So you signed up for some free webspace. You got a free web page editing
program and made some nice pages. You're pretty happy with the result.
Now you're asking yourself "How do I upload my web pages to the
web server?"
Some free hosting companies have a web page that lets you upload files
a few at a time. That can be easy to use but inconvenient if you have
lots of graphics on your pages. Most web hosts are set up for their
customers to use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to upload files.
Using FTP isn't a lot more complicated than using Windows Explorer
but you do need to know some information first. And there are a few
things hosting companies forget to tell you.....
There is an ftp utility built into Internet Explorer but it can be
difficult to use. Download a copy of WS_FTP LE, a dedicated ftp program
if you don't have one already. See here for
a link to the download page. It's not only like the program it's got
a great price - it's free for non-business home use. They also have
a very good getting
started guide.
FTP tips:
You'll need to know the correct filename to use for your home page.
The hosting company decides and it can in theory be anything but the
usual ones are:
index.htm or
index.html or
default.htm or
default.html
You'll also need the following information, again from your hosting
company:
The host name/address (this is the ftp server address). This might
be something like ftp.hostingco.com or it could be a numerical address
like 198.164.0.1
Your user ID. This is usually your user name but might include the
hosting company domain name. (eg username.hostingco.com)
Your password. You should know this as you probably chose it when
your signed up with them.
By the way never use spaces in the names of any files you plan to upload,
use_underscores_instead. Many webservers use the Linux operating system
which doesn't allow spaces in filenames. This can be a real killer if
you don't know because you don't get a sensible error message - some
pages just won't work!
Once you're connected to the web server you usually have direct access
to the correct directory for your web page files. Some hosting companies
need you to put your files into a special sub-directory, often called
htdocs.