FTP & FETCH INSTRUCTIONS
INTRODUCTION TO FTP
We recommend WS_FTP- it
is a standard FTP client for Windows Sockets. The graphical
interface was designed with the novice FTP user in mind. This
version features a reengineered FTP server detection and decoding
process. Requirements: Windows 3.x or higher. 650 KB Download
WS_FTP 4.5.
All of your files and subdirectories go into your
public_html directory. DO NOT DELETE ANY DIRECTORIES OR FILES
IN YOUR ACCOUNT. The files pertaining to your web site that you
design should be uploaded to your public_html directory and should
be the only files you ever replace.
This is important -- you
must transfer files in the appropriate mode.
Perl scripts and HTML files are
ASCII files, along with many others. If you use a plain text editor
to work with a file, it's an ASCII file. It's not terribly important
to transfer HTML files in ASCII mode, but it is important for
Perl scripts.
GIFs and JPEGs, as well as
audio and video files, are binary files. They must be
uploaded in binary mode, or will be corrupted. Files that look like
garbage in a plain text editor and require a more advanced program
to edit are not ASCII files, and must be transferred in binary
mode.
Now that we've
distinguished where your files go and what format they should
uploaded in, there are several ways depending on your computer
system, that you can transfer files to your account directory. The
process by which files are transferred to the web server is called
"FTP" (File Transfer Protocol). You have unlimited access via FTP 24
hours a day. As such, you can create and maintain your web pages on
your own computer and upload files to your web site at your leisure.
For the Macintosh, a program called "Fetch" is used, and for
Microsoft Windows systems a program called "WS_FTP" is used.
FOR PC USERS (WS_FTP)
The
following information is contained within your account activation
notice and is needed to connect you to your web site via FTP:
USERID PASSWORD FTP HOSTNAME
Each time you run
WS_FTP the Session Profile window will be displayed. A profile
contains the information needed to connect to your web site.
Creating a profile now will eliminate the need for you to configure
the software each time you wish to connect to the web server via
FTP. To create a profile, click the "New" button and enter a generic
profile name at the top of the Session Profile window, such as "My
Web site." Next, enter your Host Name/Address (yourdomain.com), User
ID (yourdomain), and Password for your web site as illustrated
below.
Next you need to
click "OK" to continue. This will connect you to the web server,
where you will connect directly to the root ("home") directory of
your account. WS_FTP will display a split screen where files on the
left-hand side are within your own computer. You will see several
folders on the right-hand side such as public_html which are
landmarks suggesting a successful connection to your web site, as
illustrated below.
You need to double click on public_html
to get to your web directory. This is where all your files will be
downloaded, and/or you will create sub-directories. The only system
directory that you may need to use is cgi-bin; this directory is
reserved for custom scripts. To make your home page load
automatically, name the HTML document "index.htm" or "index.html" in
lowercase and upload it to the public_html directory of your
account. To upload a file or files, simply highlight the file(s) on
the left and click the right arrow button (->) in the center of
the window. Be sure to upload HTML documents and scripts in ASCII
mode and images in Binary mode. To transfer a file to a
subdirectory, double-click the appropriate subdirectory to open it
before transferring the desired file(s). To create a new directory,
click on the MkDir button when you are inside the public.html
directory or subdirectory.
As soon as a file is uploaded to
the web server, it is available for all to see. If, after uploading
a file, you are still unable to see the updated file via Netscape,
try hitting the "Refresh" or "Reload" button. If that fails, you
need to clear both disk and browser cache. This function can be
found by selecting Options>Network Preferences in Netscape.
Remember that you must first be connected to the Internet through
your local Internet service provider in order to connect to the web
server.
FOR MAC USERS
(FETCH)
The following information is contained within
your account activation notice and is needed to connect to your web
site via FTP:
USERID PASSWORD FTP HOSTNAME The
hostname tells your FTP software to connect to the web server upon
which your web site resides.
Each time you run Fetch, the
New Connection window will be displayed. A profile contains the
information needed to connect to your web site. Creating a profile
now will eliminate the need for you to configure the software each
time you wish to connect to the web server via FTP. To create a new
profile, select "New Connection..." from the File menu. Next, enter
the Host (yourdomain.com), User ID (yourdomain), and password for
your web site as illustrated below.
Don't
worry about the Directory option right now. When you have your Host,
User ID, and Password entered, click on the OK button.
The
next window which will pop up will look similar to the one
below, except that yourdomain will be in the pop-up window.
Bookmarking
the Connection
You should take the time, now that you
have established your connection, to make it easier for you to get
here next time. Under the Customize menu, select New Shortcut. A
window will pop up called Bookmark Editor, as below. It will already
have your name, Host, and User ID filled in. Under Type, choose File
from the pop-up menu. If you would like Fetch to remember your
password so you won't have to type it in each time, type in your
password in the Password field. Now, under the same Customize menu,
choose Preferences, and under the General tab, make sure the
connection you just entered is selected as the default shortcut.
Next time you open up Fetch, your shortcut will be opened
automatically and all you'll have to do is click the OK button!
How to
Transfer Files
Refer again to the sample window above.
You need to double-click on public_html to get to your web
directory. This is where all your files will be downloaded, and/or
you will create sub-directories. The only system directory that you
may need to use is cgi-bin; this directory is reserved for custom
scripts. To make your home page load automatically, name the HTML
document "index.htm" in lowercase and upload it to the public_html
directory of your account. To upload a file or files, simply drag
them from your hard drive onto the Fetch window when you are in the
appropriate directory or subdirectory. Be sure to upload HTML
documents and scripts in Text mode and images in BINARY mode. Or to
make life easier, click on the Automatic button as shown in the
sample window above, and Fetch will decide the proper format. To
transfer a file to a subdirectory, double-click the appropriate
subdirectory to open it before transferring the desired file(s).
To insure that the Automatic selection works properly, make
sure the selections under the Upload tab in the Preferences window
looks the same as below.
As soon as a file
is uploaded to the web server, it is available for all to see. If,
after uploading a file, you are still unable to see the updated file
via Netscape, you need to hit the Reload button in the Netscape
button bar. Remember that you must first be connected to the
Internet through your local Internet service provider in order to
connect to the web server.
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