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Comments on How can I show hidden files and folders (with leading dot in name) on the desktop (actual desktop, not a window)?

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How can I show hidden files and folders (with leading dot in name) on the desktop (actual desktop, not a window)?

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I am using Linux Mint 20.3, with Cinnamon as a window manager.

I have a folder named .pytest_cache on my Desktop:

$ ls -1A | grep '^\.'
.pytest_cache

I know that if I open a Nemo window, navigate to the Desktop, and choose to "Show Hidden Files" (Ctrl-H), I can make the folder appear in that window.

However, I don't see it on my desktop background. Clicking the background and pressing Ctrl-H does nothing, and there doesn't appear to be a relevant setting in the right-click context menu for the desktop.

Is it possible to make such a folder visible on the desktop? How? I already found https://askubuntu.com/questions/496787, but it only tells me the above things that I already know.

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1 comment thread

I suspect this won't be possible, but can you explain why you want this? Maybe there is a workaround.... (2 comments)
I suspect this won't be possible, but can you explain why you want this? Maybe there is a workaround....
terdon‭ wrote over 1 year ago

I suspect this won't be possible, but can you explain why you want this? Maybe there is a workaround. For example, if it is just about being able to click-open this specific directory, you could make a non-hidden symlink and that would solve it, but we need to understand the use case in order to help.

Karl Knechtel‭ wrote over 1 year ago · edited over 1 year ago

It's mainly an aesthetic preference. The desktop is the main place I put things for ready access, and I want to be able to see whatever ends up there and deal with it according to my preference, without having to hop over to a terminal.

More to the point, I was surprised when I initially discovered the folder's existence (I could have easily anticipated it, but didn't think it through). I would prefer not to have that extra time elapse between something being in that folder and me knowing that it's there.