5.4 Listing Directory Contents
5.4.2 Displaying hidden files
File names that begin with a period (.) are called dot or hidden files. Hidden files are frequently used to customize a user's work environment. They are not shown by default because they are infrequently edited. The current directory link (.) and parent directory link (..) are also hidden and will not be displayed either since they begin with a dot. Using the ls command with the -a (all) option will list all files in a directory, including hidden (.) files. Note that the -a option is lower case.

The following example shows the result of the ls -a command while in your home directory (/home/user2).

Note: The current and parent directory links and the .kshrc file, which is a user environment file, are normally hidden files.

Interactive Media Activity (Flash, 95 kB)
  Displaying Hidden Files

In this media activity, you are logged in as user2 and your current working directory is: /home/user2. Refer to the Class File Tree Structure by clicking the 'tree' button located on the Menu Bar and type the commands that would accomplish the requested objectives. 
Note: Be sure to press enter after each one. Click on step 1 to begin.