Tutorials
File Uploading with FTP
File Transfer Protocol governs how Files or Programs will be sent over the Internet. When uploading your newly created website (or subsequent updates), this needs to be done by FTP using a dedicated FTP program.
What is FTP?
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and is a protocol that governs how files and programs are transmitted over the Internet, and how the downloading will be done, as far as error correction, and compression is involved. It also deals with how the actual data will be sent (how many segments at a time etc).
The FTP protocol ties in with web design, as many web servers (where your web-site is hosted), requires you to upload your files and pictures using FTP. There is a large variety of different FTP software that will allow you to transfer the website you have designed, to the web server that is hosting your website. We recommend the following two FTP software, as they are free for personal use, and easy to understand.
WS_FTP
The WS_FTP LE (Light Edition) software is simple to use, and available free of charge to students, and for personal use at home or non-commercial purposes. Before you can use this software, you will need to download it from the Internet. Search for it at www.downloads.com.
- Once you have installed WS_FTP, just go into the Windows start menu to open the program, and you will be presented with the following window:
- Once you have logged in this window will show
- The left-hand window pane contains a copy of files contained on your harddrive. The window pane on the right-hand side, are files contained on the remote web hosting server. Transfering files is done by clicking on the <- button (in the middle of the two window panes) to transfer files from the remote server back to your computer, and -> to transfer files from your computer to your website. Once you have finish, just click on the Close button to end your FTP session.
Cute FTP
CuteFTP is a shareware program that comes together with CuteHTML, a simple to use software for creating a website.
Before you can use this software, you will need to download it from the Internet. Search for it at www.downloads.com.
Once you have installed and opened CuteFTP you will need to configure it so that it links to our hosting server. If the 'Site Manager' window hasn't automatically appeared please click on the 'Site Manager' button.
The Site Manager is where you change the settings of which site you want to FTP to. To add a new site to FTP to click 'Add Site'.
Once you have clicked 'Add Site' it will bring up a new window which is where you change the settings for linking to our FTP server.
To connect to our FTP site please fill in the following boxes
- Site label: can be what ever you want to call this connection.
- Host address: will be your Domain name: Do not use ftp or www at the beginning. If you are using our FreeHost plan, you will enter your site name, followed by Orcons domain name. eg sitename.orcon.net.nz
- Initial Remote Directory: will be as above: Only add /htdocs to the end. eg sitename.orcon.net.nz/htdocs, or domain.co.nz/htdocs
- If you are behind a firewall of some kind, you will need to switch to Passive Mode to enable sucessful File Transfers.
- User ID: This is supplied to you by Orcon, and the Password associated to that user, to login to your Orcon provided WebHost space. If you are using our FreeHost site, this will be your email Login and Password, or the one you set up when you first joined Orcon.
- Initial Local Directory: can be anything, but to get it exactly where your files are stored on your computer, use the browse button to find the folder those files are stored in. You can do this once connected, but if you set it here, it will always connect with these default settings.
- Click on OK then Connect to connect immediately, or just click OK to save your settings.
- To disconnect click on the disconnect button. If the disconnect button is not enabled then there was a problem with your connecting. Please recheck your settings to see what the error may be.
Once you have connected to our FTP site you can transfer file from your computer to your hosting address by clicking and dragging files. Remember all files need to be in the htdocs folder and your homepage file needs to be called Default.