Uploading Files

Chapter III Table of Contents

A. Overview

1. Introduction

2. Error Messages

B. Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Macintosh with Fetch

2. Windows PC with FileZilla

C. Post-transfer Steps

1. Testing

2. Clean-up

A. Overview

1. Introduction

You could choose to copy the current file down from the server each time you start to modify a file, but we suggest that you maintain a master copy of every file on your own computer, for development work, and then transfer each of the revised and new files "up" to the server. It will be easier to keep your files organized, and to do your local testing, if you place them in folders (or subdirectories) whose names and organization match those you are using on the server.

The instructions given here are for ww2, which uses SFTP. The OAK system has also been configured to use SFTP software for file uploading. Some of the details are different, but you may find the following discussion useful anyway, because the basic approach is the same.

Uploading a file to ww2 or to OAK destroys the previous file of the same name, replacing it immediately. After transferring the files, however, there are several more steps involved before you are all done: testing the new files with various web browsers and removing old and outdated files from the server. These steps are discussed in section C, following the step-by step instructions for uploading from various environments.

2. Error Messages

If you fail to connect, your software is likely to report that as a wrong password. Sometimes that will actually be the problem, but you should consider another possibility that can produce the same message: ww2 and OAK use only SFTP. Trying to use standard FTP may result in a failure that looks like a wrong password.

You will not be able to login if your OAK password has not been changed since October 1, 2007. To change your OAK password, use the "Oak Password Change" link on the right side of http://www.ohio.edu/technology/ids/. If you encounter any difficulty with that process, please contact the OIT Service Desk, at 593- 1222.

Please report any error messages that you receive from your SFTP software (including the identification of that software and what you believe was the root cause of the error message), using the e-mail link at the foot of this page. That will permit us to accumulate a description of those errors, their explanations, and what actions to take to resolve them. They will be documented here.

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B. Step-by-Step Instructions

We document here only the uploading steps. If you have any difficulty reversing them for downloading, please contact us, using the e-mail link at the foot of this page. These instructions are specifically written for ww2 users, but should be of assistance to OAK users. The procedures are conceptually quite similar, but the details are different.

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In general, HTML files are transferred as "ASCII" or "text" files, while images, whether in GIF, JPEG, or other formats, are transferred as "binary" or "raw data" files.

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1. Macintosh with Fetch

So that you can print them out and follow them without having to go back and forth between windows, we have placed the step-by-step instruction for using Fetch with the Macintosh in a separate file.

2. Windows PC with FileZilla

So that you can print them out and follow them without having to go back and forth between windows, we have placed the step-by-step instruction for using FileZilla with Windows in a separate file.

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C. Post-transfer Steps

1. Testing

Once you have transferred your files to ww2, you should immediately verify that they have arrived uncorrupted and with no obvious mistakes: open the appropriate URL in your favorite web browser and verify that the display is what you planned. You may need to force your browser to reload the file; you may even have to erase your browser's cache -- "delete all temporary internet files" -- before reloading will display the updated page.

Follow all the critical, new, and modified links to verify that they function as intended. Examine all new or modified images to verify that they display as intended.

Check additional links that you did not already check. As soon as possible, make sure that the appearance of your pages is reasonable under all three major browsers: FireFox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. The HTML "standards" are still evolving, and those browsers are often not identical in their implementation of the newest aspects of HTML. (They also sometimes differ in the implementation of long-established aspects of HTML!) It is good practice to test with as many other browsers as possible, either yourself, or in cooperation with others who have access to other browsers. Be sure to examine your page on Macintosh and on Windows, because several text characters that you can type on each platform will create bizzare results when viewed on the other platform.

2. Clean-up

Once you are confident that there are no bugs in your files, you should clean up. You should delete any relic files that have been made obsolete by the changes you have made, but see point 6 of part 1 of section D in Chapter I.

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