Lesson 14—Use Hidden Items, Shortcuts, and File Archives

Question 1

Why does the Finder hide certain folders at the root of the system volume?

Answer 1

The Finder hides certain folders—ones that contain resource items for macOS processes—from average users at the root of the system volume because the average user doesn’t need access to those items. If you need access to these hidden files and folders, you can use Terminal.

Question 2

Which two methods can you use to hide items in macOS?

Answer 2

• Use Terminal to add a period to the beginning of a filename.
• Enable the hidden file flag. (A hidden flag hides the items only in the Finder.)

Question 3

What are some ways to navigate to hidden folders in macOS?

Answer 3

• Use the Go to Folder option in the Go menu (Shift-Command-G).
• Hold down the Option key in the Go menu to make the Library option visible.
• Press Shift-Command-Period in the Finder to display all hidden items.

Question 4

What’s the difference between a package and a bundle?

Answer 4

• A package—Any folder that the Finder presents to the user as if it were a single file.
• A bundle—A folder with a standardized hierarchical structure that holds executable code and the resources used by that code.

Question 5

What are the four primary file-system shortcut types that macOS uses and how are they used?

Answer 5

• Aliases are more resilient than other shortcuts. When the original item is replaced or moved, the alias almost never loses the original item.
• Symbolic links are pointers to the file-system path of the original item.
• Hard links reference the original item and point to the bits on the physical storage device.
• Firm links allow navigation between folders that straddle the read-only APFS System volume and the read-write APFS Data volume.

Question 6

Why would you use an archive file instead of a disk image? Why would you use a disk image instead of an archive file?

Answer 6

• Use Zip archives for small amounts of data. Zip archives are much simpler to create in the Finder and are compatible with most third-party operating systems.
• Use disk images for larger amounts of data or to archive an entire file system, including files, folders, and associated metadata, into a single file. Disk images are more difficult to create and manage but offer greater flexibility, primarily because you can easily modify and convert them. Unlike ZIP archives that are widely compatible, disk images are mostly limited to Mac computers. Other systems would require third-party software to access Mac disk images.

Question 7

What type of file does the Finder create when you select the Archive option?

Answer 7

The Finder creates a compressed ZIP archive file when you select the Archive option.

Question 8

What action on macOS Big Sur is set as the default for expanding ZIP archives?

Answer 8

r, double-clicking a ZIP archive file expands the contents of the ZIP archive