FTP - File Transfer Protocol

If you want to edit your own website, you may be given FTP access to your website. FTP, short for File Transfer Protocol, is a method of transferring files of the internet.

To use FTP, you should install a type of program on your computer called an FTP client. There are very many programs available, even many free ones. Download.com is a good source of programs. Different programs have special features such as the ability to perform multiple transfers, online editing, server-to-server transfers, and more. Even the commercial programs have a free trial, so you can try several programs until you find one you like.

Every program has a different interface, but the basic principles are very similar. To learn how to connect to the server using an FTP program, look at our tutorial on Connecting with FTP.

Another alternative, that can be used from any computer without installing new software, is the IManager program installed on the Industrial Strength Server. This is the same program that is used for accessing email through a browser. This program is described in the tutorial on Editing with IManager .

It is important to understand the file structure of your website if you are going to do your own editing. We have a tutorial on Navigating the Server that will explain something about this.

To edit a web page, you need to know a few things about how a webpage is structured. There is a little code involved, but minor changes can be made on a webpage without really knowing much HTML if you are careful. Read our tutorial on Basic Editing to get started.

If you want to change some of the images on your site, you may need to crop the images or change their size. While this is best done in a program like Photoshop, there are many simpler - and free! - programs for performing basic tasks. Check out our tutorial on Basic Image Editing.