Getting Started with FTP

Contents of this Page

Introduction
FrontPage Users
What FTP Software Do We Suggest?
Configuring Your FTP Software
How to Transfer Files
Notes to Mac Users

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.

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 XyNexT web site. We suggest that you contact your local internet provider to inquire about compatibility.

Note: If you are a FrontPage user, you should not use an FTP program for uploading your regular web pages, but rather upload such data with FrontPage itself. For more info on this matter, please refer to our FrontPage Support page. Of course, you may wish to obtain an FTP program in order to work on files outside of the FrontPage directory structure.

What FTP Software Do We Suggest?

Win95/98/Me Users:

We recommend using an excellent program called WS_FTP.  It integrates seamlessly into the Windows Explorer file navigation system.  You can download a free evaluation copy of WS_FTP for free at:

WS_FTP Download Site 

Mac Users:

If you are a Mac user, we suggest that you 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.

Click here for the WS_FTP 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 landmarks suggesting a successful connection to your web site.

You should upload the files you want visible to people's web browsers to your DcumentRoot. The actual name of this directory should be listed in the setup email you received when your account was created. If you no longer have a copy of that email, one is available on your web site at:

            http://YOURDOMAIN.com/setup

Generally speaking, FrontPage accounts will have a DocumentRoot of:

            /YOURDOMAIN/wwwfp/
or         /YOURDOMAIN/FrontPage/

Non-FrontPage accounts should have a DocumentRoot of:

            /YOURDOMAIN/www/
or         /YOURDOMAIN/

If you are unsure of which directory to use, contact us. 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 files 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 files.

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).
  (Please click here to see a screen capture of a Fetch Preferences dialog box.)
• 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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