What is FTP and how do I get it?
How do I transfer files?
How do I configure WS_FTP?
Why can't I login or connect using FTP?
Why does my browser say the HTML page "has no content?
The HTML page is garbled when I browse it. What's wrong?
It appears that my links are not working. What could be wrong?

What is FTP and how do I get it?

The method by which files are transferred to the web server is called "FTP" (File Transfer Protocol). FTP is designed to provide you with access 24 hours a day. As such, you can create and maintain your web pages on your own computer and upload files to your Website at your leisure.

Do I need to install special software on my machine?

Yes, there are many FTP programs that can be downloaded from the internet. Most are small and quick to download and install. On The Spot Internet reccomend using WS_FTP Pro which can be downloaded from http://www.ipswitch.com

How do I transfer files?

When you connect to the web server, you will connect directly to the root ("home") directory of your account.
WS_FTP will display a split screen where files on the left-hand side are within your own computer.
You will see the deafult file index.htm in your web directory, signifying a succesful connection.
You can transfer files directly to the home directory of your account and/or create subdirectories.
To make your home page load automatically, name the HTML document "index.htm" or "index.html" in lowercase and upload it to the root directory of your account. This action will overwrite the existing document

To upload a file or files, simply highlight the file(s) on the left and click the right-arrow button ("-->") in the center of the screen. Be sure to upload HTML documents and scripts in ASCII mode and images in BINARY mode.

To transfer a file to a subdirectory, double-click the appropriate subdirectory to open it before transferring the desired file(s). As soon as a file is uploaded to the web server, it is available for anyone to access via the Web.. If, after uploading a file, you are still unable to see the updated file with your web browser, try holding down the SHIFT key when you click on the "reload" button. If all else fails, you may need to clear your browser's cache files. Please refer to your browser's help files for information on how to perform this task.

How do I configure WS_FTP?

Enter the Profile Name. This is just a name for this particular location.
Host Name/Address. Enter the Domain Name or the IP Address for your account.
Host Type. Standard (UNIX) is usually fine for all types of OSs, including NT.
User ID. Enter your login name.
Password. Enter your password.
Click OK to connect.
To upload your files to the server:
On the LOCAL SYSTEM, locate the directory on your computer that your web files are located. Once you have located them, highlight any or all of the files you wish to upload. Click the "--" arrow button to copy the file(s) to the server.
For HTML and TEXT documents, you should upload using the ASCII option.
For IMAGE files or any NON-TEXT documents, you should upload using the Binary option.
A dialog box will come up telling you the progress of your file upload. Once this is complete, you should see the file(s) on the REMOTE SYSTEM.

To download files from the server to your machine:

Locate the file on the REMOTE SYSTEM.
Highlight the file.
Click the file and drag it to the correct area.
Click CLOSE or EXIT when you are finished.

Acceptable File Names

To prevent errors, we suggest naming all files in lowercase. Spaces and special control characters are generally not a good idea. The underscore character ("_") is acceptable and recommended in place of spaces. You should never use special characters ( ! @ # $ % ^ & * : ' ) in file names. We suggest that you keep the length of file names to a minimum. The tilde character (~) cannot be used in directory or file names.

Why can't I login or connect using FTP?

FTP problems can have very simple causes. Often the cause is a mistyped password, or the caps lock key is inadvertently left on, but sometimes the reasons can be more complex. Try these steps when you encounter problems reaching your Website via FTP:

First check your username and password. Your username must be typed in lower case. The password must be typed exactly as shown. Often, in a non-serif font, I (capital eye), l (lowercase "L") , and 1 (the number one) Look very similar, or exactly the same, as is also the case with 0 (zero) and O (the letter "O").
Sometimes erroneous configurations on the ISP's end can prevent you from logging in. If this is the case, we can usually give you the information necessary for your provider to resolve the problem.

Why does my browser say the HTML page "has no content?"

Most likely, you are running a text editor (like Microsoft Word) during the construction process and sending the HTML pages via FTP while the file is still open in the text editor. If you leave the page open in the editor (especially Word), FTP (especially WS-FTP) doesn't have anything to read and thus send to the DellHost™ server -- other than a filename. The Browser, in turn, doesn't find anything. Close the documents in the editor first and save them. Then, FTP to our server and the Browser should find the pages without incidence.

The HTML page is garbled when I browse it. What's wrong?

It is important to remember to send HTML (text) in ASCII mode and all image-format files in Binary. In addition, if you are using Word or some other text-editor locally for writing HTML, be sure to save the file as text only, not as a .doc file, for example. Sounds simple, but it's easy to miss. One should notice that files in DOS can only be saved with a three-letter .htm extension. After FTPing, these files must be renamed to include the .html extension. These actions will correct the majority of FTP errors!

It appears that my links are not working. What could be wrong?

The most common reason for a link not working is that the file does not exist in the location specified. This can mean either of the following:

Wrong file type - check your file extensions and you rlimnks and remeber that "text.html", it is not the same as "text.htm".
The link points to a file on your hard drive, and unless the user has the same file by the same name, in the same place, on his own hard drive, he or she will not see what you intended.