.htaccess invisible

but why?

[jcmoon]

Quick question; probably too easy and if so, all apologies.

I maintain sites on a few different servers, and I've noticed that in one server, the .htaccess file is fully visible in my FTP client; in the other, I cannot get to it. In the latter case, I make a temporary copy like hta.txt which I *can* see in FTP, and download that & edit it (and immediately delete it, of course).

This feels like a band-aid approach, though. Why is the .htaccess file visible (to the FTP client) on one server, and invisible on the other? Is there something I can do to make both servers act the same?

[jdMorgan]

This depends on the default FTP server settings. If you can change them, then set the FTP server to show system files.

Also, in many FTP clients, there is an option that can be used to overcome this problem. The location and name of the option differs from client to client, but it will have something to do with configuring the "LIST" command. In cases where system files (files starting with ".") are invisible, try setting the LIST command to "LIST -a".

Jim

[coopster]

And just to clarify, if you do find the setting in your FTP client and make the adjustment, and if the server is setup to NOT SHOW them -- you just aren't going to be able to view them through your FTP client. You'll have to use a command line interface (typically a secure interface like an SSH client) instead.

[jcmoon]

Thanks for the info! Turns out in the Options dialog box there's a checkbox for "Hide files starting with a period" ... but, it's unchecked. So it looks like it's my server set up that way.

Ah well. If it was easy I probably wouldn't learn anything.