National Teaching and Learning Change ProgrammeInformation and Communication Technology:
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• file allocation table (FAT)
  Details of where files are stored in the backing store are kept in a file allocation table, which is itself a file also kept on the backing store.
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• file attribute
  The properties which can be given to a file, for example, a file can be read only, so it cannot be changed, or read write, so it can be changed. Other attributes include hidden, system, and archive.
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• file format
  The way information is stored in a file. There are very many different formats, e.g. a word processor will store data in a different format than a spreadsheet.
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• file handling
  A general term in programming which refers to the commands within a language which manipulate files in some way, for example, opening and closing them.
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• file listing
  A list of the files within a given directory or folder.
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• file name
  The unique name given to a file.
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• file name extension (1)
  File names usually have an extension at the end, and a number of characters after a full stop which indicates the type of file they are, e.g., doc means it's a word processed file, xls is a spreadsheet file, exe means that it is program.
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• file name extension (2)
  File names have a extension at the end which indicates the type of file they are.
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• file operations
  A general term in programming which refers to the commands within a language which manipulate files in some way, e.g. opening and closing them.
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• file path
  This gives the location of a file, listing not just the filename, but also the path to it through the directories (folders) on the disk.
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• file server
  A file server provides central disk storage for any users of the network. The file server software identifies each user
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• file transfer protocol (FTP)
  Allows a user to send a message causing a copy of a file to be transferred between computers. The file can be saved by the user and the data read. The file transfer protocol controls the messages between computers, the sending of the file copy in sections (also called blocks) and checks the data received for errors. It is the way that files get transferred from one device to another in order for the files to be available on the internet.
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• file type
  The type of data that is held in a file, e.g. an executable program, or data structured for a particular application.
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• fill colour
  In graphics, the colour which is chosen to fill a shape.
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• filter
  In email, a filter will sort out certain emails as they arrive, and place them in a particular folder.
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• find
  To locate a file on a disk, or some data within a file.
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• find (or search)
  The facility to find specific words or letters within documents.
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• find and replace
  The facility to find certain text within a document, and replace it with different text - e.g. to replace one name with another.
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• firewall
  A computer application used in a network to prevent external users gaining unauthorised access to a computer system. A firewall may be software running in the main computer or a separate computer or other device physically located between the system and the external access. It limits the data and instructions that can be received or sent to external users. For example, the firewall could block certain types of data, only allowing access from specific computers or require additional user identification. It is usually used with a proxy server.
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• first in, first out (FIFO) (1)
  A list where any new item is added to one end, and items are deleted from the other. Items are dealt with in the order they arrived.