Oh, how cute! (CuteFTP)

Member Name: johnsy32

Product:	CuteFTP
Date:	20/02/05 (198 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, A webmaster neccessity, Quick Installation

Disadvantages: Cost of the licence

Cute FTP is the world's favourite FTP client! It is quick, reliable and easy to use. It was the first file transfer protocol program that I used to get my web site and running on the internet and I still use it to this day. You need to understand a little bit about web sites and what these sorts of applications do before you use it, but once you do this is the best. It has a great interface, everything is there and ready to use, the help files cover everything that you could possibly want to know about this program and the online help and support is always there when ever you need a little bit of help.

-- What is Cute FTP? --

If you are thinking about making a web site, or have one ready to upload then you will need an FTP program to get it on the Internet. It is a program that connects to the server that will be hosting your files, and you send the files you want through this application and on to server. When you go for web sites that offer free hosting they often have the option to upload the file through your account online, which does the job but you won't have the options to set permissions on files, resume broken transfers or be guided every step of the way. CuteFTP does this and lots more! An FTP program is essential when your go for a more professional hosting company, as it is the most secure and fastest way to get your web page on the web.

-- Installation --

CuteFTP can be downloaded from the Internet and the quickest way to get the latest version is to go to globalscape.com which is the developer of the software and it will also have the latest version and build. It is a quick download and I highly recommend it if you are thinking about getting your web site on to the Internet. Once you have downloaded the program, it is a very simple installation process where you click some next buttons and agree to some terms and conditions. When you download the program and install it, you can use it free for 30 days, but after that you will need to pay for a license.

-- Using the program --

Here is a basic outline of how to use the program to connect to your server and to upload files. When you first run the software you are faced with a wizard which will help you connect to the host, first you have to choose your internet service provider from the drop down box (lots of American ISP's, this is not essential to do). You then have to enter a label for the connection (what you call it will identify it for later use). You then have to enter an ftp address, this is usually given to you by the company hosting your account, on the next page you have to enter you username and password which will be used to identify you to the server. On the next page you can if want to set the default directory for where you web site files are stored so that from each time you start the program it will be straight at the directory with the files ready to upload. You then click to next, and you are given the option to connect to this server automatically, you then click on finish and your connection is attempted. Once you are logged into the server, you click the file you want to upload on the bottom left panel and click on the upload button. This will upload the file from your hard drive on to the server, which can be seen on the bottom right panel once the transfer is complete. A very simple process and a job made easy by CuteFTP.


-- Features --

There are many features that are available with this piece of software, I have included a few of the most useful and enjoyable in this section so you know what to expect. There is an option to have a quick connection which is accessed by an icon at the top of the screen, it brings up a toolbar where you can quickly enter an ftp address, username and password and it will quickly connect to that address. Instead of using the wizard, you can set up connections manually which is still a quick procedure but you can tweak a few options. With all the options and settings that you can get into, the most common ones are creating a new directory and moving directories this is all done quickly by the client using right clicks and choosing the options from the menu that appears. Changing permissions can be done this way too. Permissions very often need changing when you are installing scripts like CGI or PHP scripts. Everything is so easy to do with CuteFTP.

When you install the software you have also have an HTML editing program installed called CuteHTML (review coming soon!), which is a great little accessory for debugging some problems you may have when viewing your web site online as well as building new code and editing some.

Some web sites or other Internet users offer connection to servers by the means of FTP, and with this program you can connect to them and you are free to download and explore the server. The latest versions of Internet Explorer offer connections through the browser to access these files, if you use an older browser, you can download an upgrade. But,
you can skip all this and just use CuteFTP for all your file-transferring needs!

The CuteFTP interface is separated into four main screens with all your menus and toolbars situated at the top. The first section which is at the top of your screen is your log of your current session, for example it will log your log in attempts and if they are successful, your uploading and downloading activity and any problems you may experience. The next two sections are in the centre of the interface and on the left are the files on your hard drive which you can browse through to find the files you want and works just like when you look through your folders on your hard drive. The panel on the right is the part that shows the folders and files that are stored on the server, that can be browsed, deleted, changed and edited. At the bottom of the page is a log of the program that didn't make the upload or download, which might have been interrupted for whatever reason. With this section you can resume any broken uploads or downloads, which is very useful especially if you are on a slower connection and uploading / downloading large files. Situated at the bottom of the page is a progress bar that includes items like the percentage that a file has been transferred how much time has passed and how long is left.

-- Conclusion --

CuteFTP has loads to offer it just depends on how deep you want to go into transferring files, it is a great program but is pretty expensive at $39.99. There are other file transfer programs that are free, and hosting companies offer the opportunity to upload through their web sites, but this is a must have application for any webmasters tool kit. It's a quick download and very worth a look if you are interesting in build and maintaining a web site.

It's stated as the world's favourite and it's definitely my favourite. I've used others, but this is the best.

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