OK, so the library I have on my Finder drop down is the users library. It's just when someone says go to the user blah blah blah, I don't know where to go from there. So, I guess when I go to that "users library" I don't look for the word user but the next words that follow. I don't know why this is so hard for me.
Unix based computer systems, like MacOS, use a system of hierarchically nested folders to manage their files beginning from the base of the Volume. The actual location of the file can be described by a
file pathname that lists each of the nested folders from the volume base to the desired file or folder. For example /Users/Plantsower/Library is a folder contained within the folder Plantsower and the folder Plantsower is in turn contained within a folder named Users. Where it gets confusing is when someone doesn't use the full file pathname or they use Unix shorthand where
~/ is shorthand for your home folder.
As a general rule,
unless specified otherwise, you can assume the following:
- Any reference to the Library folder is the Library folder in your home folder, [i]ie.]/i] /Users/Plantsower/Library (or in shorthand Unix ~/Library).
- Any reference to Applications is the /Applications folder at the volume root.
Some changes to Finder > Preferences might help make things more obvious to you:
- Finder > Preferences > General > New Finder windows will show: -- For safety, I recommend you set this to your username, as you seldom need to get outside of your home folder.
- Finder > Preferences > Sidebar -- I would check all of the items under Favorites or only UNcheck those you never use. NOTE: all of these are in your user folder [u]except Applications which is at the volume root.
- Finder View -- I find the Column view works best for me as it parallels the hierarchical structure of the folders and files. but then I started out before there was any such thing as a graphical user interface. My wife's preference is the icon view because she could care less about the hierarchical file structure and focuses either on the file itself of the File > Open dialog within the app she is using. The list view, gives more information about the files and folders. The gallery view is a bit of a cross between the icon view and the column view. You have to make the choice of which fits better with the way you organize your thinking, but as you are getting used to thinking in terms of
I don't know if this helps or not. I tried to find a good tutorial online, but if there is one, I didn't find it.
