WebsiteMaven.com » Internet Applications

FTP Clients

the maven — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:27:16 +0000

Below is a list of the features provided by the most popular FTP clients. As with any product, needs determine value. These all will get the basic job done of getting files uploaded to a web server. Some offer higher security or other specialty features that will meet certain requirements better than others.

FTP Client	Description	Price
CuteFTP Pro	SSH2, SSL, or OTP security Connect through your standard or HTTP proxy, firewall or SOCKS server to multiple sites simultaneously Perform concurrent transfers, accelerate large file transfers Remote to Remote Transfers Advanced File & Folder Management Filename conversion Multi-part downloads Drag-n-drop interface Browser integration Schedule Batch Transfers	$59.99
FileZilla	Easy to use Supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) Cross-platform. Runs on Windows, Linux, *BSD, OSX and more Available in many languages Supports resume and transfer of large files >4GB Powerful Site Manager and transfer queue Drag & drop support Configurable Speed limits Filename filters Network configuration wizard Remote file editing Keep-alive FTP-Proxy support	Free
CuteFTP Home	128-bit SSL Advanced File & Folder Management Filename conversion Multi-part download Drag-n-drop interface Browser integration Schedule Batch Transfers	$39.99
CoffeeCup Direct FTP	Drag-n-Drop interface Edit HTML and Text right on the Server Preview Images while on the Server Built-in Zip archiving Bookmark folders Search website for files or folders Multiple FTP Server Profile Support Multiple-color HTML Tag Highlighting Quick Start Wizard for making new HTML pages Link Wizard, Image Wizard, Font Wizard One-click Browser Testing, test Before you Upload	$34.00
SmartFTP	FTP and FTPS (Secure FTP) SFTP over SSH Modern Graphical User Interface (GUI) File/Folder Synchronization Multilingual (more than 20 languages) Thumbnails View and Preview IPv6 On-the-fly Compression (MODE Z) UTF-8 Support Drag & Drop Multiple Connections Auto reconnect and resume of broken transfers Transfer Integrity) FXP (Server-To-Server Transfer) support Remote Edit of files Enhanced NAT/UPnP Support Transfer Queue Proxy / Firewall support Backup Tool URL Watcher Cache Remote Directories FTP command line	$36.95
WinSCP	Graphical user interface Translated into several languages Integration with Windows (drag&drop, URL, shortcut icons) U3 support All common operations with files Support for SFTP and SCP protocols over SSH-1 and SSH-2 and plain old FTP protocol Batch file scripting and command-line interface Directory synchronization in several semi or fully automatic ways Integrated text editor Support for SSH password, keyboard-interactive, public key and Kerberos (GSS) authentication Integrates with Pageant (PuTTY authentication agent) for full support of public key authentication with SSH Explorer and Commander interfaces Optionally stores session information Optionally supports portable operation using a configuration file in place of registry entries, suitable for operation from removable media	Free

HTML Editors

the maven — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:08:08 +0000

The HTML Editor list provided as a help to choose between the various programs out there. HTML is an ASCII markup language and can be completely coded in a text editor. Some feel most comfortable doing just that. The best editors combine a design view with a strong coding view so you can switch between either. The better editors also tend to create better code that looks good across multiple browsers and isn’t bloated with sloppy html. The list below are programs I have either personal experience with or are recognized leaders or both.

HTML Editors List

HTML Editor	Features	Price
Adobe Dreamweaver	The professional choice for building web sites and applications A powerful combination of visual layout tools, application development features, and code editing support Developers and designers can create appealing, standards-based sites and applications quickly Developers can use it with the server technology of their choice to build powerful Internet applications Includes leading support for CSS-based design to hand-coding features	$399.00
CoffeeCup HTML Editor	Free Support & Free Upgrades for Life Rocking HTML & CSS Code Completion Our Open from Web function lets you view and edit code right off the internet. A great resource for learning HTML. The DHTML Menu Builder is the tool you’ve been waiting for! Now you can make sharp looking dropdown menus in minutes, no scripting experience necessary! DHTML & JavaScripts Included Fast & Simple Image and Link Inserting Wizards for Frames, Tables, Forms, Fonts & more Easy Drag & Drop WYSIWYG Visual Editor Upload your webpages with a click of the mouse! Our Right-Click FTP and Built-in FTP Program keeps website updates simple. Full-Featured HTML Code Editor with Quickstart Unbelievable Project Management features Want easy to use JavaScripts? We included the best JavaScripts you’ll find! Built in SiteMapper Creator A BIG bag of snazzy Graphics included Spelling mistakes and typos are a thing of the past with our Active Spell Check feature. The HTML Editor will check for errors as you type, right-click the selection for the correct spelling. Are you worried that your page uses an older version of HTML? Worry no longer, we have added an XHTML conversion tool to convert those old pages New stand alone Free FTP client included with HTML Editor 2007! Since more of you are using our program for other types of code, likeXHTML and PHP we added their tags to the program as well. Cross Browser compatibility is important, and testing in different browsers can be annoying and time consuming. The HTML Editor allows quick and easy browsing with any installed web browser. HTML Editor has CoffeeCup SiteMapper built right in, no charge. Our Table Wizard guides you step by step to creating stable HTML tables. Beginners will appreciate the WYSIWYG interface. Highlighting your HTML tags makes webpage building easier. Customize your Tag Highlighting Options to fit your style.	$49.00
NetObjects Fusion Essentials	Drag and drop layouts Site Management Tools Upload files with built-in FTP Form builder Photo Gallery e-commerce tool Custom shape tools Rollover images Insert custom HTML and scripts Flash, Quicktime, and more	Free
PageBreeze	A full-featured but easy to use visual (WYSIWYG) HTML editor for creating web pages. Our freeware visual editor is actually powered by Microsoft Internet Explorer. So you can always be sure you are seeing exactly what you will get. Color-coded HTML source (tag) editor. You can switch between HTML source and visual modes at any time with a click of the mouse, and any changes you have made will instantly be reflected in both modes. Preview mode lets you instantly see what your finished web page will look like in Microsoft Internet Explorer. Included webpage templates and direct access to hundreds of free website templates to give you a fast start on creating a great looking site. Drag-and-drop Form Builder makes it fast and easy to create powerful web forms. Built-in integration with our form processing service, so you can make your web forms work almost instantly with no programming, scripts, or technical knowledge required. Built-in in integration with our web knowledgebase, so you can easily add a 24×7 customer service system that will answer your customers’ questions instantly.	Free
NoteTab	NoteTab is a leading-edge text and HTML editor. Winner of software industry awards since 1998, this application does it all: it easily handles a stack of huge files; lets you format text to your heart’s content; does system-wide searches, and multi-line global replacements. It even corrects your spelling mistakes. Build document templates, add bookmarks, convert text to HTML on-the-fly, and take charge of your code. Use a simple, power-packed scripting language to create anything from a text macro to a mini-application.	Free Pro $29.95
Avenquest Web Easy Professional	Create a Web Site with Drag-and-Drop Simplicity Choose from Over 135 Professionally-Designed Website Templates No Programming Required with Automatically Generating HTML Code Easy to Use Tools like Search Engine Optimization and Flash Creation $35 Credit in Google Advertising	$49.95
Microsoft Expression	Professional Design Environment Get more done with software that works the way you do. With task panes and menus just where you need them, you’re free to concentrate on design. Import Adobe Photoshop files to create your website graphics. Standards Based Site Design Reach for a tool that’s been built with today’s modern standards in mind, and see results in better browser rendering and more relevant search engine indexing. Expression Web builds sites to XHTML, CSS, XML, and XSLT, making sure your pages are compliant throughout the design process. CSS Layout Separate design from content with Cascading Style Sheets-the complex technology that’s behind today’s modern sites. Expression Web’s design-focused tools show you a visual hierarchy of styles, give you drag-and-drop control of margins, and offer many other ways to make working with CSS easy. CSS Site Templates Jump right in with Expression Web’s professionally designed, standards-compliant site templates in a broad range of categories. Or make your own CSS designs from a host of DIV-based layouts. CSS Style Application Choose between automatically generated CSS styles or generate them manually for absolute control over the type of rule created and its precise location. The choice is yours. CSS Management Get a visual overview of where CSS rules are created, where they’re located, and their application order with Expression Web’s industry-leading CSS management tools. It’s never been easier to manage complex CSS in a site. Property Task Pane See at a glance the full range of CSS and tag attributes available to you from either of the property task panes. You can reorder the list to find just what you need, or get a summary of "in use” CSS properties for fast reference. Rich Data Presentation Show that XML data who’s master! Simply drag and drop an XML file and it’s immediately rendered by an XSL stylesheet that you can reformat to match your site’s style. Now you can include, filter and sort and style data from any XML source easily. ASP.NET 3.5 Harness the power of ASP.NET with a wide variety of controls, including navigation, calendars, logins and database integration. No coding is needed, as they’re all rendered within the design surface. Edit PHP pages Broaden your scope by now editing PHP sites with Expression Web 2. Apply the full set of standards based design tools to a wider range of sites.	$199.99

What is an FTP Client?

the maven — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 11:38:26 +0000

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is part of the suite of applications provided by the TCP/IP standard. A protocol is a rule, and, as its name indicates, FTP is a set of rules that govern how files are transferred across the Internet using the protocol. Just as HTTP is used to give browsers and servers a common language on the display of web pages, FTP gives servers and clients a common language for transferring files of any kind.

Many companies host FTP servers as a way to share files with customers. For example, a video card manufacturer may make BIOS or driver updates available via FTP so that customers can download the latest updates. For Web Hosting and creating websites, FTP is an indispensable tool. It is via FTP that webmasters transfer their websites from their local hard drive to the web server where the rest of the Internet can now browse to it.

So What is an FTP client? FTP is governed by a set of ASCII commands. While the command set is limited and not difficult to master, most users do not have the time to become familiar with the command set. While I am still very comfortable using the DOS and UNIX command prompts, I much prefer a graphical interface for time and convenience. FTP clients have been written, with very advanced features, to graphically represent FTP commands that happen “behind the scenes”.

Perhaps the most widely used FTP client is Internet Explorer. Most are unaware that Internet Explorer can act as a very basic FTP client by typing the FTP address of the site into the address bar. It provides limited functionality but it is free.

Companies like Globalscape (CuteFTP), CoffeCup, and IPSwitch have been making FTP clients for years that fill the niche. A good FTP client, with advanced features, is well worth the extra investment for a webmaster. The time saved and convenience offered by these programs makes them well worth the small investment.

So, in the end, the basic answer to What is an FTP client is that it is a software program that simplifies the uploading and downloading of files (with some other functionality) to and from a web server.

Website Templates

the maven — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 12:12:30 +0000

In my discussion of HTML editors, I mentioned that while building a basic web page is easy, creating a quality web site with good functionality and pleasing asthetics takes some technical skill and practice. If building a web site for personal use, it matters little if the presentation is professional and pleasing. The web abounds with “home made” web sites with cheesy graphics and interfaces. If you are a business or interested in promoting a professional appearance then you will need a professional design. A hilarious (and instructive) look at bad web design can be found at http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com.

Custom design can be more than your budget may allow and many opt to use pre-made web site templates that essentially allow the customer to “fill in the blanks”. These templates are designed by professionals as fully integrated products with good user instructions and support. Not only are templates a great way to get a professional site on the web quickly but they are an excellent way to learn the art of web design. Through the process of using the template, the user can see what tools and techniques the professionals use and imitate their design.

The following is a list of some of the top web site template sources. Many web hosting providers include templates with their accounts. Keep in mind that, as with anything, you get what you pay for. Some templates, although free or cheaper, may come with fewer instructions or no support. Determine your needs and skill and then choose the templates that match your concept.

Site	Description
Boxed Art	Thousands of web templates, flash templates, flash sites, powerpoint templates, vector icons, logos, animations, buttons, and photos. All art and templates available for a member fee of just $49.95.
Template Monster	Thousands of web site templates, Flash Templates, Logo Templates, and PHP-Nuke Templates with hundreds of categories and styles to choose from. Easy to use interface to search for the ideal template for your site.
CoffeeCup InstantCoffee	500 web site Templates, easy to install and configure. Just $19.99 each.
Template Blowout	Over 9,500+ high quality, professional web site templates, flash templates, html templates, banner templates, photoshop templates & logo templates covering almost any theme or style you can imagine.
Free Site Templates	A decent collection of free web site templates along with sale of premium templates through Template Monster.

HTML Editors Explained

the maven — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 11:36:21 +0000

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the language that web pages use to represent the information contained in a web page. When you view a web page your browser loads and interprets text in an html file and displays that information graphically on your browser. Even the images you are viewing are instructions in the HTML file that tell the browser “show an image here” and other similar commands. Anyone who wishes to create quality web pages needs to become familiar with the syntax and rules of HTML.

Since web pages consist primarily of html files that are strictly text based, it is possible to construct web pages using a simple text editor like notepad. The job becomes more tedious for elaborate web pages and sites that have content that you want to remain consistent across. Toward that end, HTML Editors have been created to aid the webmaster in creating elaborate and consistent web pages for a site.

The best editors have both a WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) design workspace as well as an ability to code html directly. The design workspace allows the webmaster to create his content graphically and quickly, seeing the results as he goes. Unfortunately, even the best graphical interfaces create bloated html code and it is necessary to go directly into the code to tweak the html.

While basic html editing is very simple and even a novice can create a simple web page, there are intermediate to advanced techniques to web design including the inclusion of applets and scripts that take time and instruction to learn. Beyond the technical aspects, there are asthetic or artistic aspects of web design that create a “feel” for a website that are more difficult to teach and are reflections of artistic talent.

Given the breadth of the subject, an exhaustive discussion of web design or even the intricacies of html editors, I’ll merely recommend some books. Those who have the time and interest in building their own web pages should consider the HTML editors and resources below. A great way to build quick content, and learn HTML along the way, is to use pre-made web templates built by professionals. Businesses more concerned with getting a professional site online should consider hiring a professional web designer to build their website.

Using FTP Clients

the maven — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 12:05:20 +0000

Using FTP clients is remarkably simple. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and its easier to show some basic functions when using ftp clients than to describe them. In very simple terms, using FTP clients consists of setting up the client to communicate with your web server and then uploading and downloading files between them.

Setting up your FTP client to connect to a Server:

While the above picture is from a CuteFTP screenshot, it is representative of the setup for most clients. Essentially, the client needs to know where to go to connect to your web server and then what your username and password for the server is. Your web hosting company provides the FTP server information to you as well as your username and password. Once the information is filled in, you need only press connect and the FTP client takes you to your web server. Note also, the option to login anonymously. You can use your FTP client to anomymously login to any number of sites that support it to download files from their servers.

Using ftp clients to transfer files:

Another screenshot from CuteFTP. The screenshot is a bit compressed to fit into my typing space but the image is illustrative of the simplicity of the FTP client. In the left window pane is your computer. You can browse to any folder on your computer and the left window pane will show the directory you are working in locally. In the right window pane is the server you are connected to. Like any other computer, the server has files within folders. The FTP client allows you to browse to the folder you want on the distant end. When you have browsed to the appropriate folders for your client end and the distant end you can now select files and drag them from one window to the other or use the upload and download arrows. Files can be transferred in either direction and many FTP clients have a sync function that figures out what needs to be uploaded or downloaded to make the local and distant end folders identical in content.

There is more to using ftp clients than this short guide but gives the basics. The full functionality of CuteFTP or other clients can be found by reading their respective manuals. Suffice to say that there is great power and flexibility offered by thes programs with variations on their use limited only by your imagination. FTP clients don’t care what the file is or how big it is. You can use them to upload and download web pages to keep your web page up to date as a webmaster or you can use them to download music for your personal collection.

WebsiteMaven.com » Internet Applications

FTP Clients

HTML Editors

HTML Editors List

Professional Design Environment

Standards Based Site Design

CSS Layout

CSS Site Templates

CSS Style Application

CSS Management

Property Task Pane

Rich Data Presentation

ASP.NET 3.5

Edit PHP pages

What is an FTP Client?

Website Templates

HTML Editors Explained

Using FTP Clients