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Computer Help
Creating a Web Site:
Part 5
So far in our series you have learned how to
register your domain name, acquired some server space to host your
website, and learned how to point your domain name to that server
space. You’ve written your code and have that perfect web site
created. The only problem is that right now, you’re the only one
that can see it. Now it’s time to take the final step and get that
web site from your computer to the web host that you started paying
a while back.
In order to get the files that make up your web site from your
computer to your space on the web host computer, you need to do
something called FTP. This stands for File Transfer Protocol and is
just a fancy term for copying files from your computer to another
computer that you connect to via a dial-up or broadband connection.
It is exactly the same as copying a file from your My Documents
folder to another folder on your local computer, using drag and
drop, except it will transfer a bit slower because the other folder
may be hundreds or thousands of miles away.
FTP Programs
In order to accomplish this drag and drop procedure between your
computer and a remote computer, you will need to download and
install an FTP client. All FTP programs work pretty much the same.
After you install the program, you will go through a Setup Wizard
where you will input a lot of information that was given to you by
your host when you signed up with them. After completing the Wizard
screens you will connect to the host. Your screen will resemble two
My Computer windows stacked either side-by-side on one on top of the
other. One pane will represent the files on YOUR computer and the
other pane will represent your web space on the HOST computer.
Simply navigate the directories on your computer to find your web
site files, select all of the files, then drag and drop them on the
host computer. You will see the normal “flying folders” as the files
are being copied. When the files are done being copied, you should
be able to open your web browser, type in your URL and see your web
site live on the Internet for the first time.
There are literally dozens, maybe even hundreds, of FTP programs
available. Here are a few that were returned from the first page of
a Google search on the term “ftp”:
Smart FTP
FTP Explorer
WS FTP Pro
Bulletproof FTP
Cute FTP
Since almost all of these programs offer a trial
period before you have to shell out money to purchase them for
continued use, you have the chance to try several and see which one
works the best for you.
One drawback of FTP is that the transfer is totally manual. It is up
to you to remember which files are tied to other files and make sure
that all of them get transferred to the web host in the same trip.
Otherwise, you may see a page with no graphics where there should be
graphics if you forgot to transfer the associated images with the
page.
Built-In Transfer
Back when you were looking for a web host, you might have noticed
that one feature many hosts’ tout is ‘Frontpage Server Extensions’
and wondered what they meant. As we learned last month, Frontpage is
a WYSIWYG HTML editor (and the choice of yours truly).
When Microsoft created Frontpage, they also created a set of
instructions call Extensions that reside on the web server. These
extensions allow the program on your computer to automatically sync
with the web host, thus eliminating the need to track which pages or
images you changed on your site every time you need to upload files.
Frontpage will keep track for you and only upload the changed files,
thus saving a lot of time. While this might not be important in the
beginning of your web site creation, if your site reaches hundreds
of pages, it could make a difference, especially if you are still on
a pay-by-the-minute dial-up connection.
Using the built-in transfer in Frontpage, called ‘Publishing your
site’ requires that your host have the Frontpage Server Extensions (FPSE)
installed on either their Windows, Linux, or Unix server. However,
Frontpage can still be used even if the host doesn’t support FPSE;
you simply use the FTP procedure from inside Frontpage, eliminating
the need for a 3rd party FTP program.
Since I have never tested any of the other WSIWYG editors, I can’t
say if they have a built-in transfer component or not. If you are
going to use one of those programs to create your site, check their
web support page or ask someone who uses that program if their
program has built-in transfer.
Summary
Over the last few months, we have covered all of the basics to
getting a web site online. I hope these articles have given you the
confidence to test the waters on your own. But remember, you are
never really on your own. From the first steps of registering your
site, to choosing a host, to using the WYSIWYG editor, to
transferring the files to the host, there is support at every stop
along the way, even if some of it is only the neighbor with
experience or your favorite email list. Someone will be willing to
answer your questions and resolve issues that inevitably pop up
along the way.
Read all of Jan's past Computer Help columns here
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