GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 309856
show hidden files doesn't work on desktop
Last modified: 2018-01-02 18:51:13 UTC
1) Configure Nautilus to display hidden files in its preferences. Menu: Edit/Preferences, Views, [x] Show hidden and backup files 2) Create a "hidden" file in the Desktop folder, with "touch not-hidden .hidden" 3) Note, hidden file is not displayed.
".hidden" is a special file containing files/folders not to be displayed in Nautilus independent of their attributes/names. It was mainly introduced because people were complaining about ~/Evolution cluttering their home directory.
Oops, bad example, I just changed it at the last minute too ;) Try "touch .dude" and the behavior is the same, it isn't shown.
The desktop view seems to be special-cased wrt the hidden files preferences. Since it explicitly calls an ignore_hidden_files_preference helper, I'm not sure whether removing it is appropriate. On the other hand, people can still use ".hidden" to hide particular directories. Maybe the aim was to not clutter the desktop if it is identical with the home directory, so maybe we should only ignore the hidden files preference in that case only, obeying the preference if ~/Desktop is the desktop directory. Mike: What is your use-case? Why do you need hidden files on your Desktop?
Well, I don't <i>need</i> hidden files on the desktop. I'm just a control freak that doesn't like hidden files. I like to delete anything that I don't need, and I can't delete them if I can't see 'em. I noticed this by accident, and it seemed strange so I thought I might as well report it. However, if your home folder == the desktop folder, I could see it would be a good idea to keep the .files hidden.
In nautilus 2.14.3, this bug still exists. In fact I filed a similar bug in 2003, but 3 years later still not fixed. Ugh... Let's produce it: 1. create a new file/folder named .hd at the desktop via the right-click menu. 2. Select it and press delete, it remains there. (In fact it's in the gnome trash.) 3. Select it and press delete again, nautilus asks me if I'd like to delete it again. I press `delete', and it remains there. But it's really removed from trash, you can press ctrl-h(toggle whether displaying hidden files) twice to see it is no longer there. After I press ctrl-h twice, repeat step #1 and #2, the . file is moved to trash in #2 step. To reproduce it again, `killall nautilus'(simply reset whether displaying hidden files) then try and the bug is reproduced.
The above problem also exist in other folders, not only at Desktop.
This also happens the other way around, which might be a more important use-case. Move a hidden folder from the /home directory to /home/Desktop Rename the folder on the Desktop, removing the first period (.) The folder does not show up until a logout/login again/restart nautilus etc
Created attachment 158947 [details] [review] First try to remove dot-files instantly Could you try this patch? (I'm not completely sure why this one works but it seems to do the trick for me)
*** Bug 680395 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment on attachment 158947 [details] [review] First try to remove dot-files instantly /src/file-manager does not exist anymore in git master. Hence setting 'needs-rework' as patch does not apply cleanly.
Starting with version 3.28, nautilus will not handle the "files on desktop background" feature. For better alternatives, read this blog post https://csorianognome.wordpress.com/2017/12/21/nautilus-desktop-plans/