╫HEN A PERSON STORES INFORMATION IN SUCH A WAY THAT HE IS PRETTY SURE THAT HE WILL BE ABLE TO FIND IT WHEN HE LOOKS FOR IT, WE SAY HE IS "FILING" THE INFORMATION.
╫ITHOUT A COMPUTER, HE CAN USE MANILA FOLDERS AND A FILE CABINET, 3X5 INDEX CARDS IN A SMALL BOX OR IN HIS POCKET WITH A RUBBER BAND, JUST PUT THEM IN A STACK ON HIS DESK, OR USE A LOOSE-LEAF NOTEBOOK WITH SEPARATORS NAMING EACH CATEGORY. ╫ITH A SMALL COMPUTER, HE WILL STORE HIS FILES ON CASSETTE TAPE OR FLOPPY DISKS.
╘HE PROGRAMS IN THIS SECTION SHOW SEVERAL METHODS OF FILING. ╘HE GOAL IS TO SHOW YOU HOW TO WRITE INFORMATION TO A FILE SO THAT YOU CAN BRING IT BACK LATER. ─ON'T LAUGH. ╔T TAKES SOME EFFORT TO DO IT ON A COMPUTER - OR ANY OTHER WAY. ─O YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER LIST IS? ╫HAT ABOUT LAST YEAR'S INCOME TAX RETURN? ╫HAT ABOUT THE ARTICLES YOU CLIP FROM MAGAZINES - DO YOU ╥┼┴╠╠┘ KNOW WHERE THEY ARE? ┴HA!
╞ILING ON A COMPUTER CAN BE MADE EASY, ONCE YOU LEARN A FEW TRICKS AND TAKE TIME TO PRACTICE THEM ON YOUR COMPUTER. ╚ANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IS VITAL. ╘HE MORE PRACTICE YOU GET, THE EASIER IT WILL BE.
╘HIS SECTION IS MORE TUTORIAL THAN THE REST OF THE BOOK. ╞ILING IS GENERAL, AND FILING ON A COMPUTER SPECIFICALLY, IS A VAST SUBJECT. ╘O HELP YOU COPE WITH THE SUBJECT WE WILL TALK ABOUT FILING AS A SERIES OF SIMPLE ROUTINES. ╘HESE ROUTINES CAN LATER BE USED AS BUILDING BLOCKS TO HANDLE ACTUAL FILING JOBS.