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How To FTP 

   

 


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To help you get publishing, we have developed this getting started guide to familiarize you with the basics of File Transfer Protocol (FTP). If you are unable to find the help you are looking for, please don't forget that additional help is only a phone call away. 

FTP, the definition
File Transfer Protocol is the simplest way to transfer files between computers across the Internet. FTP is an application protocol that uses the Internet's TCP/IP protocols, just like HTTP or SMTP. Today, there are hundreds of FTP applications, including the browser you use
everyday (through which you have probably already FTPed files and didn't even know it)! 

Get an FTP application
You will need an FTP application if you do not plan to use either MS FrontPage to build your site. (FP has  a built in publishing feature, and therefore you do not need FTP).

Download.com has over 100 different versions that you can download and try for free (Choose PC or Mac to view the lists). We recommend WS_FTP LE 95 or CuteFTP if you are running the Windows OS on your workstation, or Fetch if you have a Mac. These are the most 
common FTP applications, and therefore have the most documentation. 

Connecting to your site
WS_FTP is the most common FTP application in use, so we use this version in our explanations below. If you are not using WS_FTP, many of the answers will remain the same, but just in case they don't you may need to refer to your FTP manual or help area. If you are using Fetch for Mac, click here for help. We are also assuming that you have already installed the software to your workstation.

You will need three pieces of information to connect to your site in WS_FTP. These pieces were emailed to you when you signed up for hosting and include your domain name, your userID and password.

1.Connect to the Internet. 
2.Open your WS_FTP application. (After the install you will probably have a shortcut on your desktop or in your Start, Programs menu). 
3.You now see two windows, one overlapping the other. The one on top is your Session Properties window where you specify your login information. 
4.For Profile Name insert whatever you'd like to refer to this login as. You can name it whatever you'd like just for easy reference later on. 
5.For Host Name/Address insert your domain name or your site's IP address if your domain name is not active on your account yet. (If you try your domain name and it doesn't work, then you can change this to the IP included in your Welcome email instead). www.yourdomainname.com, yourdomainname.com or IP#.IP#.IP#.IP# should all work in this field. 
6.For Host Type you can leave this to Automatic Detect or if you are connecting to a Unix server, you can choose Unix (standard). 
7.For User ID insert the userID emailed to you when you signed up for the account. This field is case sensitive. 
8.For Password insert the password emailed to you when you signed up for the account. This field is case sensitive. 
9.All other fields you can leave blank or set to the default. However, if you'd like WS_FTP to start you off in a particular directory on either your local machine or on the server, you would configure this in the Startup tab. If this is your first time connecting, you need not worry about the folder you are starting off in. 
10.If you'd like you can save your configuration to WS_FTP, including the password, by checking the Save Password box. 
11.When you are ready to connect, click "OK" at the bottom of the Session Properties menu. 


Publishing
Okay, now you're in and ready to publish your pages to the web! (If you are not, read the "connecting to your site" section above).

1.The Session Properties window is now gone, and you are looking at a window split down the middle that separates your local workstation (on the left) and the web site (on the right). 
2.On the left-hand side, double-click the green arrow pointing up to move up a directory, or double-click on a directory to enter one. You might want to practice with this a bit. When you are done, you want to work your way to the directory on your PC containing your web files (depending on where you saved them). 
3.On the right-hand side, do the same as on the left, but double-click to enter the www directory. This is the directory where you will upload your web pages, graphics, etc. Later, when you want to use cgi scripts on your site you will FTP to cgi-bin. 
4.Near the bottom of the WS_FTP window, select "Auto" for the upload format - or manually select Binary when you upload your images and ASCII when uploading scripts or pages. 
5.On the left-hand side, click once on a file to highlight it. 
6.Click the arrow that points to the right (towards the remote system) in the middle of FTP. 
7.When you see the words "Transfer Complete" at the bottom of the WS_FTP window the transfer is done. You have just uploaded a file.
8.To upload multiple files or directories at once, simply click on one then hold down the shift key or control key to select more. 
9.You can also publish files in the opposite direction, from the server to your PC, by highlighting files on the right and clicking on the arrow that points to the left.

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