MacOS – Is it possible to keep dot files with specific extension unhidden in Finder

filesystemfindermacosterminal

I know that all the hidden files (dot files) can be viewed in Finder by using the keyboard shortcut:

Command + Shift + .

or by running the following in Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles true

But, is it possible to change a dot file with specific extension to always show in Finder? Specifically, I want the .vscode to be always visible in Finder. I don't want to show all the hidden files, and I am trying to do this without having to use the shortcut or always run a command in the Terminal.

Is this at all possible?

Best Answer

I assume you are talking about the .vscode folder in your Home folder, as I have one there too from the Visual Studio Code.app install.

If you do not want to permanently show hidden files or use the ⌘⇧. keyboard shortcut, then this is what I'd do.

Open Terminal to the directory containing the .vscode folder and use the following command to create a symlink:

ln -s .vscode ' .vscode'

Note that the symlink has a leading space in its name; however, it's the only way to be visually accurate, per se, seeing it shown in Finder to have the appearance that it is a dot file without actually showing the hidden .vscode folder.

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