File properties are important for a number of reasons. You can view the file properties to get useful information about the file without having to open the file itself. You can specify file properties to contain specific information that will help you maintain and manage files. You can also specify properties to be used as keywords when you are searching for a file. File properties can tell you the size of the file, the date the file was created, the date the file was last modified, and what application is most appropriate for the file.

 

To view the properties of a file without opening it, right click on the file icon, and select properties from the menu.

 

 

This will display the file properties dialogue box. As you can see, the file properties tell you where the file is located, the size of the file, when it was created, when it was last modified, and the particular application that is used to open this type of file( in this case, Excel).

 

You will also notice two check boxes at the bottom of the properties box (under the general tab), that are labelled Read-only and Hidden. If you put a check in the Hidden checkbox, the file icon will not be available when you look at the contents of the folder that contains it. If a file is hidden, you can make the file available by choosing Tools->Folder Options from the menu bar in the folder that contains the file to display the Folder Options dialogue box.

 

 

In the Folder Options dialogue box, click the View tab, and then select the show hidden files and folders radio button. This will make any hidden files and folders on your computer visible.

 

If you put a check in the Read-only checkbox in the File Properties dialogue, the file will become a read only file. This means that if you open the file and make a change in the data, you will not be allowed to save the file under the same filename. The file can only be read, not written to. If you try to save a read only file after making changes, you will get a message like the following.

 

 

If you click the advanced button on the file properties dialogue box, you will see an advanced attributes box.

 

 

Under the advanced tab you will see options to allow indexing of the file for better search performance, to compress the file to save disk space, and to encrypt ( encode) the file to help secure the data.

 

 Note: encryption of folders and files is not recommended unless you thoroughly understand Windows’ encrypted file system. If your encryption keys become lost or corrupted, you will not be able to access any encrypted files or folders.

 

 

If you click the custom Tab on the file properties dialogue, you will be presented with options for entering your own custom properties. Here you can choose a property description from the Name drop list, and then select an appropriate value (one that matches the description) from the Value drop list.

 

For this example, the property Checked by has been selected with the name Ronnie in the Value box. Clicking the Add button will add this property to the large text area below, and the file will now have the custom property Checked by Ronnie.

 

If you click the summary tab, you will be provided with options to summarize the files contents.

 

 

Here you can specify a title, a subject, an author, a category and a comment to summarize the file.

 

You can also enter words to the Keywords text area. If you ever misplace the file in your computer, you can search for it based on the Keywords.

 

If you fill out the text areas, and click the OK button, the new properties will be saved with the file. The information you entered under the Summary tab, will appear in a yellow comment box when you let your mouse pointer hover over the file’s icon.

 

 

You can see the summary properties for the file in the comment box.

 

Some file properties are automatically updated and Maintained by Excel such as the date modified created, and date last modified and the file size properties. These properties cam also be used in searches to find a lost or misplaced file.

 

You can work with file properties from within Excel if you wish, by opening a workbook, and choosing File->Properties from the menu bar. If you access file properties this way, a few new options will be presented to you.

 

 

When you invoke the properties box from within Excel 2003, you will see a Statistics tab and a Contents tab in addition to the options previously mentioned.

 

Under the Statistics tab, you will see information such as:

 

·              The date the file was created

 

·              The last date the file was modified,

 

·              The last date the file was accessed,

 

·              Who the last person was to save the file.

 

Under the Contents tab you will see a list of the names of the worksheets that comprise the workbook.

 

 

There are also added options to include a hyperlink base and to save a preview picture under the Summary tab.

 

When you create hyperlinks in Excel to a file without a specified path, Excel will by default use a path that is relative to the workbook you are creating a hyperlink in. If you set a hyperlink base under the Summary tab, Excel will use now use this base as the default path for the hyperlink.

 

If you put a check in the save preview picture checkbox under the Summary tab, a preview picture of the files contents will be kept.

 

If you use the file Open dialogue box to open a file, you can select preview from the drop list just to the left of the word Tools. This will display a preview of the files contents.