I just did a fresh install of openSUSE 15.6 KDE. There are missing dot files in my user folder. They’re not showing on the command line or through Dolphin with “View Hidden Files.” I’m attaching a screenshot.
How do I fix this?
Which ones are you missing exactly? Directly after a fresh install there are not much files. Thats normal. After some time, the more apps you are using, the content in your home directory will grow.
A fresh user starts with only .cache, .config, .local and .gtkrc-2.0
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Everything in /etc/skel which is supposed to populate home folders is missing. The contents of /etc/skel are in the attached screenshot.
I’ve tried to create a user using the command line and by using Yast and neither is creating all the necesary files in the home folder.
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My thought is, “different distros work in slightly different ways”.
I did a test. I created a new user (yast2) and ONLY one sub-dir was created:
(notice I don’t use screenshots - too consuming)
/home/testus # ls -ld .!(|.)
drwx------ 1 testus users 0 Mar 15 2022 .cache
#
So, the only sub-dir in this instance is ONE, which is “.cache”.
Next, I logged into that new user account and did a number of things … fired up FF, Chrome, and Brave. I went into System Settings and changed a number of things, like Desktop config, layout, and many other settings.
.
I also fired up a few KDE applications (we use KDE Plasma here on all machines). Dolphin, Kate, Latte Dock, Gwenview, Spectacle, and so on.
.
Then I jumped back to the command line window and checked to see what DOT files are in that user’s sub-dir. (nope, no screenshot)
/home/testus # ls -ld .!(|.)
drwx------ 1 testus users 686 Jul 31 16:00 .cache
drwx------ 1 testus users 1474 Jul 31 16:00 .config
-rw-r--r-- 1 testus users 110 Jul 31 15:52 .fonts.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 testus users 269 Jul 31 16:00 .gtkrc-2.0
drwxr-xr-x 1 testus users 20 Jul 31 15:50 .local
drwx------ 1 testus users 34 Jul 31 15:55 .mozilla
#
You may notice that those DOT files are created on the fly, when they are required. It all depends on a user’s usage. Linux distros have been customized over the years to avoid excessive fluff (avoid un-needed files and sub-dirs, etc).
Also, in the future, you can use the Preformatted Text ( </> ) feature (icon bar) to copy | paste command line text, vs a screenshot (as I did) … makes it much easier to read and reduces screen real estate 
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/etc/skel # ls -lgG
total 24
-rw------- 1 0 May 18 1996 .bash_history
-rw-r--r-- 1 1177 May 7 2022 .bashrc
drwxr-xr-x 2 2048 Mar 15 2022 bin
drwx------ 2 2048 Mar 15 2022 .cache
drwx------ 2 2048 Mar 15 2022 .config
-rw-r--r-- 1 1637 Apr 9 2018 .emacs
drwxr-xr-x 2 2048 Mar 15 2022 .fonts
-rw-r--r-- 1 73 May 25 2018 .i18n
-rw-r--r-- 1 861 Apr 9 2018 .inputrc
drwx------ 2 2048 Mar 15 2022 .local
-rw-r--r-- 1 1028 May 7 2022 .profile
-rw-r--r-- 1 1951 May 25 2018 .xim.template
-rwxr-xr-x 1 1112 May 4 2019 .xinitrc.template
#
IMV, man page suggests is needed at least -k -m options if the whole of /etc/skel/ is to be copied using useradd. Several of those in /etc/skel I’ve never had need to touch. What you already have may be all you’ll ever need. Many hidden dirs that used to live in ~ have moved into ~/.config. ~/.fonts/ was deprecated more than a decade ago.
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I’m not a newbie. I know how to use the forums. I used screenshots because it shows exactly what’s in the folder. I can copy/paste something from anywhere else on any system. I will continue to do it the way I see fit.
When it comes to the contents of /etc/skel being copied to the user folder, it did it three days ago when I install openSUSE on my laptop. I’ve been a linux user for over 30-years. I know how things work.
The skeleton directory (/etc/skel) provides the backbone or skeleton of what any new account /home/ directory would look like.
That’s what the folder is for. If openSUSE is doing things different now, I would have been nice to hear about it.
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@wwwdave images are nice, but remember a) images take up extra storage space on our Forum system and b) text is easier on the eye of users who may configure their systems for accessibility.
This has been covered. Everyone wants to complain about me using images, but nobody has answered my question.
@wwwdave, no this is not a complaint it is a friendly suggestion from Forum staff. Again, it’s about folks whom wish to help, but may refrain from helping as the have difficulty with images.
I’m using GNOME and it seems to populate?
So I created a test user on one of my ADS-B system running Leap 15.6 and sshed as the user;
testing@t-kglh3:~> ls -la
total 16
drwxr-xr-x 7 testing users 156 Jul 31 21:01 .
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 37 Jul 31 21:01 ..
-rw------- 1 testing users 0 May 18 1996 .bash_history
-rw-r--r-- 1 testing users 1177 May 7 2022 .bashrc
drwxr-xr-x 2 testing users 6 Mar 15 2022 bin
drwx------ 2 testing users 6 Mar 15 2022 .cache
drwx------ 2 testing users 6 Mar 15 2022 .config
-rw-r--r-- 1 testing users 1637 Apr 9 2018 .emacs
drwxr-xr-x 2 testing users 6 Mar 15 2022 .fonts
-rw-r--r-- 1 testing users 861 Apr 9 2018 .inputrc
drwx------ 2 testing users 6 Mar 15 2022 .local
-rw-r--r-- 1 testing users 1028 May 7 2022 .profile
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I’ve already covered this. That’s not what it’s doing when I create a new user. It didn’t do it when I did a fresh install of openSUSE with KDE. It has always done it before, including 3-days ago on my laptop when I used to same install image to install the same exact configuration: openSUSE KDE.
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@wwwdave so which image did you use, the remastered Leap 15.6, or the original one? The one I showed was a new install from the re-mastered one about a month ago on new hardware… It’s as per what is in the skel directory?
t-kglh3:~ # ls -la /etc/skel/
total 52
drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 Jun 30 08:44 .
drwxr-xr-x 100 root root 12288 Jul 31 21:01 ..
-rw------- 1 root root 0 May 18 1996 .bash_history
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1177 May 7 2022 .bashrc
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Mar 15 2022 bin
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Mar 15 2022 .cache
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Mar 15 2022 .config
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1637 Apr 9 2018 .emacs
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Mar 15 2022 .fonts
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 861 Apr 9 2018 .inputrc
drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Mar 15 2022 .local
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1028 May 7 2022 .profile
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Could you at least explain in a reproducible way the procedure that you’re executing and the outputs you are having?
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@wwwdave one thought, is /etc/xdg/autostart/xdg-user-dirs.desktop present (from xdg-user-dirs package)?
Not illogical in my opinion. When one has problems reading things, one simply does not read it. After all it is you that wants help. When you want it only on your terms, then you may get none.
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How do you fix what exactly? For your home directory - just creates missing files if you think they are required. Normally, applications create them as needed and it is not necessary to pre-create them.
The default behavior seems to have either “changed” or “broken” on Leap 15.6. I just created a test user. I activated the user with “su - username” and the files in /etc/skel had not been copied. Even after logging into the full desktop, /etc/skel/.profile had not been copied.
This is definitely different than previous releases and unexpected. While I agree that it hardly constitutes a “big” problem, I too would like to understand what has changed and perhaps find a fix.
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You created new user how exactly?
Sorry! I meant to say “created using yast”.
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On Tumbleweed and Leap 15.5 the content of /etc/skel is copied when YaST Users module is used. Sounds like a regression and should be reported to https://bugzilla.opensuse.org/ (same user/password as here).
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