About FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. This protocol provides a standard way to transfer files between computers, regardless of the operating system on each computer (Windows, MacOS, UNIX, etc.). It is the most common protocol used for exchanging files between computers on the Internet.

File Types - Text and Binary
It is important to note that there are two basic file types when transferring files across the Internet: text and binary.

Text files contain only unformatted text. These are also called text-only, plain text, and ASCII files. An example of a text type file would be a file created in Notepad or BBEdit. HTML files are also text files.

Everything else is a binary type file: graphics, word-processing documents, etc. It may seem counter-intuitive that word-processing documents are not text files, but in their native format (Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, etc.), they contain formatting instructions that will be mangled if transferred as ASCII text.

FTP Client Settings:

	FTP Server: ftp.yourdomain.com User Name: yourusername Password: yourpassword

FTP Client
To transfer files via FTP you'll need to install a FTP client program. The two most popular programs are WS FTP for Windows, and Fetch for Macintosh.

WS-FTP for Windows Help Click Here

Fetch for Macintosh help Click Here

WS-FTP

		Connecting to the server Navigating with WS-FTP Uploading with WS-FTP Downloading with WS-FTP Closing the Connection For Additional Information

Connecting to the server

When you start WS-FTP, a dialog box opens automatically to create a connection. Use the mouse or the tab key to move among fields.

In the Host Name/Address field enter your domain name.

In the User ID field, enter your user name.

In the Password field, enter your password. A series of asterisks will mask your password as you type it in. Note that when using WS-FTP to log in to your account, Anonymous Login and Save Password should not be checked.

Click OK. A connection with the ftp server is established and the session window opens.

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Navigating with WS-FTP

Once connected, the WS-FTP window contains information about the local and remote computers. Files and directories on your local computer appear in the left hand box. Files and directories on the server appear in the right hand box. To navigate among directories, double-click on a directory name. To move up a level in the directory structure, double-click on the two dots(..). The current directory appears at the top of the screen.

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Uploading with WS-FTP

Click once on a file name in the left hand box.
Note: Filenames are treated somewhat differently the server than on your PC. File names should only contain letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and the underscore (_). A period, or dot (.) is also permisable if followed by the file extension (.html). A file name may not contain any spaces or non-alphanumeric characters with the exception of the underscore.

Click on the circle next to ASCII if it is a text or html file, or Binary if it is a graphic or binary file such as a GIF or JPEG.

Choose a directory on the remote computer (right-hand panel) to which you want to upload the file.

Click on the right arrow button.

Downloading with WS-FTP

Click once on a file name in the right hand box.

Click on the circle next to ASCII if it is a text or html file, or next to Binary if it is a graphic or binary file.

Choose a directory on your computer (local system in the left-hand panel) to which you want to download the file.

Click on the left arrow button.

Closing the Connection

To close the connection, click the Close button.

To open another connection, click the Open button. (The Close button toggles to Open when you disconnect.)

To close WS-FTP, click the Exit button.

For Additional Information

These instructions provide the basics for getting started with WS-FTP. Complete help files are accessible from within the program, or you can visit their site on the Web.

For more information on WS-FTP, click on the Help button, or see the author John Junod's site at:
http://www.ipswitch.com/

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Fetch Help Topics:

		Connecting to the Server Navigating with Fetch Uploading with Fetch Downloading with Fetch Closing the Connection For Additional Information

Connecting to the Server

When you start Fetch a dialog box automatically opens to create a connection. Use the mouse or the tab key to move among fields.

In the Host field enter your domain name.

In the User ID field, enter your user name

In the Password field, enter your password. A series of dots will mask your password as you type it in.

Leave the Directory field blank. This will connect you to your default home directory.

Click OK. A connection with the ftp server is established and the session window opens.

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Navigating with Fetch

Once connected, The Fetch window displays file and directory information on the remote computer. To navigate among directories, double-click on a directory name. To move up in the directory structure, select a name from the drop-down box.

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Uploading with Fetch

Click on the Put File button.

A directory box opens. Select the file to upload from your local computer and click Open.
Note: Filenames are treated somewhat differently the server than on your Mac. File names should only contain letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and the underscore (_). A period, or dot (.) is also permisable if followed by the file extension (.html). A file name may not contain any spaces or non-alphanumeric characters with the exception of the underscore.

A second dialog box opens. From the Format drop-down list, select Text if it is a text or html file or Raw Data if it is a graphic or binary file such as a GIF or JPEG. Click the OK button.

Downloading with Fetch

Click once on a file name to select it.

The default file type setting is Automatic; this usually works fine. If necessary, click Text to specify a text file, or Binary to specify a binary file.

Click on the Get File button.

A directory box opens. Select a directory in which to store the file and click Save.

Closing the Connection

To close the connection, click the Close Connection button.

To open another connection, click the Open Connection button. (The Close Connection button toggles to Open when you disconnect.)

To close Fetch, select Quit from the File menu.

For Additional Information

These instructions provide the basics for getting started with Fetch. Complete help files are accessible from within the program, or you can visit their site on the Web.

For more information on Fetch, select Fetch Help from the Windows menu, or see the Fetch website at:
http://fetchsoftworks.com/