1. Which is better? FTP or FrontPage?
FTP is the industry standard and is primarily used by people familiar and comfortable with HTML.
It is a means to upload your files onto a server. In using FTP, one has to organize his files on
his own. On the other hand, FrontPage is fairly convenient and normally used by novice site builders
who prefer the templates and a graphical interface. FrontPage can upload the files onto the server in
an organized manner but the server has to have the right support for FrontPage. Many people use a
combination of the two-using FrontPage to build the pages in HTML then use FTP to upload the files
onto the server.
2. Is 500MB of Data Transfer per month enough for my site?
It should prove to be more than enough. Less than 2 sites out of 100 produce more than 500MB of
throughput in a single month. Remember that uploading files and email traffic do not add to your
data throughput per month. If your site does exceed the limit it will be billed according to our
pricing structure
3. When can I update my site?
You may update your site whenever and as many times as you wish, our technical support personnel will
be available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
4. I cannot FTP to my site, it keeps on asking for the password
Check if you are typing the right password. Common mistakes happen when you've inadvertently pressed
the Caps Lock key or if some of your keys are not working properly. If it's correct, kindly contact
support@webfreebie.com.
5. I have uploaded my files, but I still get an
"Under Construction" page?
The Webfreebie servers always check the file index.html when it publishes a site online. When you
upload your site you need to replace our index.html file with your default page (please rename it
as index.html), otherwise the under construction page will remain the default. When you do this, make
sure you are using all lower case letters when you rename your default page.
6. Why is there a directory listing on my account
and not a home page?
You need to place an index.html, index.htm, index.cgi, or index.shtml file in your main
directory. The index.html is the first page that your website loads.
7. I can't see the pictures on my website. There's always this
broken triangle.
Make sure that you've uploaded your images on your account. For further Help on Uploading,
please go to our How-To Page.
8. How do I create, delete or enter a directory using
FTP software?
To create a new directory in your account:
- Open WS_FTP.
- Click Connect.
- Click OK.
- On the right side of the screen, click MkDIR.
- Type in the new directory name and click OK.
You just created a directory in your account.
NOTE: You won't create files in your account as you do directories. Instead, you will upload files
from your computer to your account using FTP software.
To delete a directory or file in your account:
- Click once on the directory or file to select it.
- Click the Delete button located on the right side of the screen. You have now deleted the item.
To enter a new or existing directory:
- Click twice on the directory and you will enter that directory. (NOTE: If you click twice on a file it will download to your hard drive!)
9. Why can't others view my site?
Have you set the attributes of the files and directories so that others can read (view) them? If not, you
may have to check and change the attributes of your files and directories. Please refer to the questions
on this page that address the chmod command and how to change file and directory attributes. If you need
further assistance, please browse the online tutorials.
10. What is chmod and why is it important?
Chmod is a system command that affects the attributes of a directory or a file. Attributes determine
who can access or alter a particular directory or file after you have uploaded it to your site.
Think of these attributes as on-and-off switches that control different directory and file properties.
These attributes correspond to the following issues: who will be able to read (view), write (edit) and/or
execute a file (execute only pertains to executable files: programs that have .exe as an extension).
The attributes read, write and execute (signified by the designated letters r, w, or e) are switched
for each category of user-owner, group and other-or the attributes are switched off (signified by a hyphen).
In other words, the chmod command allows you to set the permissions of each directory and file for
three different user categories:
Owner -- yourself or whomever you allow to access your account via your username and password
Group -- users who access via a Telnet session (This feature is not applicable to the HyperMart
site, so disregard it.)
Other -- users other than you who visit your site
The chmod command is important because you must make sure that the directories and files you
want others to see have the read attribute set properly-it must be "turned on." Otherwise, your
customers will not be able to view your site. This includes graphics files and HTML files as well
as the directories in which you store them.
The FTP client you use may do this automatically. If it doesn't-you can quickly test if it's viewable
to the public by visiting it yourself and seeing if you can view it-then you can manually set the
attributes using your FTP software, after you have logged on to your account. Check to see if the
attributes for each directory and file look like this:
d (if it's a directory) or - (if it's a file), r, w, -, r, -, -, r, -, -
Read the other questions pertaining to chmod and go to the Online Tutorials if you need further
information about chmod.
11. How do I use the chmod command to change the access permissions
of a directory or a file?
Depending on the FTP program you use, how you actually perform the procedure may vary. For example,
if you use a Mac, there is no right click function available. However, the following example should
give users of other FTP programs some general idea of how to use chmod to change directory or file
permissions.
Follow these steps to change file attributes for a single file or directory using chmod in WS_FTP:
- Open WS_FTP.
- Click Connect.
- Click OK. (If you haven't configured the program for your account, do so now by following the instructions on the Upload.
- In the Remote Site window, select the file or directory that needs its attributes changed.
- Right click and select: "chmod (UNIX).". Choose the permissions you want users to have for
that particular file. The terms Owner, Group and Other make distinction of the following users:
- Owner pertains to you, the FTP user or anyone else you allow to use your password
and administrate your account. It is the owner who is able to change the permissions of
all the files on the site.
- Group pertains to users accessing the site via Telnet services, which does not
offer-therefore, you can disregard the three attributes that relate to Group.
- Other pertains to users who will visit your site via the World Wide Web. These
users are your customers. Be sure that these users have permission to read (view)
your directories and files. However, you will not want to grant them permission to
write to (edit) your files.
- Click OK.
Follow these steps to change file attributes for multiple files using chmod
in WS_FTP:
- Open WS_FTP.
- Click Connect.
- Click OK. (If you haven't configured the program for your account, do so now by following
the instructions on the Upload.
- In the Remote Site window, select the files or directories that need attribute changes.
Two methods are possible:
- For multiple selections of files that are in consecutive order, select the first
item. Then hold down the shift key and select the last item in the series.
- For multiple selections of files that are not in consecutive order, while
pressing the Control key, select each directory or file that you want changed.
- Right click and select: "chmod (UNIX)."
- Choose the permissions you want users to have for that particular file.
- Click OK.
If you need further assistance, please refer to the other questions addressing chmod issues and browse the
Online Tutorials for the particular software you are using.
12. How do I know what the chmod attributes/permissions of a file are?
For CuteFTP Users
- With the program already open, place your cursor in the right-hand window and right-click.
- Select File details and look to see if Show file attributes is selected. If it is, click
anywhere within the main window to close the menu. If Show file attributes is not selected,
click on it.
- You should now see the attributes in the window where your site is located.
For WS_FTP Users
To view the attributes of a single file:
- With the program already open, select a file or directory.
- Right-click and select chmod (UNIX).
- View the attributes and leave them as they are or change them as you like.
- Click OK.
To view the attributes of all the files and directories:
- With the program already open, select DirInfo, located on the right-hand side of the
Remote Site window. Notepad will open and display the contents of Remote Site.
- If you want to keep this file as a record, save it.
Chmod Syntax and Symbols Deciphered
Each directory and file has three attributes/permissions that you, the Owner, can configure.
You can decipher these three attributes in the following ways:
r= Read -- permits user to view the file
w= Write -- permits user to edit the file
x= Execute -- permits user to open an executable file, a program (for example, files with *.exe
as an extension)
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