By default, you must create an index file for each directory that you create. This is a security precaution for novice webmasters to protect them from unintentionally exposing files they did not intend to publish.
The index file can have any one of several names:
- index.html
- index.shtml
- index.php
- index.htm
- default.htm
- index.cgi
- index.pl
(If more than one of these files exists, the server will use the highest one on the list. These names are case-sensitive. E.g. INDEX.HTML and Index.html will not work.)
If you want the web server to display a list of files in a directory, you add the following line to your .htaccess file for that directory:
Options +Indexes
Note that this directive applies to the directory containing its .htaccess file as well as any and all subdirectories.