After reinstalling some development software the other day I needed to access some XML files that were in a hidden directory. Typically I would filter all my access to hidden files through the appropriate Terminal commands but I decided to look for a more elegant solution. Immediately, I found the following Terminal command that directs Apple Finder to show all hidden files:

defaults write com.apple.finder.AppleShowAllFiles ON

That's at least a start, but I don't want to fire up Terminal to run two simple commands, one to turn on hidden file viewing and one to turn it off - plus, restarting Finder altogether. After digging around a bit I found an AppleScript that automates the process. I made a few adjustments to suit my needs and I was in business. Seeing how useful my MusicStoreAutoPlay script was I decided to offer this one up as well.

Here are some installation instructions:

1. Download the zip, and extract the AppleScript file to the /Users/your-user-name/Library/Scripts folder. If this folder doesn't exist, create it.
2. The Finder does not have a "script" menu like iTunes does so I recommend turning on the system-wide "Script Menu." Navigate to /Applications/AppleScript/ and double-click the "Install Script Menu" Application. This will create a new "script" menu that shows in the menu bar (upper right near the clock). You can use this script menu drop-down to access the ToggleHiddenFiles AppleScript.
3. Here's a link with more info on the system-wide Script Menu.