Each course contains exercise files that you will need to use throughout the course. They will be available for download at the beginning of each section.
If you intend to complete the entire course in sequence, you only need to download the first set of exercise files.
When you start a new section within the course, simply continue working with or open the exercise files you saved at the end of the previous section (unless otherwise instructed).
The exercise files available for download at the beginning of each section of a course are set up so you can download them and work through an individual section without needing to complete previous sections. This makes it easy for you to take individual sections if you do not intend to work through the course in sequence — simply download the exercise files for the individual section(s) you want to work through.
Some sections within a course may not require exercise files. If exercise files are required for the section, they will be available for download in the Available Files section visible in the upper right corner of that section's page.
NOTE: If you download exercise files for a new section, they will overwrite any previously downloaded exercise files for the same course if you extract them in the same folder. To save the changes you have made, save the exercise files from sections that you have taken previously using a new name before downloading the exercise files for a new section.
The following instructions will walk you through the process of downloading and extracting exercise files if you are using Google Chrome as your web browser on Windows.
- To begin downloading the exercise files, in the upper right corner of the page under the Available Files heading,
Click Download Exercise files
- To open the downloaded .zip file, in the download bar at the bottom of the Chrome window,
Click the downloaded file
Your computer's file browser will open. The folder containing the exercise files is visible, but the folder still needs to be extracted before using the files inside of it.
- To view the contents of the Compressed Folder Tools tab, at the top of the File Explorer window,
Click
- To extract the files, on the Compressed Folder Tools tab,
Click
By default, the files will be extracted to the folder that the exercise file .zip is located in. You can change where the files are extracted to, if desired. Many of IT Training's courses assume that the exercise files have been extracted to your computer's desktop.
- To change where the files are extracted to, in the Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders dialog box,
Click
- To choose a new location for the extracted files, in the Select a Destination dialog box,
navigate to the desired folder, Click
- To finish extracting the exercise files,
Click
The contents of the .zip file are now extracted and can be edited as part of the course you are working through.
The following instructions will walk you through the process of downloading and extracting exercise files if you are using Mozilla Firefox as your web browser on Windows.
- To begin downloading the exercise files, in the upper right corner of the page under the Available Files heading,
Click Download Exercise files
- To save the file, in the dialog box that appears,
Click the Save File radio button, Click
Depending on your settings, Firefox may ask you to indicate where to save the downloaded .zip file. If Firefox doesn't ask you where to save the file, it will automatically be saved to your Downloads folder.
- To indicate where to save the file, if necessary, in the Enter name of file to save to... dialog box,
navigate to the desired folder, Click
The exercise file .zip will download to the desired location. After the file is finished downloading, you'll need to navigate to where the file was saved in order to extract the files. Then, you'll open the .zip file and extract the contents.
- Navigate to the location where the exercise file .zip was downloaded to.
- To open the .zip file,
Double-Click the .zip file
- To view the contents of the Compressed Folder Tools tab, at the top of the File Explorer window,
Click
- To extract the files, on the Compressed Folder Tools tab,
Click
By default, the files will be extracted to the folder that the exercise file .zip is located in. You can change where the files are extracted to, if desired. Many of IT Training's courses assume that the exercise files have been extracted to your computer's desktop.
- To change where the files are extracted to, in the Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders dialog box,
Click
- To choose a new location for the extracted files, in the Select a Destination dialog box,
navigate to the desired folder, Click
- To finish extracting the exercise files,
Click
The contents of the .zip file are now extracted and can be edited as part of the course you are working through.
Whether you follow the course in sequence or you only take individual sections, there will be times where you are instructed to save the exercise files you are working on.
If you are working through the course in sequence, you can save the files without changing the names as you work through the course content.
If you are working on individual sections of a course and you download and extract exercise files for a new section, they will overwrite any previously downloaded exercise files for the same course if you extract them in the same folder. To save the changes you have made, save the exercise files from sections that you have taken previously using a new name before downloading the exercise files for a new section.
The exercise files have been created so that they're ready to use at the beginning of each section. They pick up from where the previous section left off, making it possible to use the exercise files for the following section to check your progress when you have completed a section.
For example, if you're working through Illustrator: The Basics and want to check your work in the section Using the Pen tool, you can download the exercise files for the following section, Adding efffects to a shape, and compare your results to what's in the files for the next section.
NOTE: If you download exercise files for a new section, they will overwrite any previously downloaded exercise files for the same course if you extract them in the same folder. To check your progress against the exercise files for the following section, download and extract the exercise files for the following section to a different location, then open the newly downloaded files as needed to compare them with your existing files.
On the Course Summary page for a course, you will find a link to the exercise files that shows the project in its final form after completing all the sections in the course. The format of the final project may vary: it might be a zip file, a video, or a different format.
When you have finished the last section in the course, use the final exercise files linked on the Course Summary page to check your progress for the last section.
NOTE: If you download exercise files for a new section, they will overwrite any previously downloaded exercise files for the same course if you extract them in the same folder. To check your progress against the exercise files for the following section, download and extract the exercise files for the following section to a different location, then open the newly downloaded files as needed to compare them with your existing files.