Getting Started with FTP
Introduction
The process by which files are transferred to the web server is called "FTP" (File Transport 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.
Some very large Internet providers such as AOL, CompuServe, and Prodigy may have a built-in FTP interface. If you have a PPP Internet account and need an FTP program, you can download
software for the PC from the OfficeOnWeb web site. If we are not your ISP, we suggest that you contact your local Internet provider to inquire about compatibility. YOU SHOULD TURN YOUR PASSIVE MODE OFF! If you fail to do this your ftp speeds will be
SO slow you will get irritated. This is for security purposes and your protection.
Note: If you are a FrontPage user
AND are using the extensions, you cannot not use an FTP program for uploading your regular web pages. You MUST upload such data with FrontPage itself. Of course, you may wish to obtain an FTP program if you are wise enough to not install the extensions and
use the program for editing purposes only (our program library does about everything FrontPage does and takes less time to do it- pluse it can be cusstomized).
What FTP Software Does OfficeOnWeb Suggest?
Win95 Users:
We recommend using the commercial product FTP Voyager, free FTPedit or FTPworks program, an excellent shareware program called
WS_FTPle, or another program called CuteFTP.
You can download FTP Voyager for a free trial at:
http://www.ftpvoyager.com/
You can download FTPedit at:
http://www.ftpeditor.com/
You can download FTPworks at:
http://www.corbanware.com/ftpworks.html
You can download WS_FTPle for free at:
http://www.ipswitch.com/downloads/ws_ftp_LE.html
You can download CuteFTP for free at:
http://www.cuteftp.com/Html/s_down.html
Mac Users:
If you are a Mac user, try Fetch, which may be downloaded for free at:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/pages/softdev/fetch.html#News
or at:
http://www.tucows.com
Configuring Your FTP Software
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. In general, the process
of configuring the various FTP software/interface is the same. We have specific tutorials on the configuration of WS_FTP and CuteFTP.
Click here for the WS_FTP configuration tutorial.
Click here for the CuteFTP configuration tutorial.
How to Transfer Files
Note: If you receive the "Blocking
Call Canceled" error message, please review our traceroute tutorial.
When you connect to the web server, 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 cgibin, docs, and logs, as well as files
such as Domains and .mreply.rc. These are the signs indicating a successful connection to your web site.
You should upload the files you want visible to people's web browsers to your DocumentRoot. The actual name of this directory
should be listed in the setup e-mail you received when your account was created.
Generally speaking, FrontPage accounts will have a DocumentRoot of:
/YOURDOMAIN/wwwfp/
or /YOURDOMAIN/frontpage/
Non-Frontpage accounts should have a DocumentRoot of:
/YOURDOMAIN/www/
If you are unsure of which directory to use, contact us here. If you have custom cgi scripts, upload
them to the /cgibin directory. To make your home page load automatically, name the HTML document "index.htm" or "index.html" in lowercase and upload
it to the DocumentRoot. 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 screen. Be sure to upload HTML documents
and scripts in ASCII mode and images in BINARY mode, we do not recommend using the "auto" setting. To transfer a file to a subdirectory, double-click the appropriate subdirectory
to open it before transferring the desired file(s).
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 clear both disk and browser cache. This function can be found by selecting Options > Network Preferences in Netscape. In Internet Explorer,
click on View, then Internet Options and click the Delete Files button in the Temporary Internet Files section. You can always use a query string added to the end of your URL:
http://YOURDOMAIN.com?abc
This will force your browser to bypass its cache and get the latest copy of your index page from our server. Remember that you
must first be connected to the Internet through your local Internet service provider in order to connect to the web server.
Notes to Mac Users
- Select "raw data" transfer mode when using Fetch to transfer both HTML and images.
- Select "text" transfer mode when using Fetch to transfer text files (such as Domains).
- PageMill may add either a .bin or .txt extension to your files which must be removed in order for such files to load properly.
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