Windows Shell namespace
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In
Windows Explorer facilitates to graphically present file system
contents and other objects to the end user. Conceptually, the Shell namespace may be regarded as a larger and more inclusive version of the file system.
The Shell namespace is a hierarchical tree that consists of the wide variety of objects that make up the system.
Types of objects
Specifically, the Shell namespace consists of two basic types of objects, namely files and folders. Folder objects, which are containers for file objects and other folders called subdirectories, are the nodes of the tree, while file objects are the leaves of the namespace tree. Objects in the Shell namespace can represent physically stored file system objects such as files and folders, or can be virtual objects such as the
Recycle Bin "virtual folders
".
The folders and data files that reside on physical computer disk drives are the most numerous and familiar of these objects; although, through
applet
in the Control Panel.
The
user's Desktop is a special folder that resides at the root of the Shell namespace. Although this folder maps by default to a physical folder stored in the user's profile folder, the special desktop folder is represented as a distinct object from the physical desktop folder. The same holds true with the "My Documents" (Windows 95 through XP) or user "Documents
" (Windows Vista+) folder.
See also
- Windows Explorer
- Special folder
- My Documents
External links
- Creating Shell Extension Handlers
- Understanding Shell Namespace Extensions
- Introduction to the Shell Namespace
- Windows Shell functions at codebot
