Setting Up FTP in Dreamweaver

Okay, you created a Web site and tested it, and you’re ready to upload it to the Web. It’s time to put the Dreamweaver publishing tools to work. If you’re using a commercial service provider, you most likely need the Dreamweaver FTP features, covered in detail in this task and the remaining tasks in this chapter. Note that you must complete the site-setup process, before you can configure the site for uploading. You also need the following information from your Web hosting service:

– The FTP host name

– The path to the Web directory (optional but useful)

– An FTP login or user name

– An FTP password

After you gather all your FTP information and complete the site setup, you’re ready to access the Dreamweaver publishing tools and prepare the program to upload your Web site. In this task, you set up Dreamweaver to connect to your server via FTP, a process you need to do only once for each site you work on. In the next task, you use Dreamweaver to upload pages to your server by using the connection you establish in this task.

Follow these steps:

1. Choose Site?Manage Sites to open the Manage Sites dialog box.Alternatively, you can choose Manage Sites from the bottom of the Site drop-down list in the Files Panel, as shown in this figure.

2. In the list of defined sites, select the site you want to publish and then click the Edit button.

3. Select the Advanced tab from the top of the Site Definition dialog box, and then select the Remote Info category from the left side.

4. Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Access box, and then select the publishing option best suited to your Web server and development environment. If you’re using a commercial Web host (the most common option for small do-it-yourself sites), choose FTP. If you’re working at a university, a large company, or an organization that has its own Web servers, refer to the nearby sidebar, “The multiple Dreamweaver publishing options,” to understand your choices here, and check with your system administrator to find out which option is best for your system.

5. In the FTP Host text box, type the host name of your Web server. Directory text box, type the directory on the remote site in which documents visible to the public are stored. The information you enter in this field depends on your server. In some cases, you can leave the field blank if you log in directly to your site; in other cases, you use a different path, such as users/mysite/domain. Check with your service provider or site administrator to find out how your server is set up.

6. Enter your login name and password. Web services require a username and password to gain access to your Web server, to ensure that you’re the only person who can make changes to your Web site. If you select the Save check box, Dreamweaver stores the information on your local computer and you don’t have to retype it every time you log in to your Web server. Click the Test button to make sure that you entered everything correctly. If there are no problems, Dreamweaver responds with the message Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 connected to your Web server successfully.

7. Select the Use Passive FTP option or the Use Firewall option only if your service provider or site administrator instructs you to do so. If you a use a commercial Web-hosting service, you shouldn’t need to select any remaining options in this section of the dialog box. Select Use Secure FTP if you have a secure Web server, but be aware that not all hosts support secure FTP. If you select this option and see an error message when you press the Test button, deselect the option and test again.

8. Click to select the Maintain Synchronization Information check box; Dreamweaver then automatically keeps track of any changes you make to pages on your local computer that haven’t been uploaded to the server. Note: I never recommend that you select the Automatically Upload Files to Server on Save check box because I think that you should test your pages on your local computer before you publish them to the local site.

Leaving this box deselected prevents the possibility of accidentally uploading errors automatically every time you save a page on your local computer. The Enable File Check In and Check Out option opens an advanced feature that can be used to track files when multiple people are working on a Web site. 9. Click OK to save your Web server information settings and close the Site Definition dialog box. You’re ready to start using the Dreamweaver FTP features, covered in the next section.

Setting Up FTP in Dreamweaver