<para>This appendix describes the hidden directories that the
GNOME Desktop adds to the home directories of users. </para>
</highlights>
<indexterm>
<primary>hidden directories</primary>
</indexterm>
<indexterm>
<primary>.* directories</primary>
<see>hidden directories</see>
</indexterm>
<para>A hidden
directory is a directory that has a name that begins with a period (.). <xref linkend="appendixa-TBL-2"/> describes the hidden directories that the GNOME
Desktop adds to the home directories of users. </para>
<table frame="topbot" id="appendixa-TBL-2">
<title>Hidden Directories in User Home Directories</title>
<tgroup cols="2" colsep="0" rowsep="0">
<colspec colname="colspec0" colwidth="33*"/>
<colspec colname="colspec1" colwidth="67*"/>
<thead>
<row rowsep="1">
<entry>
<para>Directory</para>
</entry>
<entry>
<para>Description</para>
</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.config</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>This is the default location for the environment variable <envar>XDG_CONFIG_HOME</envar>,
if it is not set. User defined menus can be created at <filename>menus/applications.menu</filename>.</para>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.fonts</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>Contains fonts specific to a particular user. When a user installs a font by dragging it
to the <filename>fonts:///</filename> URI in nautilus, it is copied to this location.</para>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.esd_auth</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>Contains the authentication cookie for the GNOME
sound daemon. The GNOME sound daemon is the Enlightened Sound Daemon (ESD).</para>
<para><emphasis>NOTE: This is a file, not a directory.</emphasis></para>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.gconf</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>Contains the <application>GConf</application> configuration
source for the user. When the user sets a preference, the new preference information
is added to this location.</para>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.gconfd</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>Contains the following <application>GConf</application>
daemon details:</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Configuration information.</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>Lock information for objects that are referenced by an <firstterm>Interoperable Object Reference (IOR)</firstterm>.</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>State information for objects that are referenced by an IOR.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.gnome</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>Contains user-specific application data that is
not stored in the <application>GConf</application> repository. </para>
<para><emphasis>NOTE: this directory is deprecated and is only used by
GNOME 1.x applications.</emphasis></para>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.gnome2</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>Contains user-specific application data that is
not stored in the <application>GConf</application> repository. For example,
this directory contains the following:</para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Keyboard shortcut information.</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>Window location information.</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>Desktop entry files for panel launchers.</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
<para>This directory may also contain sub-directories that store
application specific data.</para>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.gnome2-private</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>Ignore this directory. This directory has no function
at the time of publication of this guide.</para>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.local/share</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>This is the default location for the environment variable <envar>XDG_DATA_HOME</envar>,
if it is not set. User defined desktop entries can be created in the subdirectory <filename>applications</filename>.
User defined mime types can be created in <filename>mime/packages/Overrides.xml</filename>.</para>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.metacity</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>Contains session data for the <application>Metacity</application> window manager.</para>
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry valign="top">
<para>
<filename>.nautilus</filename>
</para>
</entry>
<entry valign="top">
<para>Contains file manager data that is specific to the
user. For example, this directory can contain the following: </para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>Metadata for the directories with which the user works.</para>
</listitem>
<!--Removed Nautilus themes.-->
<listitem>
<para><application>Nautilus</application> emblems that the user