Getting Started with FTP
Contents of this Page
- Introduction
- What FTP Software Does TC Kopke Suggest?
- Configuring Your FTP Software (and FTP capable website design software)
- How to Transfer Files
- Notes to Mac Users
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.
Most website design software has built-in FTP capability. You may use FTP software in addition to or in lieu of the website design software's built-in interface.
What FTP Software Does TC Kopke Suggest?
Windows Users:
We recommend using WS_FTP or CuteFTP.
For WS_FTP, see: http://www.ftpplanet.com/
For CuteFTP, see: http://www.cuteftp.com/
Mac Users:
We recommend using Fetch which can be obtained at:
Configuring Your FTP Software (and FTP capable website design software)
The following information is contained within your account activation notice and is needed to connect to your web site via FTP:
- username (case sensitive, all lowercase)
- password (case sensitive, all lowercase)
- FTP hostname (your site name without the "http" and "www," e.g., mysitename.com)
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. Consult the documentation that came with the software for specific configuration details. If you need help, please contact us.
Note: If you receive the "Blocking Call Canceled" error message, please review our traceroute tutorial.
For website design software, follow the instructions included with the software. It is typically a click on a file and dragging it to the right location on the server is all that is required to copy the file to the server.
When you connect to the web server, you will connect directly to the server root directory of your account. You will see several folders listed on the server. These are landmarks suggesting a successful connection to your web site.
Do note that the server root (sometimes called "private root") is not the same as your webspace, i.e., pages seen when using a browser. You must navigate the folder until you've reach the document root (sometimes called "public root" or "public space"). The actual name of this directory should be listed in the "welcome" email you received when your account was created. Once you've located the public space for your pages, you may upload them as needed or created new directories and upload.
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 (see File Names for more information). 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 screen. 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).
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 your browser, you will need to clear both disk and browser cache.
- 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 .cgi).