Fig 1.0 Open the Documents folder as normal
| CONNECT TO WEBSITE FOLDER VIA FTP |
In this section I will show you how easy it is for you to connect to your website folder (public_html) without the aid of software so that you can then
paste folders/files into it, and copy folders/files from it, for example. This technique involves using a standard folder and more precisely its Address
Bar edit box (Path Name edit box).
If you are going to connect to your website folder after viewing this section you will need your FTP (File Transfer Protocol) details handy, which your
web hosting provider should have emailed you shortly after ordering your web space and domain name.
Begin by opening the Documents folder as normal - Any folder will do though. In this example I am using the START Menu to open the Documents folder.
Once the Documents folder is open click on the right-hand-side of its Address Bar edit box (Fig 1.1 below) to make the path name selected and editable (Fig 1.2). From there, type your website's FTP Address into the Address Bar edit box (Fig 1.3). In my case my website's FTP Address is ftp://ftp.websitecreationhelp.com/. The FTP Address format can also be ftp://www.???.org/ for example. It depends on what your web hosting provider gave you to use.
When you have typed your website's FTP Address click on the blue arrow (GO) button to bring up the FTP Folder Error message requester. Ignore the title because it is not an error. Just click on its OK button to continue.
After clicking on the OK button the FTP Folder Error message requester will close and nothing appears to have happened, but it did! Click on the Document folder's FILE menu and you will now see a LOGIN AS menu-item that was not there before (Fig 1.5 below). Click on the LOGIN AS menu-item to bring up the LOG ON AS message requester.
The LOG ON AS message requester is asking for your FTP UserName and FTP Password. Type them into their
relevant edit boxes before clicking on the LOGON button (Fig 1.6 above). Do not bother ticking the
LOG ON ANONYMOUSLY or SAVE PASSWORD check (tick) boxes because they are not required in this example.
After clicking on the LOGON button the display area of the Document folder changes to show the content (folders/files) inside your web space. From there
(Fig 1.7 below) you can double click on the public_html sub-folder, which is your website folder, in order to see its content (your web pages, text files,
picture files, video files, scripts and so on).
Remember. Web Space is a root folder at the end of the day that is named after your Domain Name (i.e. websitecreationhelp), which is stored on your web
hosting provider's server (computer). Therefore. The public_html sub-folder inside your main/root (web space) folder is classed as your website folder,
because that is where you store (upload) all of your web pages, image files, video files and so on. In my case my main/root (web space) folder is called
websitecreationhelp and it has sub-folders called public_html, cpanel, tmp, mail and so on inside it. Many of those folders are system folders and should
not be opened or deleteed.
When you are inside your public_html (website) sub-folder, also classed as a main folder in its own right, you can copy content from it (i.e. copy
web pages from it and paste them onto your computer) or paste content into it (i.e. copy web pages from your computer and paste them into the
public_html sub-folder).
Be careful what you do inside the public_html folder (sub-folder) as not all the folders and files will be yours. Your web hosting provider will
have put some folders and files of their own in there (i.e. cgi-bin, ftp_users, etc) and so might some third-party software (i.e. wordpress (blog), lists
(mailing lists), images, etc). NEVER EVER delete folders and files that are not yours, even if you need to create more web space.
All HTM, CSS, PHP and MySQL files in the websitecreationhelp.com folder and its sub-folders are (c) John White, 2009. All Rights Reserved. Email: John