Viewing files in file manager, made using "vim"

General Help
1

In file manager, I have "show hidden files" checked, but can still not find the dir/file while using file manager. Here it shows that the dir/file exists.

pshootr@pshootr-Zoris:/tutorial-bash$ cat Textfile.txt
first .txt file with vim
pshootr@pshootr-Zoris:/tutorial-bash$ ls
Textfile.txt

2

Found some info for you that may be useful. Generated with a prompt submitted to Google Gemini that included your query and data.

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The reason you can see the file in your terminal but not in your file manager (Nemo or GNOME Files) is almost certainly because you are looking in the wrong directory.

Why you aren't seeing it

Based on your terminal output, your current working directory is: /tutorial-bash

This is a directory created at the root (/) level of your file system, not inside your personal Home folder.

  • In the Terminal: You are explicitly inside /tutorial-bash.
  • In the File Manager: When you open it, it defaults to /home/pshootr. Since tutorial-bash is at the root level, it won't show up there, even with "Show Hidden Files" turned on (because it isn't hidden, it's just in a different "branch" of the system tree).

How to find it in the File Manager

To see that file visually in Zorin, follow these steps:

  1. Open your File Manager.
  2. In the left-hand sidebar, click on "Other Locations" (or sometimes labeled as "Computer").
  3. Click on your main hard drive (usually labeled "Computer" or represented by a / icon).
  4. Look for the folder named tutorial-bash right there alongside folders like etc, bin, and home.

A Better Practice

In Linux, the root directory (/) is generally reserved for system files. It is usually best to keep your projects and tutorials inside your Home directory so you don't run into permission issues later.

If you want to move that folder into your Home directory so it shows up where you expect, run this in your terminal:

sudo mv /tutorial-bash ~/

Now, the folder will live at /home/pshootr/tutorial-bash, and it will appear immediately when you open your File Manager.

Quick Tip: In Linux, a "Hidden" file is simply any file or folder whose name starts with a period (e.g., .bashrc). Since your folder is named tutorial-bash (no period), it was never actually hidden; it was just "out of bounds" from your starting view!

3

Thank you so much for this. I had an idea this was going on, but had no idea how/where to look. So now I understand clearly what happened, and next time will be sure to not write to root.

I have also noted how you got this illustration.

Thank you

1 Like
4

Excellent! Beware the glib AI, however. They can be supremely confidently dead wrong. Any doubts, check with the forum. :slight_smile:

1 Like
5

Will do, and thanks again :slight_smile: