Item vs file

Can someone explain to me what file would be used for in an item?

Do you have a specific item type in mind?

If you had a still image item, you might upload the image as a file. For a document image, you could upload a file of the text or a jpg (or other image file) of the cover.

No, I am not asking about types. I am asking about the usage example.

Can someone give me an example when they would create an item and when they would just attach a file?

Are you asking about Omeka in general or is this a Neatline-related question?

Omeka in general. Would it made a difference if it was for Neatline?

Just clarifying.

Items are the building blocks of Omeka. Files are parts of an item. An item can have multiple files. You might compare this information about items to this on files.

OK, but I am looking for a specific example. Not how to do it etc. and the function of each. I'm looking for real life usage example.

Example: on my sandbox install of Omeka, I have an item for Robert Louis Stevenson (the author). It is a person type item. To that I have attached a file of a picture of him, sourced from wikimedia commons.

Thanks. That's what I was looking for. And how different would it be if it was for Neatline?

You would probably want to think about whether the file format you were using would work in the context of your Neatline exhibit. For example, if I had an item for Carl Sandburg, I could upload an image of him and/or a sound clip of him speaking. But then I would need to decide which better suited the Neatline exhibit.

Here's a real life example:

I am creating a digital archive of some academic journals from the 1970s and 80s. Each volume is in its own collection, and each chapter from the volume is an item.

The item has a title( the title of the chapter), one or more Creators (the authors of the chapter), a date (the date of the volume) and a source (detailing the page numbers in the volume). Attached to each item is a file, which is a pdf scanned copy of the chapter.