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DIY web site: Uploading content via FTP

September 25th, 2006

Earlier, I showed you how to sign up for a web host. Now I want to show you how to upload content, via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to your web site.

You need the following information first: (Usually this information will be in the email your web host sends you when you sign up)

1. ftp host name (usually ftp.something.com/), sometimes it might be just something.com)
   In my earlier example, ProHosting gave me the following FTP address: ftp://nsharp.odin.prohosting.com/. (you can drop the ftp:// bit)
2. Your username - (in my case, nsharp)
3. Your password.

STEP 1: Testing your FTP login.

Before uploading files, you might want to test if FTP is working. If you got a new domain, it might take a while for FTP to work on that domain. If it does not work, wait about 24 hours and try again. Anyway, lets try out that login.

1. In windows XP, click START, then RUN, and type the following:
   ftp domain.com
   (replace domain with your domain name, and change the extension as necessary) and click OK.
   (In my case, I will type “ftp nsharp.odin.prohosting.com”)
2. A new black colored DOS window will open up, showing a message
   similar to the following:
   Connected to rproxy.free.prohosting.com.
   220 server ready - login please
   User (rproxy.free.prohosting.com:(none)): _
3. The cursor will be blinking right after none. Type your username there and press enter.
4. Next, you will be asked for your password. Type that also and press enter - as you type your password, you might not see anything on the screen (as the password is hidden). After you type your password, just press enter.
5. If you are logged in successfully, you will see a message similar to the following:
     Connected to rproxy.free.prohosting.com.
   220 server ready - login please
   User (rproxy.free.prohosting.com:(none)): nsharp
   331 password required
   Password:
   230 login accepted
   ftp>_

Well done! your ftp login works fine. If you like, you can type dir and press enter, this will list any files present. Usually, depending on the host, you may see some files such as index.htm. To EXIT ftp and close the window, type bye and press enter.

If your ftp login does not work, check with your web hosting company. Note that if it is a new domain, it may take up to 48 hours for ftp logins to work.

Assuming your FTP login worked, you can now continue to step 2…

STEP 2: DOWNLOAD AN FTP CLIENT.

Windows includes basic FTP support, however it is useful to have your own ftp client (software), to help you upload and manage content on your new site. I will now show you how to use a free software called filezilla (Why filezilla? Because it’s free and open source)

1. Go to http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla/
2. Click download.
3. Select windows 32bit version.
4. Select a mirror, and click download.

TIP: Download Filezilla installer to your desktop…

STEP 3: Installing the FTP Client (FileZilla)

1. Double click the file you downloaded to open it.
2. Select language (English)
3. Click I Agree for the licence.
4. Select the type of install (Standard is OK).
5. Select the destination folder (You can use the suggested default)
6. Choose start menu folder (or accept default)
7. Set mode and settings option (default is OK)
8. An installation window will show, wait for it to finish and press close.

STEP 4: Using FTP Client (FileZilla)

1. Find the link to FileZilla in your start menu, and click it to load FileZilla. You will get a screen which shows a view of your computer on the left, and remote site on the right. Remote site will be blank, as you have not connected to any site yet.
2. In the address bar, enter your ftp address (nsharp.odin.prohosting.com, in my example)
3. Enter your username/login in the User box.
4. Enter your password in the password box.
5. Click connect.

Now, the remote site window on your right will show a list of files on your web server.

Congrats! You are now ready to upload to your web server!

STEP 5: Uploading content to your webserver

First, you must make a file to upload. For this, we can use Notepad.

1. Open Notepad (Under Programs/accessories)
2. Visit this page: (and copy the html code for the file Hi.html)
3. Save that code in a file to your desktop, as test.htm
4. In FileZilla, browse to find the file you made (on the left Local Site window)
5. Select the file with your mouse, and drag it to the right side (Remote site) window. At the bottom of FileZilla, you will see a message as the file is transferred.
6. If all worked out, you can now access the file you uploaded, on your web site: In my case, I called the file test.htm, and I uploaded it to my sample website http://nsharp.odin.prohosting.com/, so my file should be: http://nsharp.odin.prohosting.com/test.htm.

That’s all for now! In my next article, I will tackle the tricky subject of installing  WordPress!

Entry Filed under: Guides, IT