Кеңістіктік файлдық басқарушы: Визуалды және кеңістіктік тану арқылы тиімділік

In computing, a spatial file manager is a file manager that uses a spatial metaphor to represent files and folders as if they were real physical objects.

Some file managers represent other objects, such as a trash can for unwanted files, or computer or floppy disk icons to represent storage media. There may also be special folders that contain special items such as user preferences or the user's applications.

A spatial file manager is closer to the way the people interact with the physical objects around them, such as desks, chairs and tables. Since spatial properties are reliable indicators of "location" in a spatial file manager, the user may build up a familiar work environment by arranging commonly used windows, secure in the knowledge that this state will be preserved and will always map to the expected locations. This familiarity can lead to increased comfort and efficiency. Furthermore, identification based on spatial attributes is a very natural human ability, requiring little or no conscious thought. The ability to recognize and recall locations within the hierarchy based on the appearance and position of folder windows is the primary purpose of the spatial file manager. All of the "rules" and behaviors that define the spatial file manager are designed to ensure that the strengths of the visual/spatial recognition and recall abilities of the human brain are leveraged. The idea is that these abilities are more natural and require "less work" than other forms of recognition based on reading text, maintaining an awareness of "current working directory" (in a command line environment, for example), relying on the memory of past actions, or any other non spatial cues. One more advantage is that it allows the user to keep things arranged a certain way from one session to the next, as with the "workspace" settings in many high end software packages. For instance, the windows showing the contents of different folders for a complex project could be tiled onscreen in such a fashion that all of them could be seen at the same time. In a browser style file manager, one would be forced to rearrange these same windows every time they were reopened.

The spatial metaphor can seem awkward to those accustomed to browser style file managers. One complaint is that spatial managers use too many windows, leading to clutter. In a Windows 95 usability study by Microsoft, users of varying experience were said to be "confused" by the many windows:

Proponents claim that this confusion is partially a result of the non spatial nature of the Windows 95 file manager. When the connection between the spatial state of a window is not unambiguously and irrevocably connected with a particular folder, it becomes impossible reliably to recognize a particular folder based on its spatial qualities. Spatial state often becomes misleading in a non spatial file manager. Users may incorrectly identify a window based on visual cues that do not actually link it to any particular folder, but are instead properties of the browser style window itself. In such an environment, each new window adds clutter without recognizable meaning. This leads to the often cited preference for a single window through which any folder may be viewed: a browser. The proliferation and familiarity of web browsers has strengthened this preference. Also, maintaining spatial familiarity can be difficult when the file system is accessed from a variety of applications and devices with differing display capabilities. Reproducing a single spatial arrangement on many different display devices is sometimes impractical. Per device, per user, or per display spatial state is one possible solution, at the cost of an increased amount of state information that must be stored.