The Send to Server (FTP) function is a simple program that enables you to send your published site to most FTP (File Transport Protocol) servers. This function will send the entire application -- all published Web pages, all images, and all files in the "Other" or miscellaneous folder -- to the server.
To use this function, click on "File" on the main menu and then on "Send to Server (FTP)". (If you have not published your site, you should do so before using the "Send to Server" function):
You'll see the following screen:
There are three tabs at the top of the form: "General", "Advanced", and "Select Files". The "General" tab is used to enter the information about the FTP server and the user's credentials for sending files to the server. The "Advanced" tab contains special settings that may be required by some Web servers. The "Select Files" tab enables the user to select a subset of the published files, so that he/she does not have to send all files to the server if only a few have been modified.
General
There are three fields into which you must enter the following information:
Host Name/IP Address: Enter the domain name or IP address of the FTP host to which your files are to be sent. (In most cases, your Web hosting company will provide you with this information).
FTP User Name: This will be the account name that identifies you as a user authorized to send files via FTP to the server.
Password: The password established by your Web hosting company.
Only Include Files More Recent Than... Checking this box will limit the files sent to the server to those that are more recent than the date specified in the fields to the right. (By default, this date will be one day in the past, but you can change it to any date you need to use to select the files that have been modified since you last sent your site to the server.). If you check this box, you can view the files selected by clicking the "Select Files" tab.
For many purposes, just entering information into the top three fields will be sufficient for sending published files to the Web server. If, however, you experience errors transmitting your files, you may need to check with your server's tech support staff to see if there are special conditions that need to be specified in the FTP dialog (as, for example, a special folder on the Web server where HTML files should be stored). In such cases, you will need to use the "Advanced" tab to specify these conditions.
If you have a large site (more than a handful of pages and images), you may want to use the "Select Files" tab to limit the number of files sent to the server. By default, WebBuild Express will send all files in your application to the server -- HTML pages, JavaScript files, images, and miscellaneous files (in the "other" subfolder). For web sites that are of moderate to large size, it can involve a considerable of time to transmit all files, and there is the risk that the connection will terminate before the transmission is complete. Webmasters of such sites can save considerable time and aggravation by limiting the selection of files to send to the server to include only those that have been modified since the last transmission to the server.
Advanced
Clicking the "Advanced" tab will produce the following form:
There are two areas on this form where you may need to enter special information if your Web server requires it. (If any doubt, please consult with the Technical Support staff of your Web hosting company):
Folder: Some Web Hosting companies configure their users' accounts so that there is a subfolder under the main FTP folder where Web files should be located. If you send your published files to the main FTP folder, they will not be visible on the Web. These folders typically have names like "HTML", "htmldocs", "Public", "Web", "WWW", etc. If your Web host requires that Web files be placed in a subfolder, enter the name of the subfolder in the "Folder on FTP site for files" field on the form. Be very careful to capitalize the name of the folder exactly as specified by your Web host.
Connection Type: A few Web hosts may require a particular "Connection Type" for sending files via FTP. Most hosts' will accept FTP transmissions in "Passive" mode, which is the WebBuild Express default. If, however, your host requires an "Active" connection, click the "Active" button on the "Advanced" tab.
Select Files
When you click on the "Select Files" tab, you will see a form similar to this one:
The center part of this form contains a list of all the published files in your WebBuild Express application, including files in the "images" and "other" subfolders. By checking the box to the left of a file, you can indicate that the file is to be sent to the server. Unchecking a box will instruct the program to skip the file when it sends files to the server.
If you have used the "Only Include Files More Recent Than..." option on the "General" tab, the files that are older than the specified date will not be checked.
Clicking the "Select All" button under the file list will cause all files to be selected. Clicking the "Unselect All" button will cause all check boxes to be cleared (i.e. no files will be selected).
Sending Files to the Server
Once you have entered information on the "General" tab (and possibly the "Advanced" and "Select Files" tabs), click on the leftmost button at the bottom of the screen, "Upload Your WebBuild Express Files".
You may see a warning message like the following:
If you have not published your site to reflect all recent changes, you should "Cancel" the FTP process, republish your site, and then run the "Send to Server (FTP)" function again.
You'll see the following screen as WebBuild Express sends your site's files to the server:
Near the bottom of the screen you'll see a report of each file as it is sent to the server (in the above example, "Webcast.htm" is being sent). Near the top of the screen there will be a bar that shows the approximate amount of work done and left to do. When the entire site has been sent to the FTP server, you'll see a mesage like the following:
Your published files should now be available on the World Wide Web. It's a good practice to enter your site's address into a browser and view it to ensure that all changess you've made have been successfuly published. (If you don't see the changes, click your browser's "Refresh" or "Reload" button). |
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