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You will see the following window:

Example 1.1

Initial Remote Host Directory:

This specifies the FTP directory on the remote host that contains the files you are interested in getting access to. Note that the slashes that separate the directories are "forward" slashes (/), as opposed to the "back" slashes (\) that DOS and Windows users are familiar with. This is because the FTP host computer in the example runs the Unix operating system. If you leave this dialog box blank, you will login to a default directory on the host system. When in doubt, leave this box blank.

Initial Local Directory:

This specifies the directory on your local computer where downloaded files will go to and uploaded files will come from. You can fill in this box with the name of a directory that actually exists on your hard drive. Or, if you leave this dialog box blank (as shown in the example), a default directory (normally the WS_FTP directory) will be used.

You can leave all of the other fields blank.

Got all that? Great!

• Click on OK to connect to this FTP site. Your "session profile" will automatically be saved.

Once you connect...

Note the split screen. WS_FTP conveniently splits your screen into two lists of files. On the left side of the window are your local files, the ones on your computer. On the right side you will find the files that reside on the FTP site.

Look at the bottom of the WS_FTP screen. See the radio buttons labeled ASCII and Binary? Next to the radio buttons is a checkbox labeled Auto. These buttons and the checkbox control the method that WS_FTP will use to transfer a file (ASCII v. Binary). This is an important concept that is worth a little time to learn.

The FTP protocol can transfer a file either as an ASCII (i.e., plain text) file or as a binary file. An ASCII file contains nothing but alpha-numeric text characters, carriage returns, and line feeds. Any file you can read with a plain text editor, such as the Windows Notepad, is an ASCII file. Web page files (.HTM or .HTML files), for example, are ASCII files because they can be read by any text editor. Graphic image files (for example, .GIF and .JPG files), on the other hand, are binary files - you can't read these files in a text editor.

Why is this important? ASCII files can be transferred using either the ASCII method or the binary method. Binary files, on the other hand, must be transferred using the binary method, or they can become corrupted when you transfer them. If you don't know whether a particular file is ASCII or binary, transferring it as a binary file is the safest way to go.

Before you transfer a file using WS_FTP, you must select the proper transfer type for the file in question. You choose the transfer type by clicking on the ASCII or Binary radio button at the bottom of the WS_FTP window and by unchecking the Auto button. What does the Auto checkbox do? If you check the Auto checkbox, WS_FTP will recognize only files that end in .TXT as ASCII files. If you select the Auto checkbox, all .TXT files will be transferred as ASCII files. All other files will be transferred as binary files. Checking Auto overrides the ASCII and Binary radio buttons.

You can configure WS_FTP so that it automatically recognizes additional filename extensions (such as .HTM or .HTML) as ASCII files. Click on the Options button. Click on Extensions. Type in the extension of a ASCII file you intend to upload and download (for example, .HTM or .HTML). Click on Add. When you are finished, click on OK.

OK, with that aside out of the way, let's go ahead and transfer a file.

• Find the vertical scroll bar under the Remote System side of the screen.
• Scroll down until you can see this file:
  

ytdqb.rtf

To download this file to your hard drive:

• Click on the ASCII radio button. A rich text file is an ASCII type of file. Uncheck the Auto checkbox so that WS_FTP won't automatically transfer the file as binary file.
• Click once on ytdqb.rtf with your cursor.
  
• Click on the left pointing arrow in the middle of your screen (see example 2, below).

Example 2

Note how the "gas gauge" window indicates that the file is downloading to your hard drive. When the download is complete, both sides of your screen refresh and you can now see that the "ytdqb.rtf" file has downloaded to your hard drive. Neat, huh?

When you are done downloading,

• Click on Close to disconnect from this FTP site.
• Click on Exit to exit out of WS_FTP.