15.Hidden_Files_And_Directories.md

Creation of Hidden Files and Directories

• If any file starts with a . (dot), such a file is called a hidden file.
• If we don't want certain files to be displayed, we can create hidden files.
• Hidden files are meant for hiding data. All system files required by the kernel are hidden files.
• We can create hidden files just like normal files; the only difference is that the file name should start with a dot (.).

touch .securefile1.txt

cat > .securefile2.txt

• To view the secure files use the option -l after ls command

ls -a

• Editing of hidden files also possible just like normal files

gedit .securefile1.txt

• Even by using editors also we can create hidden files.

• We can create hidden directories also just like normal directories.

mkdir .db_info  

Note: By using hidden files and directories we may not get full security. To make more secure, we have to use proper permissions. For this, we should use the chmod command.

Interconversion of Normal Files and Hidden Files:

• Based on our requirement, we can convert a normal file into a hidden file and vice versa.

• To convert a normal file a.txt into a hidden file:

mv a.txt .a.txt

Similarly, for directories:

mv dir1 .dir1
mv .dir1 dir1