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How do I access Stata’s application support directory in OS X 10.7 and newer?

Title   Accessing Stata's application support directory in OS X 10.7 and newer
Author Chinh Nguyen, StataCorp

Stata stores its personal ado-files in ~/Library/Application Support/Stata. Versions of Mac OS X 10.7 and newer hide the ~/Library directory by default to prevent accidental deletion of critical files that applications may need to run. Mac OS X’s new behavior prevents users from easily accessing their personal ado-files from Stata's graphical interface and the Finder.

Here are a few methods to make the Library directory temporarily visible.

  • From an Open or Save dialog in Stata, press Command + Shift + G and enter ~/Library to temporarily access the Library directory in the Open or Save dialog.
  • dialog box
  • From the Finder, press Command + Shift + G, and type in ~/Library to temporarily access the Library directory in the Finder.
  • From the Finder, hold down the option key while clicking on the Finder’s Go menu to show the Library directory in the menu.
  • From a terminal, you can open the Library directory in the Finder by typing
    open ~/Library
    From Stata’s command line or a terminal, you can easily access your personal ado-files by changing to the directory that contains your ado-files:
    cd "~/Library/Application Support/Stata/ado"
  • If you wish to show the Library directory all the time, type from a terminal
    chflags nohidden ~/Library