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View Full Version : invisibility / leading dots in dir - and filenames


Carsten Schermuly
11th February 2007, 02:26 AM (02:26)
Have you ever had a directory on your webspace, you could not delete because it was not empty - but you could not see any file in it?
Or do you know,
on your webspace are not invisible directories, created by a script you used once upon a time between ice age and copper age, but no more today and they will use too much space?

Can you use php on your webspace?
Save this script to your harddrive and rename it to "erase_pts.php" (erase points), delete "dot txt" on end of filename and load it up into your webspaces main directory or where you will need it and call it by your browser.
http://haufenzeug.de/cs/erase_pts.php.txt

Navigate across subdirs downwards by using the listed "directories" - links and upwards by using the "parent directory" - link.

In case, a dir - or a filename will begin by a dot to make a dir or file invisible, this script will show them - and offers a fat red link to remove a dir or to unlink a file.

Once you click on a fat red link, you do handle on your own risk.
I will not carry any responsibility.
On doubts please do not click - get first informations what consequences a click on a fat red link will have. It might be, that will be contents, your provider installed for you.
Still I will help you in case there is a question (once I know to help), OK?

How it will look you can see here (it is an html - file, not a php - file, it does not work)
http://haufenzeug.de/cs/erase_pts.htm

--- edited --- Excuse me please, I forgot,
once your provider switched "secure_mode=on", you might get "warning" error messages and this script does not follow your will. In this case I must make a stupid face - no solution, sorry, - except you will talk to your provider.

Adam Spriggs
11th February 2007, 09:02 AM (09:02)
Or, if you have SSH access to your linux-based web host, you can list hidden files with a simple command:

ls -la

Carsten Schermuly
11th February 2007, 09:55 AM (09:55)
I got some webspace on a linux machine. I am grown up with Windows for Workgroups 3. 11 - just click. So I would not know from what you are talking. For Unix or Windows driven machines this script will do it also for normal people, using a computer just like a computer and are not married with.

Question
How to use "ls -la", please? Type it in, yes - but where please? On my webspace is found nothing to type in. Are you working on the console? Who in the world can do it? Only "married", ha, ha!

Hans Deventer
11th February 2007, 10:07 AM (10:07)
How to use "ls -la", please? Type it in, yes - but where please?

After the prompt, Carsten.

it will show you something like:

hd@bresee:~$ ls -la
total 148
drwxr-s--x 8 hd hd 4096 Feb 10 16:01 .
drwxrwsr-x 149 root staff 4096 Nov 26 20:01 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 hd hd 0 Mar 2 2001 .addressbook
-rw------- 1 hd hd 2285 Mar 2 2001 .addressbook.lu
-rw-r--r-- 1 hd hd 266 Oct 28 2000 .alias
-rw------- 1 hd hd 3414 Feb 10 16:07 .bash_history
-rw-r--r-- 1 hd hd 174 Oct 28 2000 .bash_logout
-rw-r--r-- 1 hd hd 373 Oct 28 2000 .bash_profile
-rw-r--r-- 1 hd hd 504 Oct 28 2000 .bashrc
drwx--S--- 2 hd hd 4096 Jan 29 2004 .cedit
-rw-r--r-- 1 hd hd 375 Oct 28 2000 .cshrc
-rw-r--r-- 1 hd hd 514 Feb 10 16:01 .mailboxlist
drwxr-sr-x 3 hd hd 4096 Feb 10 16:07 .mc
-rw-r--r-- 1 hd hd 376 Aug 23 2005 .newsrc
-rw------- 1 hd hd 11529 Feb 5 2006 .pine-debug1
-rw------- 1 hd hd 12662 Oct 25 2004 .pine-debug2
-rw------- 1 hd hd 11574 Feb 12 2004 .pine-debug3
-rw------- 1 hd hd 11698 Feb 12 2004 .pine-debug4
-rw-r--r-- 1 hd hd 17704 Feb 5 2006 .pinerc
-rw-rw-r-- 1 hd hd 128 May 7 2005 .procmailrc
drwxrwsr-x 2 hd hd 4096 Feb 19 2003 DV
-rw------- 1 hd hd 506 Aug 23 2005 Trash
drwxrwsr-x 2 hd hd 4096 Jan 18 2006 data
drwx------ 2 hd hd 4096 Feb 11 16:01 mail
drwxr-sr-x 26 hd hd 4096 Jan 28 20:35 public_html
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root hd 8 Apr 9 2005 website -> /var/www
hd@bresee:~$

Carsten Schermuly
11th February 2007, 10:17 AM (10:17)
My wife called me on a day from her workplace, how to erect a new directory to save a word document in.
She is not stupid,
in her head are hidden the terminologies of several sciences and an excellent german and an excellent english and a good to understand, nearby correct french. Let her read this - she would not know what it means - without a detailed help text and / or without a clickable surface.
You will know, "drwxr-s--x" means permissions, but an "unmarried" can not know, right?