FTP stands for file transfer protocol, which you should be familiar with from the first lecture. It's just a common way to move files around on the Internet. Fetch is a program that tries to make this a bit easier for Macintosh users. You can download Fetch at http://fetchsoftworks.com/
The first thing you see when you run the Fetch program, is something like the screen below:
You'll also notice there are a number of menus available at the top of the screen. The first thing that we want to do is create a new "bookmark", this is a bunch of information about a Web server that you want Fetch to connect to.
Example
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You'll notice that there is a new shortcut or bookmark named "Name". Now that you some connection settings let's try them out.
Example
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Now that you've actually connected to the server things can look even more confusing. You should see a screen similar to this one:
Some of the important features:
To change folders, all you have to do is double click on a folder. This will take you "down" one level of the folder tree. If you want to go back "up" then click on the ".." folder.
Creating directories is pretty simple, all you do is select the "directories" menu and select "Create New Directory...", then type in the name.
If you do not see a directory called "sites" on the remote site, create one now. You only need to do this once.
ExampleTry double clicking on the "sites" folder. Note how the location on the remote host has expanded in include the "sites" directory. This is actually the location where you will keep your web site. It is set up so that the rest of the world can "see" it on the internet without having to give the server a username and password. Experiment with changing directories on your local machine and the remote site. Make sure you figure out how to go down as well as up on the folder tree. |
To move files up to the server, click on "put files". This will open up a screen that should look very familiar to you from other programs. Just select the file you want to move and then click "open"
ExampleTry moving some of the html files you wrote during the first couple of tutorials. Make sure you put them in the "sites" folder. After you finish uploading them to the server use "get file" to try downloading them to another location. |
Warning! -- Fetch assumes that you know what you're doing. When you decide to upload a file to the server that already exists in the current location it will erase what's there and replace it with the file you just uploaded. It will not warn you that the file already exists it just does it. (the same is true for downloading files to your machine from the server).
Deleting files is easy, just highlight the file you want to delete, then pull down the "Remote" menu at the top of your screen and choose "delete directory or file".
ExampleTry deleting one of the files you just uploaded to your "sites" directory. Remember that on the server there is no "trash" bin. Once you delete it it's gone. You should also take some time to experiment with the other options in this "remote" menu, chances are you'll need them at some point during the course. |
Any files you have in your site directory are on the Internet! Anyone can now see them if they have the right URL. To view your files, point your browser to:
http://hostname/username/filename
Try pointing to the default file in your directory
This file gives you some basic information about the server. Note that
http://hostname/username/index.html
and
http://hostname/username/index.html
point to the same file. You may change the contents of this file after you have read it.
http://hostname/username/
For example, if I have a file "mywebpage.html" in the site folder and my username is "mimi", I point to:
http://hostname/~mimi/mywebpage.html
For example, if I have a file "final.html" in the folder "homework" which is a sub-folder of "site" and my username is "mimi", I point to:
http://hostname/~mimi/homework/final.html
For an live link, follow the URL below:
http://ocw.usu.edu
You should practice the process of using WS_FTP and then testing the results in your browser.