Contents Application Overview FTPPro Explorer The Four Panes Profiles Copying Files Right-Click Menu HotKeys Manager HotKeys Actions Shortcut Files Email List Manager Setup Email Accounts Email Messages Recipient Lists Send Email Website Access Log Viewer Setup Access Log Files Access Log Entries Tips For Using Access Logs Application Overview FTPPro is a Windows application that includes three separate programs:
To switch between these three programs, use the Programs menu (on the upper-left corner of the screen). FTPPro Explorer This program will enable you to copy files and folders between your local computer and remote FTP sites. The FTPPro Explorer looks and acts like Windows Explorer. You will use the Left Mouse Button to drag files from one Pane to another, which will cause the file or folder to be copied to the selected destination. You must create a Profile for each FTP site that will be accessed. This program initially contains a Sample Profile, which contains the address for Microsoft's anonymous FTP site. Right-Clicking a file or folder's icon will display a Dropdown Menu, which allows you to Rename or Delete the selected File, or to Create a New Folder, or to set Attributes for a file on an FTP site. The Four Panes The FTPPro Explorer window is comprised of the following four quadrants:
Expanding and Collapsing Nodes In a TreeView: Any Node of a TreeView may be expanded by either clicking the little '+' character to its left, or by pressing the Plus key on the numeric keypad when that Node has been selected. A Node may be collapsed by clicking the little '-' character to its left, or by pressing the Minus key on the numeric keypad. Selecting Items: TreeView: Only one item may be Selected at a time; either by clicking on the item, or by using the arrow keys to move the focus to the item. ListView: Using the following techniques, multiple items may be Selected at the same time. [Control Click] The item with the focus will be toggled between Selected and Unselected. [Shift Click] All of the items between the item with the focus and the Last Selected Item will become Selected. Refreshing the Views: Clicking the Refresh link at the top of the screen (or pressing [F5]) will cause all four Panes to be redrawn to reflect the current contents of your local computer, and of the currently selected FTP site. This option is useful if file operations are occurring outside of this program, or if your internet connection ever needs to be reestablished after you are disconnected. Resizing the Panes: When the cursor is moved directly over the border between any two Panes, the icon for the pointer will change to a 'double arrow'. You may then hold down the left mouse button and 'drag' the border in either direction. Sorting ListView Entries: The Sort By Menu (at the top of the screen) will allow you to sort File and Folder entries in the Local ListView and FTP ListView panes, by the following criteria:
Profiles The Profiles Screen will enable you to Add, Edit, or Delete a Profile Record for each FTP site that you wish to access. To display the Profiles Screen, click the Profiles link at the top of the screen, or press [Alt P]. Active Profile: The Listbox on the left side of the Profiles Screen will display all of the Profiles that you had previously entered. After a Profile has been Selected in this Listbox, checking the Active Profile box (on the upper-right portion of the Profiles Screen) will cause that Profile to become the Active Profile. When the Profiles Screen is Closed (by clicking the [Close] button, or pressing [Esc]), the program will connect to the FTP site of the Active Profile, and its Files and Folders will then be displayed. When the Profiles Screen is Closed, if the Selected Profile had not been checked as the Active Profile, then the program will ask if you would like for the Selected Profile to become the Active Profile. Default Profile: If this box is checked (on the lower-right portion of the screen), then this Profile will be used whenever the program is initially run. Editing an Existing Profile: Selecting a Profile in the Listbox will cause its fields to be displayed for editing on the right side of the Profile Screen. Save Changes: When you are finished editing a Profile Record, click the [Save Changes] button to cause all of the Record's fields to be saved. IMPORTANT: If you do not click [Save Changes], then all of your changes will be lost when you select a different Profile, or close the Profiles Screen. Adding a New Profile: Clicking the [New Profile] button will cause a new, blank Profile Record to be displayed. After you have completed all of the required fields, clicking the [Add Profile] button will cause the New Profile's name to be added to the Listbox. If you change your mind and do not wish to Add a New Profile, then simply click onto an existing Profile Name in the Listbox. Deleting a Profile: Clicking the [Delete Profile] button will cause the selected Profile to be Deleted. As there must always be at least one Profile in the system, the [Delete Profile] button will not be displayed when the Sample Profile is selected. Required Profile Fields: The following fields (which are indicated on the screen by an asterisk) are required, and must always contain valid data before a Profile may be stored: Profile Name: Although a unique name is not required, it is recommended that you do not assign the identical name to different Profiles. The Profile Name is used only for your reference. FTP Address: This is the address which is used to connect to the FTP site. Do not confuse an FTP address with a URL or Email address. A URL address normally begins with 'http://www'; an FTP address never begins with those characters. An Email address normally contains the '@' character; an FTP address very rarely contains that character. User ID and Password: Unless you have checked the Anonymous box, the User ID and Password must be completed. An Anonymous FTP site does not require a User ID or Password. Optional Profile Field: Comment: This field is used only for your reference. Copying Files Before reading this topic, you should first be familiar with the Four Panes, and the methods which are used to Select Items. Files and Folders may be copied from one Folder, to a different Folder, using the Drag-and-Drop method. Each Drag-and-Drop operation consists of the following actions: 1. Select the Source Item(s): These are the Files and/or Folders that you wish to copy From. Remember that multiple Files and/or Folders may be Selected in a ListView, but only one Folder may be Selected in a TreeView. 2. Begin the Drag: While the pointer is over one of the Selected items, hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse. You will see a Drag Icon which indicates the Source of the Drag: an Up Arrow is from the Local Computer; a Plus Sign is from an FTP Site. 3. Point To the Destination Item: While holding down the left mouse button, move the mouse pointer to the Folder or Drive that you wish to Copy To. You will notice that the Drag Pointer is displayed as a 'Stop Icon' (a circle with a slash) until the Drag Pointer is over a valid Destination Item. 4. 'Drop' the Files: The Drag is completed when the left mouse button is released. If the mouse pointer is over a valid Destination Item when the Drag is 'Dropped', then you will be prompted to verify that you wish to copy the Selected Source Items. Cancel Upload or Download: You may terminate an Upload or Download at any time by clicking the [Cancel File Transfer] button on the Communication Status screen. The file transfer will be immediately stopped, so if a file is currently being copied then it will not be an exact replication of its source. Panes That May Not Be Copied: You may not copy items between the following panes:
Right-Click Menu Clicking the right mouse button will cause a Dropdown Menu to be displayed. The following actions may be performed to the selected item:
HotKeys Manager Windows HotKeys allow you to easily run any program on your computer, by pressing [Ctrl+Alt+{Hotkey}]. For example, you can assign [Ctrl+Alt+W] to run MS Word, and [Ctrl+Alt+I] to run Internet Explorer. The HotKeys Manager screen displays 74 different HotKeys that can be assigned to different Shortcut Files (which are explained below). HotKeys Actions To perform an action from the HotKeys Manager screen, click a HotKey name (in one of the Key columns), and choose one of the following actions on the popup screen that is displayed:
Shortcut Files A Shortcut File is a small file that points to a different file on your computer. Rather than placing all your files on the desktop, you can select just the programs and files that you use frequently, and place links to those files on your desktop. When you modify or delete a Shortcut File, the original file is not affected. Shortcut Folders: Windows allows you to place Shortcut Files in the following three directories (which can be viewed using Windows Explorer):
This program does not allow you to edit or delete Shortcut Files. Instead, you can use the options that are shown when you right-click a Shortcut File from your desktop or Windows Explorer. IMPORTANT: If you rename a Shortcut File, the HotKey assigned to it may not work until you "Log off" from Windows, and then log back in. Email List Manager These three tabs on the FTPPro Email List Manager allow you to set parameters which are used to send outgoing email to Recipient Lists:
Setup Before sending email with the Email List Manager, first complete the following instructions (which are described in detail below): 1. Enter at least one Email Account (on the 1st tab). 2. Enter at least one Email Message (on the 2nd tab). 3. Enter Email Recipients (on the 3rd tab). Email Accounts On the 1st tab, complete all the required fields indicated by * and click [Add Account]. The Email Account Name will then be added to the listbox on the left side of the screen. If you do not know your Email Account settings, it is the same information that is shown in the Account Settings of MS Outlook. After you have added Email Accounts, you may select the Current Email Account by clicking its name in the listbox. That Email Account will then be shown at the top of the screen, and you may Edit or Delete the Account on the 1st tab. To add another new Email Account, click [New Account] (beneath the displayed Email Account). Server Port: For your Local ISP account, the Server Port is normally 25. Gmail and Hotmail use Port 587. Email Messages On the 2nd tab, enter a Message Name, Subject, and Body for the Email Message, and click [Add Message]. The Email Message Name will then be added to the listbox on the left side of the screen. After you have added Email Messages, you may select the Current Message by clicking its name in the listbox. That Email Message will then be shown at the top of the screen, and you may Edit or Delete the Message on the 2nd tab. To add another new Email Message, click [New Message] (beneath the displayed Email Message). Recipient Name Variable: You may insert each Recipient's Name anywhere in the Body of your Email Message, by adding the following Recipient Name variable: ~name. For example, you could start your email with each Recipient's name, by placing ~name as the first line of the Message Body. Recipient Lists On the 3rd tab, the Default List is initially added to the listbox on the left side. You may not Delete the Default List, since the program must always contain at least one Recipient List. To add another Recipient List, click [New Recipient List] (beneath the edit box for the displayed Recipient List). After you have added Recipient Lists, you may select the Current Recipient List by clicking its name in the listbox. That Recipient List will then be shown at the top of the screen, and you may Edit or Delete the Recipient List on the 3rd tab. Add and Edit Recipients: To Add a Recipient to the currently selected Recipient List, complete the Email field at the bottom of the screen (Recipient's Name is optional), and click [Add Email Recipient]. If the [Don't allow duplicate emails] box is checked (at the top of the screen), then each entry must have a unique email address. After you have added Recipients, you may Sort the entries by any column, by clicking a column heading once for an Ascending Sort, and a second time for a Descending Sort. To Edit or Delete a Recipient, click the [Edit] link on the right side of the Recipient's entry in the list. The Recipient's Name and Email will then be displayed in the textboxes at the bottom of the screen. Import Recipients: Clicking [Import from Text File] will display a screen allowing you to select a text file that contains records with Recipient Names and Email Addresses, which will be added to the currently selected Recipient List. In the text file, each record must be on a separate line, and the two fields must be surrounded by double-quotes and separated by commas. Here is an example of two records that may be imported from a text file:
The 2nd sample record does not contain a Recipient Name (which is an optional field), so the first field (on the 2nd line) is a blank field surrounded by quotes. If the [Don't allow duplicate emails] box is checked (at the top of the screen), then records with duplicate email addresses will not be imported to the Recipient List. Export Recipients: Clicking [Export to Text File] will display a screen allowing you to select the directory and name of a text file that will be created. The Recipient Names and Email Addresses in the currently selected Recipient List that are marked as Active will be Exported to that text file. If you wish to Export all records, then first click [Activate All]. The text file will be in the same format that was described in the previous section ("Import Recipients"). Send Email The [Send Email Messages] button will cause the selected Email Message to be sent to all Active Recipients in the selected Recipient List, using the Email Account that is shown on the upper-left section of the screen. Active Recipients: Emails are only sent to Recipients that are Active. The Active status of each Recipient is shown in the rightmost column of the table which displays Recipients. If the [Deactivate after sending] box is checked, Recipients are automatically marked as not being Active after an email has been sent to them. This feature will allow you to only send to Recipients that have not already received a particular email. The [Activate All] button will cause all Recipients in the selected Recipient List to be marked as Active. The [Deactivate All] button will cause all Recipients in the selected Recipient List to be marked as not being Active. Website Access Log Viewer PLEASE NOTE: The Website Access Log Viewer only works with Apache servers, and not with Windows servers. The Apache HTTP Server automatically creates Website Access Logs that contain data about every visit to your websites. The following three tabs on the FTPPro Website Access Log Viewer allow you to retrieve, filter, and sort that information:
Setup Before using the Website Access Log Viewer, you must first complete the following instructions: 1. Ask your web host for the path to your Access Log files. This path is normally /var/log/httpd. Enter that path into the [1. Access Log Path] field (at the top of the Setup tab). This directory's permission must be set to 755, so it is 'publicly readable'. 2. A php 'helper' file named FTPPro_RetrieveLogs.php has been included with this program. The Setup tab will display the actual path to this file on your computer. Load FTPPro_RetrieveLogs.php into a text editor (such as Notepad), and change the following line (located near the top of the file) so it contains a password that you select: $sPassword = "Enter your password here"; For example, if you wanted to use the password "obama", then you would change the line so it contains: $sPassword = "obama"; Enter that password in the [2. Password in php helper file] field. 3. Upload FTPPro_RetrieveLogs.php to your website. Enter the directory path that you uploaded it to, in the [3. URL for php helper file] field. 4. After you have completed the three fields at the top of the Setup tab, click [Save Changes]. Access Log Files If valid data was entered on the Setup tab, then this tab will display a list of Access Log Files, grouped by Domains. You may then select the files that you wish to retrieve entries from, by checking the boxes. If you check (or uncheck) a box next to a Domain name, then all the files for that Domain will be automatically checked (or unchecked). The buttons at the top of the page allow you to [Select All], [UnSelect All], or [Refresh] the display. After you have selected Access Log Files, click [Retrieve Entries], which will cause the entries to be displayed on the Access Log Entries tab. Criteria for Entries: The following two dropdown boxes (located at the top of the screen) allow you to filter the entries that are retrieved:
Access Log Entries A maximum of 1,000 entries may be retrieved from the Access Log Files that were selected on the previous tab, using criteria that is entered in the two dropdown boxes at the top of the screen. Sort Order: The [Order by] dropdown box allows you to sort entries by the following fields:
Display Unique IP Addresses: When this checkbox is checked, only Unique IP Addresses are displayed. This allows you to see how many unique users visited your website. Access Log Entry Detail: Clicking the Date/Time of any entry will cause the Access Log Entry Detail to be displayed. This will allow you to see the complete entries for fields that may have been truncated on the Access Log Entries tab. Tips For Using Access Logs Get IP Addresses from Email Message Headers: If you receive an email from someone, you can determine their IP address by displaying the Email Message Header. The following webpage describes how to display a Message Header using any of the popular webmail providers and email clients: Information about Email Message Headers You can then enter that person's IP Address in the [Text that must be in entries] dropdown box, to see webpages that they have visited on your websites. Please note that Gmail does not place the sender's IP Address in the Message Header. Who Has Visited Your MySpace Page? Many websites (including MySpace) allow you to place a link to an image that is stored on your website. This will cause an Access Log Entry to be created each time someone views that webpage. You can then search your Access Log Entries for that image filename, to see who has visited that webpage. Unfortunately, Facebook caches all images on their website, so you cannot use this technique with Facebook. Are Your Ads Working? By adding a parameter to the URL that points to your website, you can see how many hits you are receiving from a particular advertisement. For example, you could use the following URL in a Google AdWords ad: www.YourDomainName.com?AdSource=AdWords123 You could then search your Access Log Entries for "AdSource=AdWords123", to see a list of all visitors from that ad. Search by Date/Time: To search Access Log Entries by Date/Time, you must enter the Date/Time in the format that is used in the original Access Log Entry, which is: [24/Aug/2010:07:14:34 -0700] For example, if you want to retrieve entries for September 1 2010, then you would search for "01/Sep/2010". |