Connecting to a Remote FTP Server
There are two methods for connecting to an FTP server:
Method 1: set up a temporary connection using Quick Connect.
Choose the 'Quick Connect...' item from the File menu.
Enter the server address (e.g. ftp.microsoft.com or 198.105.232.1) in the 'Hostname' field.
If the 'Anonymous login' checkbox is checked, you will need to enter your e-mail address as the password in the 'Password' field. This gives you permissions on some servers to download public domain files, but you will probably not be able to upload files to the FTP server.
Another option here is to uncheck the 'Anonymous login' checkbox, and enter a valid account name (or login ID) for the server to which you are connecting in the 'User name' field. You will need to enter the password for the account in the 'Password' field.
Click the 'OK' button.
Method 2: set up a permanent, reusable entry in the session database.
Choose 'Connect' from the File menu to bring up the "Connect" window.
Click the 'New Session' toolbar button.
Enter the FTP server's address (e.g. ftp.microsoft.com or 198.105.232.1).
Click the 'Next' button.
If the 'Anonymous login' checkbox is checked, you will need to enter your e-mail address as the password in the 'Password' field. This gives you permissions on some servers to download public domain files, but you will probably not be able to upload files to the FTP server.
Another option here is to uncheck the 'Anonymous login' checkbox, and enter a valid account name (or login ID) for the server to which you are connecting in the 'User name' field. You will need to enter the password for the account in the 'Password' field.
Click the 'Next' button.
Click the 'Next' button to bypass the initial directory page.
Click the 'Finish' button to accept the default session name.
Select the new entry just created. Note that this entry is saved in the AbsoluteFTP database and can be reused by bringing up the "Connect" window (see step 1). Click the 'Connect' button.
After you initiate a connection using one of the above methods, a session window should open and list the files for the account used.
Transferring files to or from FTP sites is easily accomplished by any of the following operations:
4. Transferring Files
Open a remote file - Opening a file (either by double-clicking on it or by using the Open menu command) in a remote session window will initiate a download of the file. By default, you will be prompted whether you want to open the file in its associated application or save it to disk. You can configure AbsoluteFTP to automatically save the file to disk or open it by specifying the open action when editing or registering the file type.
You may also choose the menu Download command to initiate a transfer of the selected files and folders from a remote session window to a local download directory specified in the Session or Global Configuration.
You may also initiate a transfer using the Copy and Paste or Drag and Drop methods (described below)
The steps to upload a local file to a remote FTP server are as follows:
Connect to a remote FTP server.
Optionally, choose the 'Tile Horizontally' item from the 'Window' menu to size the local and remote windows and place them side-by-side.
In the local window, browse to and open the folder/directory that contains the files you want to upload.
In the remote/session window, browse to and open the folder/directory to which you want to upload the local files.
At this point, you can initiate the file transfer using either the "drag and drop" or "cut and paste" method.
a) Drag and drop: using the left mouse button, click on the icon for file you want to transfer and continue to hold down the left mouse button. While still holding down the left mouse button, move the mouse cursor so that it is positioned over the right-hand pane (where the folder contents are shown) of the remote window. Release the left mouse button to "drop" the file on the remote window.
Or
b) Cut and paste: select/highlight the files that you want to transfer. Choose the 'Copy' item from the 'Edit' menu. Then, select the folder/directory in the remote window to which you want to upload the files. Then, choose the 'Paste' item from the 'Edit' menu.
A separate window should appear that shows the progress of the transfer.
When the transfer completes, the target window will automatically refresh and the transferred files should be visible in the right-hand pane of that window.
The copy/paste or drag and drop methods may also be used to initiate file and folder transfers directly between remote FTP servers.
5. Navigating a Session
Each FTP session is represented by its own session window
The left pane of the session window shows the hierarchy of the folders on the remote host.
Click a folder in the left pane to display its sub folders and files in the right pane (If the folder contains any sub folders then a (+) will also appear to the left of the folder icon).
A folder-open icon indicates which folder is currently selected in the left pane. The complete contents of the currently selected folder are shown in the right pane.
Double-click a folder icon in the left pane (or click the +/-) to expand and collapse the tree of sub folders in the left pane.
A log window of FTP commands for a session can be viewed by dragging the lower border of the session window upward.
6. Session Configuration, Site
The following options control attributes of an FTP session and the FTP connection.
Session
Name - Enter the name of the session. This is the name that will be displayed in the Connect Dialog
Protocol - Select the FTP connection protocol to be used with this session. The available protocols are:
FTP - cause the connection to be made using the normal FTP protocol.
Hostname or IP - Enter the hostname or IP address of the FTP server to which you want to connect
Port - Enter the port number for the FTP server. The default FTP port is 21.
FTP login
Anonymous login - When the Anonymous login option is selected , AbsoluteFTP automatically selects anonymous as the username and fills in the password field using the password you supplied in your Global Configuration. Un-selecting this option makes the username and password fields available.
Username - Enter your username on the remote host.
Password - Enter your password.
Account - Enter an account name. This parameter is usually not needed (optional).