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From: erkamp@arc.ab.ca (Bob Erkamp)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: Hidden Files
Message-ID: <1991Jan16.225052.635@arc.ab.ca>
Date: 16 Jan 91 22:50:52 GMT
References: <1991Jan16.163558.26338@arc.ab.ca> <4f3e90a0.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM>
Organization: Alberta Research Council
Lines: 32

In article <4f3e90a0.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> weber_w@apollo.hp.com writes:
>
>In article <1991Jan16.163558.26338@arc.ab.ca>, Bob Erkamp writes:
>|> Is there a program that will 'reveal' hidden files on the atari?
>
>Universal Item Selector III (and II) have a switch to control file selector
>behavior, one of which is "show hidden". Disk editors which look at the
>directory will show them. Many of the available command shells will show
>them in a listing.
>
>|> STMirror on my drive and discovered a hidden file (Neodesk.dat) and I think 
>|> that it really sucks that NeoDesk 3.0 creates this file. I would like
>to know
>|> what's in it and why it's there.
>
>Well, your Neo3 manual states that this is where the "volume name" goes, unless
>the volume has already been named by a formatter using the "directory entry"
>method in the root volume. It's unclear to me why the characterization that Neo
>"sucks", except out of surprise at finding something you didn't understand. The
>fault seems to be more yours, in not reading the docs, than theirs, in creating
>this behavior. Watch out for the behavior of the recoverable trash can - it is
>documented to use this technique, as well as "not following expected behavior"
>to do what it does.

I guess what annoys me is that it's a hidden file. I don't understand why the
file couldn't just reside in the Neodesk directory. Actually I think NeoDesk
is great. What I want to know is how to make it unhidden and/or delete it?
I'll have to reread the docs to see if they mention anything about this. My
feeling is there should be no such thing as a hidden file.

Bob
>