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FTP
Instructions
All
of your files and subdirectories need to be sent into your www directory
to be viewable on the web. Refer to the Account
Overview section of this manual to learn about all the different
directories you'll see once you log in. It is very important that
you do not delete any directories or files in your account. The
files which you design and upload to your www directory are the only files
you should ever replace.
Once you have completed
the design of your website, there are several ways to get the files into
your account. 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 whenever
you choose.
Online services which offer an Internet gateway, such as AOL, MSN, or
CompuServe may have a built-in FTP interface. If you have a PPP
Internet provider (dial-up, cable etc...), you will need an FTP program.
Visit http://www.wsftp.com/ to download a copy of WS_FTP for the PC.
There are other FTP programs out there, but this is the one we cover in
this tutorial.
(WS_FTP) For PC
Users
The following
information is contained within your account activation notice and is
needed to connect you to your web site via FTP:
USERNAME
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 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 (yourlogin),
and Password for your web site as illustrated below.
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 www, and infobots which are landmarks
suggesting a successful connection to your web site, as illustrated below.
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
sub-directories. Once you are in this directory, we recommend you click on
the Options button on the bottom of the WS_FTP window, and uncheck the box
that says "Use Passive Transfer Mode". You should also
click the button that says "Save Current Folders As Connection
Folders". This will eliminate the need to have to double-click
on the www folder every time you login via FTP.
To make your home page
load automatically when someone types in your domain name, name the HTML
document "index.html" in lowercase and upload it to the www
directory of your account. To upload this or any file , 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 in your browser, try hitting the "Refresh" or
"Reload" button, while holding down the CTRL key on your
keyboard. If that fails, you will need to clear both disk and browser
cache. This function can be found by selecting Options>Network
Preferences in Netscape, and Tools>Internet Options>Delete Files in
Internet Explorer. Remember that you must first be connected to the
Internet through your local Internet service provider in order to connect
to the web server.
The only system
directory in your account that you may need to use is the cgi-bin.
This is your CGI directory and is reserved for custom scripts.
Fetch For MAC Users
The following
information is contained within your account activation notice and is
needed to connect to your web site via FTP:
USERNAME
PASSWORD
FTP HOSTNAME
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 (yourlogin), 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 virtually the same as below,
except that yourdomain will be in the pop-up window.
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!
Once connected, 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 sub-directories. The only system directory that you may need
to use is cgi-bin, which is reserved for custom scripts. To make your home
page load automatically when someone types your domain name in their
browser, name the HTML document "index.html" 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
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 your browser, try hitting the Reload or Refresh button
while holding down the CTRL key on your keyboard. 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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