Editing File Explorer (section)

====Search, organizing and metadata====
Windows Explorer includes significant changes from previous versions of Windows such as improved filtering, sorting, grouping and stacking. Combined with integrated desktop search, Windows Explorer allows users to find and organize their files in new ways, such as stacks.<ref name="FilteringTechRepublic">{{cite web |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/article/examine-the-filtering-grouping-and-stacking-features-in-windows-vistas-windows-explorer/ |title=Examine the filtering, grouping, and stacking features in Windows Vista's Windows Explorer |last=Shultz |first=Greg |date=August 10, 2006 |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |work=[[TechRepublic]] |access-date=December 19, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222093342/http://www.techrepublic.com/article/examine-the-filtering-grouping-and-stacking-features-in-windows-vistas-windows-explorer/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="StackingCNET">{{cite web |url=http://www.cnet.com/news/seven-days-of-vista-day-4-stacking-and-filtering/ |title=Seven days of Vista -- day 4: Stacking and filtering |last=Reid |first=Rory |date=January 30, 2007 |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |work=[[CNET]] |access-date=December 19, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222133441/http://www.cnet.com/news/seven-days-of-vista-day-4-stacking-and-filtering/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The new Stacks viewing mode groups files according to the criterion specified by the user.<ref name="StackingCNET"/> Stacks can be clicked to filter the files shown in Windows Explorer. There is also the ability to save searches as virtual folders or search folders.<ref name="TechRepublic">{{cite web |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/how-do-i/how-do-i-save-and-refine-desktop-searches-in-microsoft-windows-vista/ |title=How do I... Save and refine desktop searches in Microsoft Windows Vista? |last=Kaelin |first=Mark |date=July 17, 2007 |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |work=[[TechRepublic]] |access-date=November 11, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117063919/http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/how-do-i/how-do-i-save-and-refine-desktop-searches-in-microsoft-windows-vista/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A search folder is simply an XML file, which stores the query in a form that can be used by the Windows search subsystem.<ref name="SavedSearchFileFormat">{{cite web |url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb892885%28v=vs.85%29.aspx |title=Saved Search File Format |author=Microsoft |author-link=Microsoft |work=[[Microsoft Developer Network|MSDN]] |access-date=December 21, 2015 |archive-date=December 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210223435/https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb892885(v=vs.85).aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> When accessed, the search is executed and the results are aggregated and presented as a virtual folder.<ref name="TechRepublic"/> Windows Vista includes six search folders by default: recent documents, recent e-mail, recent music, recent pictures and videos, recent changed, and "Shared by Me".<ref name="QueryComposition">{{cite web |url=http://shellrevealed.com/blogs/shellblog/archive/2006/10/31/Query-Composition_3A00_-Building-a-search-upon-another-search.aspx |title=Query Composition: Building a search upon another search |last=Bentz |first=Ben |date=October 31, 2006 |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |work=Shell: Revealed Blog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215210717/http://shellrevealed.com/blogs/shellblog/archive/2006/10/31/Query-Composition_3A00_-Building-a-search-upon-another-search.aspx |archive-date=December 15, 2006 |access-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref> Additionally, search operators for properties were introduced, such as <code>kind:music</code>.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071120021435/http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/239/1/Using-search-operators-to-find-pictures-music-and-videos-in-Windows-Vista.html Using search operators to find pictures, music and videos in Windows Vista]</ref> Since at least Windows 7, [[Operator_(computer_programming)|comparison operators]] "greater than" and "less than" are supported to search for any supported attribute such as date ranges and file sizes, like <code>size:>100MB</code> to search for all files that are greater than 100 MB.<ref>[https://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/windows-7-findsearch-files-by-date-and-size/ Windows 7: Find/Search Files By Date And Size]</ref> Attributes sortable and searchable in Windows Explorer include pictures' dimensions, [[Exif]] data such as aperture and exposure, video duration and framerate and width.<ref>[https://www.pcsteps.com/1946-windows-explorer-columns-settings/ Windows Explorer Columns - Are you Fully Using Them?]</ref>

When sorting items, the sort order no longer remains consistently Ascending or Descending. Each property has a preferred sort direction. For example, sort by date defaults to descending order, as does size. But name and type default to ascending order.

Searching for files containing a given text string became problematic with Vista unless the files had been indexed. An alternative is to use the [[findstr]] command-line function.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wikihow.com/Search-for-Contents-in-Any-File-Type-Without-Indexing-Service-Enabled-in-Windows-Vista-and-Windows-7 |title=How to Search for Contents in Any File Type Without Indexing Service Enabled in Windows Vista and Windows 7 |publisher=Wikihow.com |date=January 27, 2014 |access-date=January 31, 2014 |archive-date=March 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319022640/http://www.wikihow.com/Search-for-Contents-in-Any-File-Type-Without-Indexing-Service-Enabled-in-Windows-Vista-and-Windows-7 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After right-clicking on a folder one can open a command-line prompt in that folder.

Windows Explorer also contains modifications in the visualization of files on a computer. A new addition to Windows Explorer in Vista and Server 2008 is the details pane, which displays metadata and information relating to the currently selected file or folder. The details pane will also display a thumbnail of the file or an icon of the filetype if the file does not contain visual information. Furthermore, different imagery is overlaid on thumbnails to give more information about the file, such as a picture frame around the thumbnail of an image file, or a filmstrip on a video file.
[[Image:Details.PNG|thumb|The details pane in [[Windows Vista]] and [[Windows Server 2008]] showing [[metadata]] of an image|alt=]]
The details pane also allows for the change of some textual metadata such as author and title in files that support them within Windows Explorer. A new type of metadata called tags allows users to add descriptive terms to documents for easier categorization and retrieval. Some files support open metadata, allowing users to define new types of metadata for their files. Out-of-the-box, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 supports Microsoft Office documents and most audio and video files. Support for other file types can however be added by writing specialized software to retrieve the metadata at the shell's request. Metadata stored in a file's [[alternate data stream]] only on NTFS volumes cannot be viewed and edited through the summary tab of the file's properties anymore. Instead, all metadata is stored inside the file, so that it will always travel with the file and not be dependent on the file system.<ref name="AddTagsProperties">{{cite web |url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/add-tags-or-other-properties-to-a-file |title=Add tags or other properties to a file |author=Microsoft |author-link=Microsoft |work=Windows How-to |access-date=December 21, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222104215/http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/add-tags-or-other-properties-to-a-file |url-status=live }}</ref>