ralph33 Posted September 11, 2010 Report Share Posted September 11, 2010 In the Web Design 1 course video #19. It talks about transfering files from my computer to the server and from server to my computer using FTP. I can understand how it is done. But I don't understand why it is done. Does the server want files from my webpage? I feel kind of stupid asking this question as it is probably very obvious. Don' like to pass over small details. Ralph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falkencreative Posted September 11, 2010 Report Share Posted September 11, 2010 It just depends on who you want to be able to see the files. You can create files on your own computer, but only you will be able to see them. Putting them on the server using FTP allows others to view the files on the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newseed Posted September 11, 2010 Report Share Posted September 11, 2010 I feel kind of stupid asking this question It's only stupid if you don't ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralph33 Posted September 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2010 It just depends on who you want to be able to see the files. You can create files on your own computer, but only you will be able to see them. Putting them on the server using FTP allows others to view the files on the internet. I understand now. Of course I am quite a while from that stage, but now I can see the purpose of it. I find in most things, if one does not understand the basic details it can be frustrating. Thanks for the info Ralph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted September 11, 2010 Report Share Posted September 11, 2010 Technically, you could just work on your online files and then would not have to FTP anything - BUT that would mean that there is only one copy of your site out there, and you're not in control of it. If the server crashes or your host disappears, so does your site. So most people will work on a local copy and then upload their changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upadam Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 What I am wondering if you upload updated files to your server using FTP. Won't the older files on your server overwrite just like your text editor files do on your local drive when you resave things? Is it necessary to download files, make changes, then upload again? Do the files on your local drive disappear when you upload to your server? I don't have a website on a server yet, but I've wondered about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 Yes, the older version of a file will get replaced with the newer version you upload. I usually don't download files to make changes, I work directly in my local copy, which is identical to the uploaded one, and then upload those changes. Only if for some reason the online version is newer than my local one, might I download the online version to see what's up. And no, the local files don't disappear when you upload, you're basically just uploading a copy of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newseed Posted October 20, 2010 Report Share Posted October 20, 2010 The practice that Andrea stated is a good one. However, this is not always the case if you have more than one person editing the files. With that said, it's important to make sure you have a good web hosting company that keeps daily backups (up to 7 days). If you should ever need a file or files for whatever reason most host will be able to find and upload the copy to a temp folder for you to extract from. You can also do you own backup but that will require a bit more time and knowledge to set up. If you are using a database, be sure to back that up also. Some CMS or blogs have database backup plugins or add-ons. Some may even have file backup add-ons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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