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HTML Tutorial
Web Design - Site Management
Downloading and Uploading a File From a Non-Anonymous FTP Site

Preparing a non-anonymous FTP session with WS_FTP is very similar to the above example for anonymous FTP. The two differences are that you must specify a unique User ID and password in your profile and you can now upload, as well as download, once you connect!

This time we'll create and save an FTP session profile in WS_FTP for your "home" directory on your internet service provider's computer. Remember from the above discussion that your home directory is the directory on your internet service provider's computer that was assigned to you when they setup your account. How do you find out what the WS_FTP settings are for your home directory? Just ask your internet service provider.

Let's fill in the new, non-anonymous FTP session profile:

  • Click on New.
  • Fill in the Profile Name.
  • Fill in the Host Name.
  • Find the Anonymous checkbox. It should be unchecked.
  • Find the Save Pwd checkbox. Check it so that you don't have to enter the password each time you login. If your computer is in an insecure environment, leave this unchecked.
  • Fill in your User ID.
  • Fill in your Password.
  • Click on the Startup tab. Find Initial Remote Host Directory. Leave this blank. You will automatically login to your home directory.
  • Fill in Initial Local Directory with the name of a directory on your local hard drive. Or leave it blank.

OK, let's login.

  • Click on OK to login to your home directory. The session profile will automatically be saved for you.

Click on a file on the left side of your screen with your cursor and then click on the right pointing arrow button to upload the file to your home directory on the remote computer. Try downloading by first clicking on a file on the right side of your screen and then clicking on the left pointing arrow button. Easy, isn't it?

When you are finished,

  • Click on Close to disconnect from the remote computer, then
  • Click on Exit to end the WS_FTP session.

Setting Access Permissions on a Remote File Using WS_FTP

If you are uploading files to a Unix web server, you may need to set the Unix access "permissions" on the uploaded files so that the files can be accessed by the internet public. You could do this by using a "telnet" program to connect to the command line of the web server in question. After connecting, you would then enter the Unix "chmod" command from the Unix command line on the file in question. An easier way, however, is to upload the file using WS_FTP and then use WS_FTP to set the access permissions. Make sure you download the current version of WS_FTP from the WS_FTP web site as some of the older versions of WS_FTP do not have the ability to set access permissions on remote files.

  • Connect to your home directory on your ISP's computer per the instructions above for accessing a non-anonymous FTP site.
  • Find a file (preferably a web page file) in the list of files on the "remote system" side of the WS_FTP window.
  • Click the file once to select it.
  • RIGHT click the file. Yes, that means click the right mouse button, not the left button.
  • A menu pops up. Click on the item called chmod (UNIX).
  • Another screen pops up. You can now choose the access permissions for this file. For a normal web page file you should check the read and write checkboxes for owner (you) and the read checkbox only for group and other. When you have finished, click on "OK".
  • The idea is to give everyone (owner, group, and other) read access to the file. Only the owner, however, should have write access to the file, as write access allows the file to be changed.
  • If you successfully set the new access permissions on the file, you should see "200 CHMOD command successful" down near the bottom of the WS_FTP window.
  • Repeat as needed on other files. When done, click on close and exit to end your WS_FTP session.
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