Smart FTP
A quick and easy way of putting your files on the internet is using an
FTP Program. FTP stands for file transfer protocol. Tired of
uploading file one by one? Well, with FTP you can upload entire folder few with
a few click of a button! Most paid hosting companies give you FTP access, but
some, such as 1asphost do not.
What you need to make an FTP connection:
- FTP username
- FTP password
- FTP address
Now, you host should provide you with these 3 things if you have FTP access. Some internet hosts such as Internet Explorer have an FTP program built-in to them. However, the passwords are not encrypted and are sent out as text which can be easy for hackers to catch it out, and the tools are very basic and limited. There are many downloadable FTP programs out there, yet which one to choose?
This is where I recommended SmartFTP! I use it to update my site. Download it here: http://www.smartftp.com/download/ (disclaimer: Pichu's World and all of it's staff cannot be held responsible for damage/loss of data done to your computer by downloading any external files no associated with PW. Nevertheless, Pinkie has tested and downloaded the program from the link given above -- she rates it "fantastic and safe"!)
Minimum Requirements:
Features:
(don't worry if you don't understand all of this)
- Secure Connections (TLS / SSL)
- 168 bit.
- HIPAA compliant. - Windows XP like graphic user interface
- Multilingual (more than 20 languages)
- IPv6
- On-the-fly Compression (MODE Z)
- UTF-8 Support
- Drag & Drop
- Multiple Connections
- Auto reconnect and resume of broken transfers
- Verified Transfers (XCRC)
- FXP support
- Remote Edit
- Enhanced NAT/UPnP Support
UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), ICS, ICF - Transfer Queue
- Scheduling
- Uploads/Downloads/FXP
- Unlimited simultaneous threads - International Domain Names (IDN)
- Proxy / Firewall support
SOCKS5, SOCKS4, SOCKS4A, HTTP Proxy
Wingate, Winproxy, CSM, Checkpoint FW-1, Raptor
- Backup Tool
- URL Watcher
- Cache Remote Directories
- FTP command line
- Custom Commands
- CHMOD (Properties)
- and much more ...
source: http://www.smartftp.com/features.php (official Smart FTP website)
Installation
Installation should be simple, but if you need any help just go to: http://www.smartftp.com/support/howto/ for a good installation tutorial.Uploading
Firstly open up SmartFTP and then...... (click for larger image)
firstly type in your FTP URL, username, then your password. For the port
enter the default (unless you host has specified otherwise), 21. Make sure the
'anonymous' is unchecked. Now we are going to connect to the FTP
server. Either go to the tool bar and click FTP > connect, or click the little
'connect' icon that looks like this:
.
Once you are done with everything you want click FTP > disconnect, or the little
icon that looks like:
You should now be connected. If you ever get 'connection failed', make sure all the fields (boxes) you filled in where correct, and that host is not having downtime. If you persistently get error messages, contact your host for support. If you have Norton Personal Firewall, or ZoneAlarm you will need to configure a few things. Just go to http://www.smartftp.com/support/howto/ for instructions (right at the bottom)
If everything goes ok you should see something like this (somethings have been blurred out for security reasons):
The first box on the left shows the folders (if any) on your host. The right bar shows what is inside the selected folder. In this case the "Root" folder (the main folder). The horizonal box that stretches from side to side is where all of the messages, etc. are displayed. At the very bottom you have queues, connections, etc., but you don't have to worry about that. To get to another folder, just double-click on the one you want to open and...whalal! It opens up like magic.
No to upload (put something on the internet)... do to your computer, my documents, my pictures, whatever. Right hand click on the object (this can even even be a folder) that you want to upload and click "copy". Now, decide where on the internet you would like to upload it. In SmartFTP, open up the folder (if any) that you would like to put it in. Now right-hand click in the top, right-hand window and click paste. Like so:
It should upload instantly.
Dowloading
Now if you want to download something using SmartFTP, just simply find the file you want to download, right-click on it and go to download > download as... Simple eh?
ASCII / binary transfer
Some files many need to be transferred in binary or ASCII mode. To do this, right hand click on the file, and go to connection > transfer type > ASCII / Binary. There well go.
CHMODing / file permission.
CHMODing (pronounced "shmoding") is need for many different things such as forums, and oekaki. It is changing the file permission. To do this, select the file with your would like to CHMOD, right-hand click on it and go to Properties / CHMOD F7.
and then a little box will appear. Go down to where it says "Permission: [box]", here you can enter the 3 digit CHMOD number. Default is 755, as seen below:
If you want to CHMOD more than one file at a time in the same directory (folder), just click on the first file, then hit the shift and up/down arrow key. Onec more than one are highlighted, right-hand click on them, and again select the CHMOD properties.
There we go. That should be all you need to know for running a basic website.
Useful Links
Since I'm not an expert with SmartFTP, if you encounter any problems I will most likely not be able to help you. This above is all I know of how to use SmartFTP. The following links may provide useful for fast support with proper experts.
http://www.smartftp.com/support/
flash tutorials, knowledge database and support forum.
http://www.smartftp.com/download/
where to download it from (again).
http://www.smartftp.com/screenshots.php more screenshots
