FTP - Need help please

[chris_haze]

Thanks to all the help and information I've got from this site I've completed building my website and am now ready to launch it - Scary moment!!!

I have used Serif WebPlus 8 for building the site and this has a facility 'Publishing to the World Wide Web'. Following the help text in Serif and info from here, I have registered my domain name and set up a hosting package with 123-reg.co.uk.

123-reg.co.uk have sent me login details to use for my launch and they say I need an FTP Client - but I don't really know what this is and how it works. My questions are these:-

1 - Can anybody help with a simple 'idiot style' explanation of the steps I need to take now please.

2 - If anybody has any experience of Serif 8 could they help with an explanation of what I need to put in each of the boxes on the Upload screen.

Thanks in anticipation.
Hazel

[Hanorah]

Hi I don't know about Serif WebPlus 8 but assume publishing is integrated with the package. You would have a choice however to use the publishing tool with the package that hopefully another member has used and can give some info or publish via an FTP client. I use File Zilla which is the best free package I have come across and you literally set up your connection with the details from your provider and then drag and drop your files across. You can get it from the below address enter the http:// in front first.

webattack.com/get/filezilla.shtml

[charles]

Concur with filezilla as an FTP client- I was/am using ws-ftp pro but am getting tired of the occasional crashes.

Filezilla has an advantage it that it keeps your connection 'alive' - as opposed to ws-ftp which times-out whatever setting I use

And it's free!

Cheers,
Charles

[Alan Knighting]

Hazel,

If Serif WebPlus 8 includes ftp client but you don't like it or, if it does not include ftp client, another alternative is to go to www.shareware.com and use "FTP" as a search criteria. You will be offered a number of free downloads.

Whatever ftp client software you use you will need some basic information from your host. Typically, host name, host type, user ID, password, directory path.

It all appears to be quite daunting at first but, with a little bit of use, you will find it is actually fairly easy to upload your files and update your site.

Before you start may I give you a few simple tips?

1. Make sure you send every file your site needs. This includes every HTML file, GIF and/or JPEG used in your site.

2. Do not send any files your site does not need.

3. Make sure all your files are properly named.

• a. All files must have an extension - .html or .htm for web pages, .gif for GIF graphics and .jpg for JPEG graphics.
  b. By convention always use lower case letters.
  c. Only use letters and numbers although tilde, underscore, hyphen and period/dot are OK.
  d. Never use a space in a file name.

That way you will minimize the risk of having to fix things that not working.

Oh yes! Test it all on your PC before you upload.

Good luck.

Alan

[chris_haze]

Thanks for the replies, I tried out all the suggestions and finally downloaded CoreFTP which I used with the Web Launcher on Serif WebPlus 8 itself.

So I now have a live Website, its simple but its a start, and using all the tips I've learned here, plus Alans latest check list I seem to have avoided pitfalls such as slow loading times for pics etc.

If anybody would like to view my first effort on www.acountrycottageinfrance.eu.com I'd be pleased to receive any constructive criticism, the first thing I am not happy with is the picture on the location page which is very grainy so I will change that a.s.a.p.

I look forward to hearing your ideas and opinions. Thanks Paulo and everyone else who has helped along the way.

Hazel

[Fraise]

Wow- well done on a simple,concise website that seems to reflect the type of accommodation that you are offering.What I'm trying to say is "well done!",a lovely property and site to match!

www.thepetitmanoir.com

[vrooje]

Congratulations on getting it sorted out!

Now, if you'd like constructive criticism, the next thing to do is post a thread in the "website reviews" section, and have a look through some of the other sites in the section.

Cheers!

[chris_haze]

Thanks Fraise and Brooke for the comments and suggestions. Apologies that its taken a while to reply but it was nice to have a positive response from Fraise, and I'll take up your suggestion Brooke and post a note seperately to ask people to give me their comments back about the web site.

I hadn't realised that other people had posted notes about their web sites asking for reviews also, so I am going to have a look at these as well and give them some feed back.

Thanks again guys
Hazel

[theplim]

just had a look at your site its good, it is clean and quick to navigate.
I too use serif for quick site development (http://wrycottage.hn.org) although i have pageplus pdf. it also give you the flexabliilty to add your own html etc. have you added your site to the serif user forum? its also a good place to get some feed back from other serif users as well.
i notice that you have put your email address directly into the code, and i dont know if you have yet started to get spam email, but i would recommend that 'munge' you email address on the site. that way the spammail robots wont pick it up so easy.
i use http ://perso.crans.org/~raffo/aem/index.php [remove space after 'http' - Admin.] to generate the code then just replace your address in the mailto line whenever it appears in your pages, with the code generated.

well done again
the plim