My Desktop no longer appears as a viewable folder within my home folder
in the Finder. (It shows up when I click the Desktop icon on the
left-hand of the Finder window without problem).

This makes it awkward accessing files on the Desktop from applications
with File/Open dialogues that don't show those standard Finder icons...

When I enable [ ] Show hidden and system files using the free TinkerTool
utility, I see the Desktop folder-- greyed out as a 'hidden' folder.

(It didn't used to be hidden... I'm sure!)

I looked through the Get Info dialogue for the Desktop folder, but
couldn't see any option to turn the hidden attribute on or off.

I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.

Suggestions?

In article <alan-2F1AE5.22381016042006@shawnews>,
Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> wrote:

> My Desktop no longer appears as a viewable folder within my home folder
> in the Finder. (It shows up when I click the Desktop icon on the
> left-hand of the Finder window without problem).
>
> This makes it awkward accessing files on the Desktop from applications
> with File/Open dialogues that don't show those standard Finder icons...
>
> When I enable [ ] Show hidden and system files using the free TinkerTool
> utility, I see the Desktop folder-- greyed out as a 'hidden' folder.
>
> (It didn't used to be hidden... I'm sure!)
>
> I looked through the Get Info dialogue for the Desktop folder, but
> couldn't see any option to turn the hidden attribute on or off.
>
> I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.
>
> Suggestions?

I've done a work-around for now... I made all file visible (using
TinkerTool) and when I could see the Desktop folder, created an Alias to
it... I set it's icon to the one used by the 'real' Desktop, and placed
it in my home folder.

After turning off all-files-visible, the alias remained viewable.

That will work for now-- but it would be nice to get this fixed the
'real' way... by turning off the Hidden file attribute.

I looked at the MAN page for the Unix chmod command... while this is
supposed to be the Unix equivalent of DOS's ATTRIB command, I couldn't
find any reference to hiding/unhiding files-- only to changing ownership
permissions.

In article <alan-2F1AE5.22381016042006@shawnews>,
Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> wrote:

> My Desktop no longer appears as a viewable folder within my home folder
> in the Finder. (It shows up when I click the Desktop icon on the
> left-hand of the Finder window without problem).
>
> This makes it awkward accessing files on the Desktop from applications
> with File/Open dialogues that don't show those standard Finder icons...
>
> When I enable [ ] Show hidden and system files using the free TinkerTool
> utility, I see the Desktop folder-- greyed out as a 'hidden' folder.
>
> (It didn't used to be hidden... I'm sure!)
>
> I looked through the Get Info dialogue for the Desktop folder, but
> couldn't see any option to turn the hidden attribute on or off.
>
> I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.
>
> Suggestions?

I've done a work-around for now... I made all file visible (using
TinkerTool) and when I could see the Desktop folder, created an Alias to
it... I set it's icon to the one used by the 'real' Desktop, and placed
it in my home folder.

After turning off all-files-visible, the alias remained viewable.

That will work for now-- but it would be nice to get this fixed the
'real' way... by turning off the Hidden file attribute.

I looked at the MAN page for the Unix chmod command... while this is
supposed to be the Unix equivalent of DOS's ATTRIB command, I couldn't
find any reference to hiding/unhiding files-- only to changing ownership
permissions.

Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> wrote:

> I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.

You can change the HFS invisibility flag with the SetFile command (in
Developer/Tools) or with a third-party GUI utility such as File Buddy,
Super Get Info, or XRay.

Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> wrote:

> I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.

You can change the HFS invisibility flag with the SetFile command (in
Developer/Tools) or with a third-party GUI utility such as File Buddy,
Super Get Info, or XRay.

Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> writes:
>
> My Desktop no longer appears as a viewable folder within my home
> folder in the Finder. (It shows up when I click the Desktop icon on
> the left-hand of the Finder window without problem).

That's definitely not right. Mine's not hidden...

> I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.

There are three things the Finder checks for when deciding whether to
hide an icon:

1: All files whose names begin with a dot are hidden. Did you happen to
rename your Desktop folder (perhaps by accident)?

2: If the file/directory is named in the file /.hidden. This is the way
the standard UNIX directories are hidden in Mac OS 10.0 through 10.3.
It does not normally exist in 10.4 (10.4 uses methods 1 and 2 for all
of its hidden files) but I'm told that 10.4 will hide files listed
there if you create it. If this file exists,

3: The "hidden" Finder flag is set. This is the only method recognized
by pre-OS-X versions of Mac OS. Note that on volumes that are not
formatted HFS or HFS+, setting this bit (like any other Finder flag)
will cause the creation of a "dot-underscore" file to contain the
Finder data. The program "GetFileInfo" can be used to show these
flags. The program "SetFile" can be used to change them. Both of
these programs are part of the Developer Tools.

For instance, on my system, if I do a GetFileInfo on /bin (which is
normally hidden), I see:

phantom - />GetFileInfo bin
directory: "/bin"
attributes: aVbstclinmedz
created: 12/21/2001 02:37:51
modified: 04/06/2006 20:34:22

Note that the "v" attribute is capitalized, meaning it is set. This is
the "invisible" bit.

And my Desktop file:

phantom - ~>GetFileInfo Desktop
directory: "/Users/david/Desktop"
attributes: avbstclINMedz
created: 09/03/2001 00:03:59
modified: 04/17/2006 12:44:00

Note that the "v" bit is not set, but the "i", "n" and "m" bits are
set. The meanings of these are:

I - inited. The Finder has stored this file's icon position
N - file has no INIT resource. Meaningless for folders, as far as I
know.
M - shared. This can be open more than once. Meaningless for
folders as far as I know.

-- David

Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> writes:
>
> My Desktop no longer appears as a viewable folder within my home
> folder in the Finder. (It shows up when I click the Desktop icon on
> the left-hand of the Finder window without problem).

That's definitely not right. Mine's not hidden...

> I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.

There are three things the Finder checks for when deciding whether to
hide an icon:

1: All files whose names begin with a dot are hidden. Did you happen to
rename your Desktop folder (perhaps by accident)?

2: If the file/directory is named in the file /.hidden. This is the way
the standard UNIX directories are hidden in Mac OS 10.0 through 10.3.
It does not normally exist in 10.4 (10.4 uses methods 1 and 2 for all
of its hidden files) but I'm told that 10.4 will hide files listed
there if you create it. If this file exists,

3: The "hidden" Finder flag is set. This is the only method recognized
by pre-OS-X versions of Mac OS. Note that on volumes that are not
formatted HFS or HFS+, setting this bit (like any other Finder flag)
will cause the creation of a "dot-underscore" file to contain the
Finder data. The program "GetFileInfo" can be used to show these
flags. The program "SetFile" can be used to change them. Both of
these programs are part of the Developer Tools.

For instance, on my system, if I do a GetFileInfo on /bin (which is
normally hidden), I see:

phantom - />GetFileInfo bin
directory: "/bin"
attributes: aVbstclinmedz
created: 12/21/2001 02:37:51
modified: 04/06/2006 20:34:22

Note that the "v" attribute is capitalized, meaning it is set. This is
the "invisible" bit.

And my Desktop file:

phantom - ~>GetFileInfo Desktop
directory: "/Users/david/Desktop"
attributes: avbstclINMedz
created: 09/03/2001 00:03:59
modified: 04/17/2006 12:44:00

Note that the "v" bit is not set, but the "i", "n" and "m" bits are
set. The meanings of these are:

I - inited. The Finder has stored this file's icon position
N - file has no INIT resource. Meaningless for folders, as far as I
know.
M - shared. This can be open more than once. Meaningless for
folders as far as I know.

-- David

In article <m2psjf6gy6.fsf@qqqq.invalid>, shamino@techie.com (David C.)
wrote:

> Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> writes:
> >
> > My Desktop no longer appears as a viewable folder within my home
> > folder in the Finder. (It shows up when I click the Desktop icon on
> > the left-hand of the Finder window without problem).
>
> That's definitely not right. Mine's not hidden...
>
> > I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> > Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.
>
> There are three things the Finder checks for when deciding whether to
> hide an icon:
>
> 1: All files whose names begin with a dot are hidden. Did you happen to
> rename your Desktop folder (perhaps by accident)?
>
> 2: If the file/directory is named in the file /.hidden. This is the way
> the standard UNIX directories are hidden in Mac OS 10.0 through 10.3.
> It does not normally exist in 10.4 (10.4 uses methods 1 and 2 for all
> of its hidden files) but I'm told that 10.4 will hide files listed
> there if you create it. If this file exists,
>
> 3: The "hidden" Finder flag is set. This is the only method recognized
> by pre-OS-X versions of Mac OS. Note that on volumes that are not
> formatted HFS or HFS+, setting this bit (like any other Finder flag)
> will cause the creation of a "dot-underscore" file to contain the
> Finder data. The program "GetFileInfo" can be used to show these
> flags. The program "SetFile" can be used to change them. Both of
> these programs are part of the Developer Tools.
>
> For instance, on my system, if I do a GetFileInfo on /bin (which is
> normally hidden), I see:
>
> phantom - />GetFileInfo bin
> directory: "/bin"
> attributes: aVbstclinmedz
> created: 12/21/2001 02:37:51
> modified: 04/06/2006 20:34:22
>
> Note that the "v" attribute is capitalized, meaning it is set. This is
> the "invisible" bit.
>
> And my Desktop file:
>
> phantom - ~>GetFileInfo Desktop
> directory: "/Users/david/Desktop"
> attributes: avbstclINMedz
> created: 09/03/2001 00:03:59
> modified: 04/17/2006 12:44:00
>
> Note that the "v" bit is not set, but the "i", "n" and "m" bits are
> set. The meanings of these are:
>
> I - inited. The Finder has stored this file's icon position
> N - file has no INIT resource. Meaningless for folders, as far as I
> know.
> M - shared. This can be open more than once. Meaningless for
> folders as far as I know.
>
> -- David

Thanks... I've saved this and will follow up by looking for the
Developer's Tools mentioned.

In article <m2psjf6gy6.fsf@qqqq.invalid>, shamino@techie.com (David C.)
wrote:

> Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> writes:
> >
> > My Desktop no longer appears as a viewable folder within my home
> > folder in the Finder. (It shows up when I click the Desktop icon on
> > the left-hand of the Finder window without problem).
>
> That's definitely not right. Mine's not hidden...
>
> > I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> > Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.
>
> There are three things the Finder checks for when deciding whether to
> hide an icon:
>
> 1: All files whose names begin with a dot are hidden. Did you happen to
> rename your Desktop folder (perhaps by accident)?
>
> 2: If the file/directory is named in the file /.hidden. This is the way
> the standard UNIX directories are hidden in Mac OS 10.0 through 10.3.
> It does not normally exist in 10.4 (10.4 uses methods 1 and 2 for all
> of its hidden files) but I'm told that 10.4 will hide files listed
> there if you create it. If this file exists,
>
> 3: The "hidden" Finder flag is set. This is the only method recognized
> by pre-OS-X versions of Mac OS. Note that on volumes that are not
> formatted HFS or HFS+, setting this bit (like any other Finder flag)
> will cause the creation of a "dot-underscore" file to contain the
> Finder data. The program "GetFileInfo" can be used to show these
> flags. The program "SetFile" can be used to change them. Both of
> these programs are part of the Developer Tools.
>
> For instance, on my system, if I do a GetFileInfo on /bin (which is
> normally hidden), I see:
>
> phantom - />GetFileInfo bin
> directory: "/bin"
> attributes: aVbstclinmedz
> created: 12/21/2001 02:37:51
> modified: 04/06/2006 20:34:22
>
> Note that the "v" attribute is capitalized, meaning it is set. This is
> the "invisible" bit.
>
> And my Desktop file:
>
> phantom - ~>GetFileInfo Desktop
> directory: "/Users/david/Desktop"
> attributes: avbstclINMedz
> created: 09/03/2001 00:03:59
> modified: 04/17/2006 12:44:00
>
> Note that the "v" bit is not set, but the "i", "n" and "m" bits are
> set. The meanings of these are:
>
> I - inited. The Finder has stored this file's icon position
> N - file has no INIT resource. Meaningless for folders, as far as I
> know.
> M - shared. This can be open more than once. Meaningless for
> folders as far as I know.
>
> -- David

Thanks... I've saved this and will follow up by looking for the
Developer's Tools mentioned.

In article <alan-9A46BD.08275717042006@shawnews>,
Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> wrote:

> In article <alan-2F1AE5.22381016042006@shawnews>,
> Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> wrote:
>
> > My Desktop no longer appears as a viewable folder within my home folder
> > in the Finder. (It shows up when I click the Desktop icon on the
> > left-hand of the Finder window without problem).
> >
> > This makes it awkward accessing files on the Desktop from applications
> > with File/Open dialogues that don't show those standard Finder icons...
> >
> > When I enable [ ] Show hidden and system files using the free TinkerTool
> > utility, I see the Desktop folder-- greyed out as a 'hidden' folder.
> >
> > (It didn't used to be hidden... I'm sure!)
> >
> > I looked through the Get Info dialogue for the Desktop folder, but
> > couldn't see any option to turn the hidden attribute on or off.
> >
> > I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> > Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.
> >
> > Suggestions?
>
> I've done a work-around for now... I made all file visible (using
> TinkerTool) and when I could see the Desktop folder, created an Alias to
> it... I set it's icon to the one used by the 'real' Desktop, and placed
> it in my home folder.
>
> After turning off all-files-visible, the alias remained viewable.
>
> That will work for now-- but it would be nice to get this fixed the
> 'real' way... by turning off the Hidden file attribute.
>
> I looked at the MAN page for the Unix chmod command... while this is
> supposed to be the Unix equivalent of DOS's ATTRIB command, I couldn't
> find any reference to hiding/unhiding files-- only to changing ownership
> permissions.

Using the Terminal application, set your directory to your user
directory and cat the .hidden file as follows:

cd ~
cat .hidden

If you see Desktop in the hidden file, use a text editor to delete
Desktop from that file.

Otherwise, try the following:
List the contents of your user directory, piping the results through
more:

ls -a | more

What you're looking for is any funny hidden control character that may
be in the name of your Desktop Folder. There should be a file named
"Desktop Folder". The more filter will make any such control character
or other non-text character visible. If you find anything funny, you're
going to have to change the name to "Desktop Folder"

I have found strange, untouchable files that way, and had to take special
steps to get rid of them.

Another idea: have you repaired permissions on your startup drive? You
could have some strange problem with file permissions.

Hugh Gibbons

In article <alan-9A46BD.08275717042006@shawnews>,
Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> wrote:

> In article <alan-2F1AE5.22381016042006@shawnews>,
> Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> wrote:
>
> > My Desktop no longer appears as a viewable folder within my home folder
> > in the Finder. (It shows up when I click the Desktop icon on the
> > left-hand of the Finder window without problem).
> >
> > This makes it awkward accessing files on the Desktop from applications
> > with File/Open dialogues that don't show those standard Finder icons...
> >
> > When I enable [ ] Show hidden and system files using the free TinkerTool
> > utility, I see the Desktop folder-- greyed out as a 'hidden' folder.
> >
> > (It didn't used to be hidden... I'm sure!)
> >
> > I looked through the Get Info dialogue for the Desktop folder, but
> > couldn't see any option to turn the hidden attribute on or off.
> >
> > I'm sure there must be a Terminal command I could use to 'unhide' the
> > Desktop folder... something analogous to the MS-DOS ATTRIB -H command.
> >
> > Suggestions?
>
> I've done a work-around for now... I made all file visible (using
> TinkerTool) and when I could see the Desktop folder, created an Alias to
> it... I set it's icon to the one used by the 'real' Desktop, and placed
> it in my home folder.
>
> After turning off all-files-visible, the alias remained viewable.
>
> That will work for now-- but it would be nice to get this fixed the
> 'real' way... by turning off the Hidden file attribute.
>
> I looked at the MAN page for the Unix chmod command... while this is
> supposed to be the Unix equivalent of DOS's ATTRIB command, I couldn't
> find any reference to hiding/unhiding files-- only to changing ownership
> permissions.

Using the Terminal application, set your directory to your user
directory and cat the .hidden file as follows:

cd ~
cat .hidden

If you see Desktop in the hidden file, use a text editor to delete
Desktop from that file.

Otherwise, try the following:
List the contents of your user directory, piping the results through
more:

ls -a | more

What you're looking for is any funny hidden control character that may
be in the name of your Desktop Folder. There should be a file named
"Desktop Folder". The more filter will make any such control character
or other non-text character visible. If you find anything funny, you're
going to have to change the name to "Desktop Folder"

I have found strange, untouchable files that way, and had to take special
steps to get rid of them.

Another idea: have you repaired permissions on your startup drive? You
could have some strange problem with file permissions.

Hugh Gibbons

Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> writes:
>
> Thanks... I've saved this and will follow up by looking for the
> Developer's Tools mentioned.

The Developer Tools come with Mac OS. They should be included in the
CDs/DVDs that you installed the OS from.

If you're running a preloaded copy of Mac OS X, they may already be
installed, or there may be an installer waiting for you run (in
/Developer, if I remember correctly.)

If you don't have them in any location (which would be hard to believe
if you own a legal copy of OS X), or if you want the latest version, you
can download them from http://developer.apple.com/. You will need to
become an ADC member to access the downloads, but the lowest-level of
membership is free and will give you access to the downloads.

-- David

Alan Zisman <alan@zisman.ca> writes:
>
> Thanks... I've saved this and will follow up by looking for the
> Developer's Tools mentioned.

The Developer Tools come with Mac OS. They should be included in the
CDs/DVDs that you installed the OS from.

If you're running a preloaded copy of Mac OS X, they may already be
installed, or there may be an installer waiting for you run (in
/Developer, if I remember correctly.)

If you don't have them in any location (which would be hard to believe
if you own a legal copy of OS X), or if you want the latest version, you
can download them from http://developer.apple.com/. You will need to
become an ADC member to access the downloads, but the lowest-level of
membership is free and will give you access to the downloads.

-- David