The process by which files are transferred to the web server is called "FTP" (File Transfer 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.
For free trial and other versions of of WS_FTP please visit http://www.wsftp.com/
The following information is contained within your account activation notice and is needed to connect you to your website via FTP:
Your User Name........(case sensitive)
Your Password..........(case sensitive)
Your Host Address.... yourdomain.com or your IP address
("IP address" is the numerical address assigned to every account.
For the first few days, until your domain name is registered or transferred, this will be the only way you can connect).
Each time you run WS_FTP the Session Profile
window will be displayed. A profile contains the information needed to connect
to your website. Creating a profile now will eliminate the need for you
to configure the software each time you wish to connect to the web server
via FTP. To create a profile, click the "New" button and enter
a generic profile name at the top of the Session Profile window, such as
"My Website." Next, enter your Host Name/Address (yourdomain.com),
User ID (User Name), and Password for your website as illustrated in Figure
1A.
Next you need to click "OK" to continue.
This will connect you to the webserver, where you will connect directly
to the root ("home") directory of your account. WS_FTP will display
a split screen where files on the left-hand side are within your own computer.
You will see several folders on the right-hand side as illustrated in Figure 1B.
Double click on www to get to your web directory. This is where all your files will be downloaded, and/or you will create subdirectories. The one unique system directory that you may want to use is cgi-bin; this directory is reserved for custom Perl/CGI scripts. To make your home page load automatically, name the HTML document "index.html" in lowercase and upload it to the www directory of your account. If you access your site (www.yourdomain.com) and see a page that says, "This site is under construction and will be available soon" that means you have not uploaded your "index.html" file correctly.
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 window. 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). To create a new directory, click on the MkDir button when you are inside the www directory or subdirectory.
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 via your browser, try hitting the "Refresh" or "Reload" button. If that fails, you need to clear both disk and browser cache. This function can be found by selecting Options - Network Preferences in Netscape, and Tools - Internet Options in Internet Explorer. Remember that you must first be connected to the Internet through your local Internet service provider in order to connect to the web server.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- All passwords, usernames, and file names are case sensitive. Example: if you typed FILENAME.GIF in your HTML document but named your file filename.gif it would not work. They must match up in order for your page to show up properly.
- Any and all files you want to be accessed via a web browser must be placed in your www directory.