CODEWITHSUNDEEP
linuxubuntudirectory
user2725109
user2725109

Reputation: 2386

Linux directory starting with dot

Is there anything special about directories which start with a dot . in Linux (Ubuntu), such as ~/.vim? Thanks.

Upvotes: 14

Views: 22394

Answers (3)

John Bollinger
John Bollinger

Reputation: 181714

Files and directories whose names begin with a dot (.) by default are not displayed in directory listings by the standard command ls. Therefore, they are traditionally used to store settings, preferences, etc.. Directory ~/.vim in particular surely contains personal preferences and settings for the text editor vim.

There are also two special directory names in this class: the directory named simply . is an alias for the same directory in which it appears (a self reference), and the directory named .. refers to the parent directory of ..

Many graphical file browsers ignore the convention of hiding file names beginning with a ., so it is not necessarily correct any longer to call these files "hidden". Nevertheless, that terminology persists.

Upvotes: 18

Robert Bermani
Robert Bermani

Reputation: 197

In UNIX-like environments, a filename preceded by a dot indicates a hidden file. It's mainly a mechanism to decrease clutter in directory listings. You can get a listing of hidden files by passing the -a parameter to ls

Upvotes: 6

kooker
kooker

Reputation: 373

Those are hidden. You'd need to apply extra effort to see them.

Upvotes: 1

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