Receive Files via your Web Page
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2. Installation
2.1 Requirements
- A PC running Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 or any PC that can run Visual Basic 32-bit programs.
- An Internet Connection.
- About 4MB of disk space.
- For dynamic IP addresses, a web page updateable via FTP.
2.2 Software Installation
- Unzip the distribution file.
- Exit all other running applications.
- Run the included SETUP application.
- If any "file in use" error occurs, choose to ignore it.
- Read this document thoroughly please.
- Check that you did the previous step.
- Included in the distribution are the documentation files and one or more support files. Please do NOT delete or move these.
- This program cannot run on write protected media such as CD-ROM
2.3 Basic Concepts
Using HTML ( the language of web pages ) it is possible for web pages to send data to web servers. You see this commonly whenever you fill out a form of some sort on the web - maybe entering a query to a search engine for example. It is also possible to send data files in this manner, and WebiToome uses this feature to let you receive files onto your computer via a web page.
To achieve this it is necessary for your web page to include certain HTML code when your WebiToome is running, and to remove this code when you shut down WebiToome, so that people will not try to send you data when you are not in a position to receive it.
The HTML that WebiToome requires is very small and simple, and just allows the user to select a file off his/her computer, and submit it by pressing a button.
However, to add and remove HTML it is necessary at this stage for the HTML file to be located in your WebiToome folder on your computer. When you start the server part of WebiToome, this HTML file is analysed for some special WebiToome code, and a revised version of the file is uploaded via FTP to your normal web server.
A user browsing the page on your normal web server will now see the file selection and submit facilities, and can send you a file. Note that the user loads the page off your normal web server, not off WebiToome.
When you stop or pause the server part of WebiToome, your HTML page is again adjusted, removing the file sending code, and re-uploaded to your normal web server using FTP.
In this way it does not matter if you are on a permanent or dial-up connection, as long as you are connected to the internet when starting the server part of WebiToome. And you can also include whatever else you like in your web page.
For a more technical explanation please see the Technical Reference.
2.4 Preparation
To set up a basic working WebiToome you need to have the following:
- A web account accessible via FTP. Typically the "free" web space supplied by your ISP will do.
- Information on how to upload a web page via FTP to your web host. This includes your FTP login and password and directions as to where to put web pages for public access on the FTP server. You need to decide on a name for the page's HTML file and to make sure that any sub-folders required on the FTP server exist.
- Using the above, you need to form a FTP URL for uploading the page eg:
ftp://ftp.somewhere.com/public_html/mypage.html - Form the web URL of the above page. Consult your ISP if you are not sure. It might be something like:
http://www.somewhere.com/~username/mypage.html - Check that you are running a modern browser ( Netscape and MSIE newer than June 1999 should be OK ). This is just for testing.
Please note that for the initial setup we will use the simplest default options. You can modify these at a later stage.
2.5 Quick Start
- Run the program.
- Open the Preferences window off the Edit menu. At this stage only fill out what is mentioned below.
- Enter the "FTP URL to upload page to" as worked out in the Preparation phase. Please INCLUDE the file name. The field should have something like:
ftp://ftp.somewhere.com/public_html/mypage.html - Enter your FTP login into the appropriate field.
- Enter your FTP password into the appropriate field.
- Press "Save"
- Make sure you are connected to the internet
- Press the green "GO" button at the left of the toolbar at the top of the screen.
- If all is well the page should be uploaded. If any errors occur here, please check the above preference entries or consult your ISP.
- Load your browser and load the web URL of the page eg:
http://www.somewhere.com/~username/mypage.html - For testing, choose a SMALL file, preferably with no Resource Fork ( more about this in the Technical Reference ).
- Press the Submit button on your page and the file should be sent via WebiToome to the folder "WebiToome Downloads" in your WebiToome folder.
- Press the yellow PAUSE button or the red STOP button in the toolbar.
- Your web page should now be updated via FTP to indicate that you are not online ( a blank page at this stage ).
- You may now Quit WebiToome.
Please note that for the Quick Start we used WebiToome defaults, including only a VERY simple web page. More complex options are explained later - this is just to get you going ;)
Last updated by DocGen on Sunday, October 22, 2000 at 7:06:30 pm