dot file
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dot file
(operating system, convention)A Unix application program
configuration file. On Unix, files named with a leading dot
are not normally shown in directory listings. Many programs
define one or more dot files in which startup or configuration
information may be optionally recorded; a user can customise
the program's behaviour by creating the appropriate file in
the current or home directory.
Dot files tend to proliferate - with every nontrivial application program defining at least one, a user's home directory can be filled with scores of dot files, without the user really being aware of it. Common examples are .profile, .cshrc, .login, .emacs, .mailrc, .forward, .newsrc, .plan, .rhosts, .sig, .xsession.
See also profile, rc file.
Dot files tend to proliferate - with every nontrivial application program defining at least one, a user's home directory can be filled with scores of dot files, without the user really being aware of it. Common examples are .profile, .cshrc, .login, .emacs, .mailrc, .forward, .newsrc, .plan, .rhosts, .sig, .xsession.
See also profile, rc file.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
dot file
A Unix file name that begins with a period, which designates the file as hidden from normal view. In Unix, the ls command displays the file names in the current folder. The -a switch shows the hidden files with dot prefixes. |
| Show Hidden Dot Files |
|---|
| In this macOS example, the ls commands (blue arrows) display the contents of the root directory. The -a parameter in the bottom example shows all the dot files that were hidden in the top example. |
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