This web page created by Kathleen M. Weber on February 4th, 1998.
When you are working with large files or collections of files, you may want to copy files from one computer to another rather than sending them via e-mail. In addition, you may want to access a collection of files stored on another computer system. FTP programs let you connect to another system (called the remote system) from your local PC and transfer files between the two systems.
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, a way of sending files across the Internet.
An FTP client is a stand-alone program, separate from your Web Browser, that works very much like your File Manager (Windows Explorer) does.
What should you look for in an FTP client (program)?
Its features and an interface that lets you get to them easily. Here are some of the things you should expect from an FTP client:
ease of use:
Depending on how much control you want over your Windows FTP client, you can choose either integrated or nonintegrated programs. A nonintegrated client typically uses a three-pane interface that displays the local file system, the remote file system, and auxiliary information (such as the server log). An integrated client imitates the Windows Explorer interface and typically supports drag and drop, right-click pop-up menus, multiple Ctrl-click file selection, and some other Windows features.
auto-resume:
If you've ever tied up your phone line with a huge download, only to find that you got just two-thirds of the file before disconnecting, you need a client with auto-resume. When you sign on again after your Internet connection breaks, a client with auto-resume will pick up the download where it left off.
recursive directory transfers:
With this feature, you can transfer entire directory structures (including all subdirectories and files) with a single-click. Web developers shouldn't be without it: you'll be able to download, edit, and upload entire sites in a single transfer.
drag and drop:
You probably appreciate being able to drag and drop files between your local directories. A good FTP client extends that functionality to the FTP server, letting you drag and drop files from your local directory to the server, and vice versa.
command line navigation:
Sometimes the keyboard is the fastest way to get somewhere. If you're looking for /Pub/Internet/Utils/, and you have command line navigation, simply type that path and go directly there.
address book:
An FTP client should have an easy-to-navigate, easy-to-manage address book, and you should be able to edit all of its fields.
ASCII/binary options:
If downloading a Web browser as a 20MB text file doesn't appeal to you, you'll want your client to differentiate between ASCII and binary mode transfers. An FTP client should have an auto-detect feature that decides which mode to use for a given file. It should also have a highly visible ASCII/binary toggle switch that allows you to override its preferences.
Many of these features are not available with most Web Browsers.
However, at some Webpage host sites, you can use a Web Browser to upload the files and then use the Host's setup to edit, rename and delete files.
To log into an anonymous account on an ftp server, use an "ftp" URL like this:
ftp://ftp.whatever.com
You can also use a full path pointing directly to a specific file on the ftp server:
ftp://ftp.whatever.com/path/filename
Netscape will automatically bring up the SAVE AS windows for you.
To log into a specific user account on the ftp server, you can include your username (and, optionally, your password) in the URL. If you don't include your password, you will be prompted for it. The syntax is:
ftp://username@ftp.whatever.com
ftp://username:password@ftp.whatever.com
Drag-and-drop is supported on most operating systems. You can download files by dragging them out of an ftp window, or upload files by dragging them into an ftp window.
If you are not able to drag files into an ftp window to upload them, then select "Upload File" from the File menu to when the browser window shows the directory where you want the file to be placed.
| !! WARNING !! |
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Also, there are no facilities for executing remote commands or for removing or renaming files on the ftp server. If you need any of these features, you may want to use a dedicated ftp client program instead.
This works the same way as Netscape...
Ipswitch WS_FTP Professional for Windows Homepage:
http://www.ipswitch.com/products/ws_ftp/index.html
WS_FTP manual in Adobe PDF format:
http://www.ipswitch.com/products/ws_ftp/wsftp45.pdf
GeoCities has a built-in File Manager function, which Netscape or Internet Explorer is adequate to upload files with.
| IMPORTANT: |
| Although GeoCities supports multiple html pages, you MUST have 'index.html' or 'index.htm' as your MAIN PAGE. The other pages can be called anything you like, as long as they have the html (or htm) extension. |
Please note:
For security reasons, GeoCities will not be supporting CGI scripts or .EXE files, except as a member of GeoPlus.
Using FTP:
You will be submitting your files to: ftp.geocities.com.
In the User field, enter your GeoCities Member Name, and in the Password field, enter your GeoCities Password
When you connect to GeoCities, you are already in the correct directory to transfer your files (/pub/homestead). Transfer your files here exactly as you want them named in your directory. Be sure to transfer all non-text files (i.e. GIF, JPG, ZIP, etc.) using the binary or raw data option, Be sure not to choose the MacBinary option. HTML and other text files should be transferred using the ASCII (text) option.
Once your files are transferred, you will not see them listed in the directory. This is for security purposes.
Your files will be automatically moved from the FTP area to the appropriate directory as soon as they are received, or very shortly thereafter (this will usually take about 10-20 minutes).
You can view your page by using your Web Browser and going to your URL address.
You are allowed up to 3 megabytes of space for all of your files.
See the note below on deleting files.
Updating / Changing / Deleting Your Page
You can update or change your page by resubmitting the files via FTP, or by editing them with one of the home page editors contained within the File Manager utility.
You can review and manage your files and disk space usage using our File Manager utility.
You can delete your entire account and all its files using the our Personal Profile Delete function.
What To Do If Your Page Or Images Do Not Appear
Check to see that you are submitting your files using the correct file names. You can see if your files have been copied over to your directory using our Disk Space Manager which is a part of our File Manager.
Check to see that you are using the proper naming conventions within your HTML when you are using an IMG SRC statement.
Check to see that you are transferring GIF/JPG images using the binary option.
Uploading files for TRIPOD
This section gives specific instructions for how to upload your files to Tripod, using a graphical FTP program, your browser, or a command line interface. It also answers questions about how to perform minor housekeeping chores on your Tripod directory once you've gotten your files there.
How to upload my files to Tripod using a Web Browser:
Many browsers let you use FTP to view and download files but please realize most browsers will not let you upload files by FTP. Be sure that your browser actually supports 'FTP Upload'. In particular, versions of Netscape prior to 2.0 support downloading by FTP but not uploading.
If you are using Netscape 2.0 or better, here's how to open an FTP connection:
1. Select Open Location from the File menu. 2. Type in the following URL: ftp://[membername]@ftp.tripod.com Where [membername] is your Tripod member name. For example if your Tripod member name is "TriMember" it would look like: ftp://TriMember@ftp.tripod.com Remember that Tripod member names are CASE sensitive. 3. When Netscape prompts you to enter a password, enter your Tripod password. You will be taken straight to a list of files in your directory. You may now transfer a file to your Tripod account by either dragging-and-dropping that file onto the Netscape window, or select Upload file... from the Netscape File menu. If you are having problems with entering your password, you may enter your password when you open the location as follows: ftp://[membername]:[password]@ftp.tripod.com Where [membername] is your Tripod member name and [password] is your password. For example if your Tripod member name is "TriMember" and your password is "mypassword" it would look like: ftp://TriMember:mypassword@ftp.tripod.com Again, remember that Tripod member names and passwords are CASE sensitive. 4. On the Macintosh, under the File Menu, remember to select "Upload File..." 5. After you're finished uploading, your file is ready to be used with your homepage. If you uploaded a complete HTML document, it's immediately viewable.
To upload files to Tripod from an FTP program's command-line interface
If you are using a command-line oriented FTP program, the connection will go something like this:
ftp> ftp.tripod.com Connected to ftp.tripod.com. Name: USER 331 Now enter your Tripod password. Password: PASSWORD 230 User 'USER' logged on. ftp> bin 200 Type set to 'I' (IMAGE aka BINARY). ftp> put FILE 200 Port command succeeded. 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for 'test.gif'. 226 Transfer complete. (90000 bytes still available) The first command, 'bin', puts your FTP program into 'binary transfer mode'. If you are transferring HTML files, this doesn't matter, but if you are transferring a GIF or JPEG it is very important to transfer it as a BINARY file instead of an ASCII file. The second step transfers the file to your Web account. You can then type 'ls' to see a list of all your files, or '?' to get a list of other commands.
Files can now be renamed and moved betwen directories using FTP. Note that most browsers do not currently support these features. If you are using a browser to FTP, please rename and move your files using the Hosekeeper.
Tripod's FTP now allows you to upload files into subdirectories. Keep in mind that only one level of subdirectories are allowed.
Where to find graphical FTP programs:
Many excellent graphical FTP programs are available on the Web. Fetch is a popular graphical FTP program for Macs, while WS-FSTP is popular FTP program for Windows. If you would like a master list of all the FTP programs available, check out http://www.shareware.com or http://www.download.com
To set up a graphical FTP program:
If you are using a graphical FTP program, you will probably choose something like 'Open Connection' or 'Connect Remote'. When you a see a menu to fill in, type in the following information:
---------------------------------------------Host: ftp.tripod.com---------------------------------------------
User ID: [Tripod Member Name]
Password: [Tripod Password]
Directory: /
These may not by the exact field names used by your FTP program, but they should be similar. There may be other fields, but you can safely ignore them; the default values should be fine. To transfer the file, select something like 'Upload File', 'Transfer File', 'Put File'. Please be sure to transfer your files (especially graphics) in 'binary' or 'raw data' mode. Your FTP program may support drag-and-drop (can't hurt to try). Once you've successfully uploaded your files, they are immediately available on the Web.
Tomorrow: Image Maps
This web page created by Kathleen M. Weber on February 4th, 1998.
