Using FTP to Transfer Files from the Local to Live Directory
In routine site design and maintenance, files are edited on a PC in a local work directory (local_staging/screens) and moved in small batches to the Web server's staging/screens directory, where the files are tested and approved. On the "go live" date, the files in the live/screens directory are completely overwritten with the contents of the staging/screens directory.
Typically, the site is revised on a regular schedule. However, if you need to edit a file outside the usual schedule of site updates—for example, to correct a typographical error—you can move files directly from a local directory to the Web server's live directory.
Files in the local_staging/screens directory usually contain information or functionality that is not approved for posting to the Web server's live directory. Therefore, Innovative recommends maintaining a local_live/screens directory on your PC that contains customizable files of the same version as the live WebPAC. Use your favorite FTP program to download the files from the Web server's live directory to the local_live directory. This backs up your site and gives you immediate editing access to the approved version of the customizable files in your live WebPAC.
To replace files in the current live WebPAC with files from the local_live directory:
- Locate the file in the local_live directory and edit it using your favorite editing tools.
- Use your favorite FTP program or the FTP functionality of the editing program to move the file from your PC's local_live directory to the Web server's live directory.
Backups
Innovative recommends backing up the live WebPAC files before overwriting any file in it.
- Restart the Web server.
- View the live WebPAC in a browser and confirm that the new file displays.
- Incorporate the edits into the version of the file stored in the local_staging directory, if necessary.
