How do you unhide a hidden folder/file?

[colinstewart]

I was trying to install the Virtual PC Additions, and for some reason, they are on my machine, but hidden. They are in the Virtual PC 5.0 directory, but I cannot access them. How do you make a folder or a file that is hidden./invisible appear in Finder?

Thanks, Colin

[Novajo]

To access it, you could do:

1) Use the Go to folder command of the Go menu and type the name of the directory to go there.
2) You can use the terminal and navigate to the directory using "cd". When you are in the directory you want, you type "open ." (the dot is important)

Not so sure about how to make it visible for good though.

[mervTormel]

You can use the developer command line tools to toggle visibility


% /Developer/Tools/SetFile
setfile [option...] file...
-a attributes # attributes (lowercase = 0, uppercase = 1)*
-c creator # file creator
-d date # creation date (mm/dd/[yy]yy [hh:mm[:ss] [AM | PM]])*
-m date # modification date (mm/dd/[yy]yy [hh:mm[:ss] [AM | PM]])*
-t type # file type

Note: Period (.) represents the current date and time.
Note: [yy]yy < 100 assumes 20th century, e.g. 19yy
Note: The following attributes may be used with the -a option:
A Alias file
V Invisible*
...


Invisible file:

% /Developer/Tools/GetFileInfo foo
file: "foo"
type: ""
creator: ""
attributes: aVbstclinmed
created: 02/11/2002 05:53:12
modified: 02/11/2002 05:53:31

Make it visible:

% /Developer/Tools/SetFile -a v foo

Visible file:

% /Developer/Tools/GetFileInfo foo
file: "foo"
type: ""
creator: ""
attributes: avbstclinmed
created: 02/11/2002 05:53:12
modified: 02/11/2002 05:53:31


Sometimes the finder is very retarded in effecting the change and making it visible. i still can't see foo now even though i ran thru the above a couple of times with visible results.

i just checked. the app SNAX can set the visibility of a file, as can some other file utils like file buddy, so you can roll your own like above, or take the GUI way, also above, just less above.