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There are many FTP (File Transfer Programs) available,
both free and for sale, but they all work quite similar. The
biggest difference between them is where the individual 'boxes' or
'windows' are placed within the program. The CORE FTP program
is shown (and downloadable) here. Please note; once you have
installed the program, you can easily alter the 'appearance' you see here.
To reset your screen to match this snapshot, you need only go
to View, Reset View, then Click Traditional.
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Whether you just entered into the program, or if you click
Connect/Sites later - you will then see the 'Connection' window
shown here on the left. Some of the options can be ignored
and left with the beginning/default responses. Here are
the essential entries and how to set up your connection.
Once these are set, they should remain there so all you need to do
is Click the circled Connect at the bottom each subsequent
time you open the program.
#1:
The open area on the left in the 'Connection' window above is for all your sites. For most
people, there's only one. The site selected
on the left will be reflected in the first line on the right.
#2:
The next line on the right is for the physical FTP address
of your site. Yours is easy to figure out. You simply
replace the "www" in your site Internet address ('www.yoursitename.com')
with 'ftp' ('ftp.yoursitename.com').
#3:
The most important items to 'sign in' or Connect with your
site are in the next two slots. The company that 'Hosts'
your site (Softcom?) will have two items on file which allow your
connection; Your Username and its Password.
Only YOU should know what these are as they block anyone *else*
from messing with your site. These two items are your
'housekeys' into your site.
#4:
The last open area on the right is just a 'comment' area you can
use for anything from a self-reminder note to someone's
phone number. Connecting will not be affected by whatever
you put there. If more than one person is connecting, you
can even leave each other notes (if on the same computer).
When the above areas are correct, Clicking Connect at the bottom
should successfully bring you to the split screen you first viewed
above :
Now you're Connected to your site. There's plenty to explore
on this screen, but here are the most Important things :
A:
The window on the left is Your computer (the tower or
laptop you are using). It is exactly the
same names and folders you would discover using 'My Computer' or
'Windows Explorer'. It is Your 'C:\' hard drive. We'll get to
manuevering around and using both 'A' and 'B' in a moment.
B:
The window on the right is Your Internet Site.
It is *enormously* critical what you do in that area.
Deleting the wrong folder or file WILL cause your site to
completely disappear from the Internet (until it is repaired).
Here - you will ONLY USE the 'www' Folder!
C:
The bottom two sections are simply message areas where the
program will tell you what it is doing. No editing is needed here.
Now; above the 'A' (home) and 'B' (site) windows are some important control
buttons. But FIRST, you should *Immediately* go to the Site
window (right-side or 'B'), Scroll down if necessary, and double-click the WWW
folder. Inside this folder is the ONLY AREA you should be making
careful changes to. Even if you decide to create a New Folder,
it should be created within the WWW folder. This is why it's a
good habit to go there Immediately so you won't forget.
Speaking of Creating a New Folder, the Clicks highlighted
above are for doing this. Obviously, the Button on the left
creates a new folder on your computer - while the one on the right
does so on your site. Before doing this, carefully inspect
the corresponding window and make sure you are in the proper
folder for your new one. Creating new folders isn't
something you'll be doing that often - but creating a "Transfer"
folder on your site (right-side), then double-clicking it to
open it will expose the empty storage area you've created.
This is a good time to note: Your Windows computer (left-side) pays
no attention to upper and lower case letters. This is NOT
TRUE of your site (right-side). On the Internet, you can
have a 'transfer' folder and a 'TRANSFER' folder - and they will
be two separate folders! This also applies to ALL file names
and folders on the Internet. Be aware of upper & lower case in your names.
Next, the Clicks highlighted above are used exactly like the 'Up' buttons
in 'Windows Explorer' for Moving UP within your Folders.
Double-Clicking a folder moves 'Down' into it.
Example: If your right-side window is in your 'transfer' folder, Clicking
the right 'Up' button will take you back to the 'WWW' folder.
The Delete Clicks highlighted above should be used VERY carefully
(as should the [Delete] key on your keyboard!). Before deleting
items, be CERTAIN whatever you wish to Delete is highlighted (selected)
in that window. Note; If your WWW folder happened to be
highlighted (selected) when you Clicked the Delete button? -
You will ELIMINATE YOUR ENTIRE SITE !
LAST; comes the most important buttons of all. These 'Arrow'
buttons COPY the selected items (any file, or even an entire
folder of files, if selected) from one location to the other.
Note that you must always pay close attention to what folder you
are in on the 'Receiving' side, as that is where your transfer
will wind up. Files or folders with the same name which
already exist in the destination folder will be overwritten
(replaced) with the new copy after verification.
Your site space is Limited by your 'Host'! If you upload
a 30 MEG file to your site, and your total available (free)
space is less than that - You will at least get a nasty letter from your
site host (if they don't literally shut the site down).
If you are transferring large photos to someone, they should be
immediately notified so they can delete them from the site space after
downloading them.
DO NOT Give your Username or Password to Anyone
you do not Trust !
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{- Core File Transfer Program (FTP)
FTP is the program you'll need for uploading or downloading
files to and from your website. If you don't own a
dot-com, you won't need it - but this is the best free one
I've ever worked with. It's also here because there
are times when it needs to be uninstalled then reinstalled.
Download
is less than 3 Meg.
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