[icon] Simple Upload

Introduction | FTPc | Interactive help | Quick instructions | Initial setup | Uploading | Advanced features | How Simple Upload works | Disclaimer

Introduction

Simple Upload is an application that makes the uploading of your web site much more simple! It automatically works out which pages have changed since you last uploaded, and tells the FTP server to upload them. It will also delete pages from the server when they are no longer required, ensuring that your web space isn't wasted.

FTPc

Simple Upload uses an application called FTPc, written by Colin Granville, to do its uploading. You will need to obtain version 1.32 or later of this program before you can use Simple Upload.

The latest version of FTPc is available from http://www.ftpc.iconbar.com/

Interactive help

Simple Upload supports interactive help in all of its windows and menus. You can find out what any function does by using the !Help application that came with your computer.

You may find that you can use the application, along with interactive help, without needing to read this Help file at all!

Quick instructions

If you are already familiar with RISC OS applications, web sites and FTP servers:

  1. Choose Setup... from the iconbar menu and enter the details of your local pages and FTP server.
  2. Click the left mouse button to create a script containing details of the changes that have been made to your site.
  3. Click the right mouse button when you are online to upload the pages.

If you don't understand the above, or want to know more about how Simple Upload works, read on...

Initial setup

These instructions assume that you have a web site to upload, and that it is contained in a directory somewhere on your hard disc.

Double-clicking on the !sUpload icon loads the application onto the iconbar as usual. Use the middle mouse button over this icon to open the Simple Upload menu, then click on Setup... (If you are using Simple Upload for the first time, the Setup window may already have opened automatically).

First, you need to tell Simple Upload where the local copy of your web pages is kept - in other words which directory on your hard disc contains the pages.

Now you need to give Simple Upload details of the FTP server that you use to upload your web site. You will have been given this information when you signed up with your service provider.

Click the Save button. Your settings will be remembered for use in future uploads so you only have to enter them once!

Uploading

There are two stages to the uploading process.

  1. Click the left mouse button on the iconbar icon. This causes Simple Upload to scan the local copy of your web pages and determine what changes have been made. These changes are stored by Simple Upload in an internal script.
  2. When you are online, click the right mouse button. Simple Upload will automatically start FTPc, connect to your FTP server, and upload the web pages as necessary!
Simple Upload will remember which pages it has uploaded. When you make further changes to your web site, it will only upload the pages that have changed since the last upload.

Note: you can click the left button as many times as you like between uploads. Simple Upload will still upload all of the pages that have changed when you next upload as long as you have clicked the left button after the most recent changes.

Advanced features

The above instructions are sufficient for everyday uploading of your web site. However, Simple Upload provides some more advanced functions that give you more control over the process, and may be of use if there is a problem during uploading, such as a lost connection.

The extra functions can be found on the Utilities submenu. As with the rest of the application, a description of the functions on this menu can be obtained using !Help.

Repeat last upload
this repeats the last upload that was initiated. This is useful if the connection was lost part way through uploading. You must be online to use this feature.
Upload all files
this creates a script that will cause all the files of your web site to be uploaded, regardless of whether they have been uploaded before. Note: this only creates a script; you must then click the right button on the iconbar icon to start the upload. This feature is useful if you need to upload your website to a new server, for example.
Delete all files
this creates a script that will cause all the files of your web site to be removed from the FTP server. Again, you must click the right button to actually carry out the process. Note: Simple Upload will only include instructions to delete files that it knows have been uploaded. Files that have been uploaded directly to the FTP server will be unaffected.
Abandon script
this returns the program to the state it was in before you created the last script. No files are uploaded, and no changes are made to Simple Upload's record of which files have been uploaded.
Neglect changes
this abandons the current script, but also records the changes that have been made to the pages as if they had been uploaded. No files are actually uploaded. In effect, this fools the program into thinking the files have been uploaded when they haven't. This is useful for synchronising Simple Upload with the remote copy of your web site when changes have been made directly by FTP. It is also useful if you want to use Simple Upload to maintain a site that already exists on a server. In the latter case, you should choose Upload all files then Neglect changes - future uploads can then be carried out by clicking on the iconbar icon as normal.
View script
this loads the last script to be created into a text editor. The syntax used is similar to that of a Unix-based FTP client. It is not recommended that you edit this script by hand.

How Simple Upload works

Simple Upload records the name, directory path, filetype and datestamp of each file. If any of these have changed when the next script is created, it knows to include the necessary commands in the script. At the same time, it records the new details of each file. When an upload is carried out, the new file list replaces the old one so that the program has an up-to-date record of which files have been uploaded.

Disclaimer

The author can accept no responsibility for loss of data or other damage resulting from the use or misuse of this application. Use of this software is at the user's own risk.

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