Account Setup

Step #5: Get Your Township Website onto the Web

After you have used your personal computer (or other resources) to design and create a website for your township, you will need to transfer the website files to your web account on the Michigan Townships Online webservers. Once you have transferred your files, your township website will be available to anyone on the World Wide Web using your township domain name, http://www.your-township.mi-twp.org.

Transferring Files with FTP

FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, is a method of transferring files between computers on the Internet. Townships will use FTP to transfer files they've created on their personal computers to their accounts on the webserver, and vice versa.

FTP allows you to manipulate the files in your account on the webserver. You can:

1. List files and directories

2. Create new directories and delete old ones

3. Upload and download files, as well as delete old ones

4. Rename directories and files

5. Change file permissions

You cannot create new files from scratch (or change the contents of old files) directly on the webserver. You must edit a copy of the file on your local computer, then transfer the file to the webserver.

FTP also supports uploading and downloading large groups of files at one time. If you have a graphical FTP program, transferring files is as easy as pointing and clicking with your mouse.

Do I Need FTP?

Some HTML authoring tools, like Dreamweaver, will handle the FTP process of transferring HTML and binary files to your account on the webserver for you. If you are not using this kind of software, you'll need to use FTP for any of the following situations:

• You want to put a graphic, image, sound, or other binary object that you have already created onto your township website.

• You have some pre-existing web pages or other files you want to move onto your township website.

• You want to backup some files or your entire township's directory, or transfer a group of files all at once.

• You want to implement forms processing or other interactive tools that require the use of "cgi" files.

FTP Programs

Many townships use the web-based ftp interface provided with the standard Michigan Townships Online package for making quick and minor HTML changes. However, for larger website changes you may want to use a more robust FTP package. FTP comes with most TCP/IP (Internet) protocol software packages, and it's very easy to use (especially graphical FTP clients for Mac and Windows).

If you do not have an FTP program on your computer, you can download a free program from the Internet. Two very popular FTP programs include:

• WS_FTP (Nice interface, many features.)

  See Installing WS_FTP for more information.

• LeapFTP (Shareware, Recommended.)

Michigan Townships Online is a joint effort between Merit Network, Inc. and The Michigan Townships Association. © 2003 Acceptable Use Policy, Privacy Policy, Copyright Infringement,
Home, Sitemap, www@mi-twp.org, help@mi-twp.org