. It is used in conjunction with a cursor, usually a mouse pointer. The user hovers the cursor over an item, without clicking it, and a tooltip is visible — a small “hover box” with information about the item being hovered over.
The relevance, is being able to establish the file format version, ie Windows 97, 2003, 2007 and the size. Size equates to email and the size of your mailbox or the size of the mailbox of the person receiving your file. Consider zipping (compressing) the file before sending or emailing. If your file (document) version is in a higher (application) format it cannot be read by the same application in a lower version on another computer, ie Microsoft Word 2007 vs Microsoft Word 2003. Change the file version format refer to blogpost dated 24/08/2010 Microsoft Application Conversion