FTP Maintenance - Uploading Your Files to the Server

For PC Users - CuteFTP
For PC Users - WS-FTP

For Macintosh Users - Fetch

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 website at your leisure.

Online services which offer an Internet gateway, such as AOL, CompuServe, and Prodigy may have a built-in FTP interface. If you have a PPP Internet account, you need an FTP program.

NOTE: If you are using FrontPage, you should NEVER use regular FTP to upload your files. This will damage the FrontPage extensions. Stick with one or the other all the time.

For instructions on the most popular FTP client software for both PC and Macintosh users, see the instructions to follow.

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The following information is contained within your account activation notice and is needed to connect you to your website via FTP:

User ID (username or login, the're both the same)
Password (your password)
Host Address (your domain name or IP address)

Each time you run WS_FTP the Session Profile window will be displayed. A profile contains the information needed to connect to your website. Creating a profile now will eliminate the need for you to configure the software each time you want to connect to the web server via FTP. To create a profile, click the "Add site" button and enter a generic "Site Label" at the top of the "Add Host" window, such as "My Website". Next, enter your Host Address (yourdomain.com or IP address), User ID (username or login), and Password for your website as illustrated in Figure 1A.

Figure 1A

Next, you need to click "OK" to continue. This will connect you to the webserver, where you will connect directly to the root ("home") directory of your account. CuteFTP will display a split screen where files on the left-hand side are within your own computer on your hardrive. You will see several folders on the right-hand side such as www and infobots which are landmarks suggesting a successful connection to your website, as illustrated in Figure 1B.

Figure 1B

You need to double click on www to get to your web directory. This is where all your files will be downloaded, and/or you will create subdirectories. 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 "default.htm" in lowercase and upload it to the www directory of your account. To upload a file or files, simply highlight the file(s) on the left and drag them over to the right-hand 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, right-click over the right-hand pane and select "Make new dir" button when you are inside the www directory or a 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 on the browser. If that fails, you need to clear both disk and browser cache. This function can be found by selecting "Options" then "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.

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The following information is contained within your account activation notice and is needed to connect you to your website via FTP:

User ID (username or login, the're are both the same)
Password (your password)
Host Name (your domain name or IP address)

Each time you run WS_FTP the Session Profile window will be displayed. A profile contains the information needed to connect to your website. Creating a profile now will eliminate the need for you to configure the software each time you want 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 Website." Next, enter your Host Name/Address (yourdomain.com), User ID (yourdomain), and Password for your website as illustrated in Figure 2A.

Figure 2A

Next, you need to click "OK" to continue. This will connect you to the webserver, 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 www and infobots which are landmarks suggesting a successful connection to your website, as illustrated in
Figure 2B.

Figure 2B

You need to double click on www to get to your web directory. This is where all your files will be downloaded, and/or you will create subdirectories. The only system directory that you might need to use is cgi-bin; this directory is reserved for custom scripts. To make your home page load automatically, name the HTML document "default.htm" in lowercase and upload it to the www 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 www 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" then "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.

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The following information is contained within your account activation notice and is needed to connect to your website via FTP:

USER ID (username or login, they are both the same)
PASSWORD (your password)
FTP HOSTNAME (your domain name or IP address)

The hostname tells your FTP software to connect to the web server upon which your website resides.

Each time you run Fetch, the New Connection... window will be displayed. A profile contains the information needed to connect to your website. Creating a profile now will eliminate the need for you to configure the software each time you want 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 website as illustrated in Figure 3A.

Figure 3A

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 virtually the same as Figure 3B, except that yourdomain will be in the popup window.

Figure 3B

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 shown in Figure 3C. It will already have your name, Host, and User ID filled in. Under Type, choose File from the popup 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!

Figure 3C

How to Transfer Files:
Refer again to Figure 3B. You need to double-click on www to get to your web directory. This is where all your files will be downloaded, and/or you will create subdirectories. The only system directory that you might 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 www 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 it easier, click on the Automatic button as shown in Figure 3B, 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 Figure 3D below:

Figure 3D

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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