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FTP'ing
 


FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. Basically, an FTP programme allows you to transfer files from your computer to another (uploading), or files from another computer back down to yours (downloading). To put your webpage on the Internet, you'll have to upload or transfer the files from your computer into your home directory on the Highway server.

1) First go to http://www.hwy.com.au/downloads/Utility-Software/wsftple.exe to download the WS_FTP LE programme.

2) A File Download box will appear asking you to download the wsftple.exe file. Select "Save this program to disk" and click OK. Save this in your Downloads folder on your (C:) hard drive. For more info on how to download and install a programme, please refer to our Downloading guide. Just click here.

3) Once WS_FTP LE is downloaded, you'll need to install and configure it to log onto the Highway server. To install the files you just downloaded, go back to your Desktop, click on My Computer and then select your hard drive (C:). In the Downloads folder, you should see an icon called wsftple.exe - double click on it to start the installation process.

4) In the Installation box that appears, select "Install WS_FTP LE" and click Continue.

5) Fill in the License terms which lets the creators of WS_FTP LE know that you are not using the programme for profession use. Select "Other" then click Next.

6) Select "At Home" and "For Personal Use" and click Next.

7) Leave the destination folder as is and click OK.

8) Leave the Program Manager Group as is and click OK.

9) Click OK to finish the installation.

10) To create a shortcut to WS_FTP LE on your Desktop, click on Start > Programs > Ws_ftp.
RIGHT mouse click on the blue FTP icon and holding the right button down, drag this icon onto your Desktop. Now select "Create Shortcut here" and you should now have a WS_FTP LE shortcut icon on your Desktop.

10) Now it's time to log onto the Highway server to upload those files. Double click on the WS_FTP LE icon to open the programme. A Session Properties box should appear. Untick the Anonymous box and fill in as below entering your username in the Profile Name and User ID fields. Then click OK.

11) After you've given the machine sufficient time to connect, you should get a screen that looks like the one below. The list in the left panel shows the directories and files that are on your computer, and the list in the right panel shows the directories and files that are in your home directory on the Highway server.

12) In the left screen (LHS), click on the green up arrow and find the folder in which your webpage files are stored. In the case below, the files are saved on my C: hard drive, on my Desktop, in a folder called My Website. The right screen (RHS), is where you'll need to upload all your files. Make sure that you have named your main page as index.html as your website will not load properly if you don't.

13) Click on the files on the LHS that you want to upload and then on the -> arrow button in the centre panel. This will copy the files from the LHS onto the RHS. Congratulations, you have just uploaded your website onto the Highway server!

14) Now open your Browser and type in your website address (URL) as http://www.hwy.com.au/~yourusername and hit Enter. Your website is now on the Internet for everyone to see!

Helpful Hints:

  • Double clicking on a selected file will upload or download it without using the "arrow" buttons in the center panel.
  • By holding down the Control key and left mouse clicking, you can select multiple random files to upload or download. It will even allow you to select files from other directories.
  • By holding down the Shift key and left mouse clicking, you can highlight multiple files in a column in the same directory. Left click to highlight the first file, hold Shift and then left click on the last file in the column and all the files in between will be highlighted and ready to upload or download.
  • If your FTP connection has timed out (you should hear an "uh-ohh" sound when you attempt to upload or download, and you'll also get an Error message) just hit the "Connect" button and re-establish your connection.
  • When you upload or download a file, remember, it will overwrite any file with that same name in that same directory (sometimes without warning). So if you do not want to overwrite a file, rename your file to something else before uploading or downloading it.
    For example: If I want to upload a test version of my index.html page to view on the internet, I'd rename the file "indextest.html" and then upload it. This way my original index.html will not be overwritten before I want it to be. If I'm happy with the indextest.html page, I'll then select the option to rename it index.html which then overwrites the original file.

Please note that Highway simply recommends WS_FTP LE as its preferred choice of Freeware FTP programmes. Should you have any problems or require any assistance in using the programme, please refer to the Help index in the programme itself.

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