How can I get Finder to show me the real names of my files?

Question

On a Mac OS X 2.6.5 in the finder I renamed a file from test2.xls to test2.xlsTEMP:

However, at the UNIX command line, I see that the REAL name of the file is test2.xlsTEMP.xls:

How can I get Finder to show me the real names of my files?

Answer 1

Check Finder (menu) » Preferences » Advanced » Show all filename extensions.

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Alternatively, select the file and press Cmd-I, or open the context menu and select Get Info. In this window, you see (and can edit) the full filename, as well as specify whether to display the individual file's extension:

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Also worth mentioning is that your renaming issue only appears for extensions that aren't recognized by Finder:

^{(I know, not useful. Sue me!)}

Just don't abuse the file extension for tagging files like this.