Say a file is passed to me via email.I download it onto my desktop. Does this file know the difference between being on a machine's file system and floating around in email? AFAIK, a file is just dead weight until it is clicked or executed in some way to come alive. But what-if there was some setting inside of a file that could "bring it to life" as soon as it knows it is in some kind of a file system, doing away with the double-click et al.
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the file is always on a machine's file system, whether that machine is a desktop computer, an email server or otherwise – lockstock Feb 13 '18 at 09:29
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I don't understand the question. A file doesn't know anything; it's just a collection of bytes, nothing more. A *process* running on a computer might "know" the location of a file. Can you elaborate on what you are asking? – DodgyCodeException Feb 13 '18 at 09:47
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A file is just a sequence of bits -- ones and zeros. Also, nothing inside of a computer "knows" anything or even remotely approaches the complexity of something that's "alive". A computer is relatively simple compared to a sentient organism. It's just a state machine -- just logic gates, registers, and RAM stepping through a sequence of instructions. – Eryk Sun Feb 13 '18 at 17:53
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I wouldn't have thought so. Attachments usually sit within a temp files / temp internet files location, which is where they're stored when you open direct from an attachment.
Saving an attachment to your desktop would be seen as a separate file altogether.
I don't know if Outlook (or any other mail client) inherently store a "Saved Attachment" flag against an e-mail or not. I guess it wouldn't be impossible for an online client to know if a file has been downloaded but again, I'm not 100% certain if that is something that is used.
S. Higgs
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