CHAPTER THREE - 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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