Copyright: Copyright 1995 QPC Software. All rights reserved.


Table of Contents
QVT/FTP Help

Opening an FTP Session

The Trace Window

Navigating the Local Filesystem

Navigating the Remote Filesystem

Transferring Files

Filesystem Maintenance Operations

The Command-Line Interface

Setup

Special Features


Opening a Session
Opening an FTP Session

To open an FTP session, go to the 'File' menu, and select 'Open'. This will bring a dialog box that will allow you to enter your login information.

This dialog includes four input fields:

Host	The name or IP address of the target system

Username	Your login username

Password	Your login password

IP Port	The IP port to connect to on the remote system (default 21)

You must provide input to all of these fields before you will be allowed to initiate an FTP session.

There also two checkboxes:

Anonymous Login

Check this box to perform a one-step 'anonymous' login. QVT/FTP will supply the username 'anonymous', and you return email address as the password. The email address is supplied by entering it into the Preferences dialog.

Set as Default

Identifies the specified host as the 'default' for future logins

When you are ready to proceed, click on 'Ok' and QVT/FTP will connect to the specified host, and log you on under the specified username and password. After a session is established, QVT/FTP will obtain a listing of the initial login directory, and display the result in the right-hand side of the main window (under the heading Remote Filesystem).


Trace Window
The Trace Window

QVT/FTP is implemented in a pair of windows. The first is the main application window, which will always be present when you run QVT/FTP. The second is the optional 'trace window', which is used to display the details of the FTP client/server dialog as you execute commands.

Outgoing commands are prefixed by a 'C:', and server responses are prefixed by 'S:'.

The trace window can be turned on and off from the 'File' menu.


The Local Filesystem
Navigating the Local Filesystem

QVT/FTP displays the local filesystem in two listboxes, located on the left-hand side of the main window. The upper list contains directories, and the lower list contains directories. Just above the directory list is a static text window which always shows the current directory. To the right is a drop-down combo-box that you can use to change drives.

Most of your activity in the local filesystem will consist of two operations: changing directories, and changing drives.

To Change Directories

To change to a new directory, either a subdirectory, or the parent directory, just double-click on the target directory.

To Change Drives

Changing drives is accomplished by selecting the new target drive from the drive list which is located just above the directory list.


The Remote Filesystem
Navigating the Remote Filesystem

QVT/FTP displays the local filesystem in two listboxes, located on the left-hand side of the main window. The upper list contains directories, and the lower list contains directories. Just above the directory list is a static text window which always shows the current directory.

Navigating through the remote filesystem consists largely of moving up and down in the directory tree.

Changing to a Subdirectory

To change to a subdirectory, simply double-click on the target directory.

Changing to the Parent Directory

To change to the directory that is the parent of the current directory, click on the 'CD Up' button. Note that this operation will not be permitted if you are currently attached to the root directory.

In both cases, QVT/FTP will change to the specified new remote directory, then repopulate the screen with the directory and file listings which belong to the new current directory.

Note:

Sometimes the FTP server will not correctly identify all directories in response to an NLST command; this is most likely to occur if a directory name is implemented as a 'link'. When this happens, the misidentified directories will be placed by QVT/FTP in the 'Files' portion of the Remote Filesystem display, rather than in the 'Directories' portion. If you see a name, that you know to be a directory, in the 'Files' window, you can still change to it by double-clicking on it. An attempt to 'change directory' to a name that is actually a file will result in a harmless error.


Transferring Files

With QVT/FTP, file transfer is done using the drag-and-drop method. Regardless of which direction you are going, the procedure is the same:

Select the files that you want to transfer from the source side

Drag the files over to the other side of the window.

To copy the source files to the default directory on the target filesystem, release the files somewhere over the destination file list. To copy the source files to a subdirectory on the target filesystem, you should drop the files onto the destination directory.

Once you have 'dropped' the files over the target, a new dialog will pop up:

This dialog will give you a display showing the files that have been selected for transfer. The transfer will not begin until you click on 'Ok'. Before doing so, however, you should make sure that the transfer mode is correct for the selected file(s), either 'Text' or 'Binary'. The default mode may not necessarily be the right mode for this transfer.

Click on 'Ok' to begin the transfer, or 'Cancel' to dismiss the dialog and cancel the file transfer.

A transfer can be terminated while in-progress by clicking on 'Abort'. Note, however, that if you abort a download, there may be a delay before you regain control of the application.

A Note on Filenames

Microsoft operating systems allow for long, mixed-case filenames that can contain blank spaces. This means that there needs to be little or no modifications made to the names of received files. This differs considerably from the DOS environment, with its '8.3' filename format.

There may, however, be problems when uploading files, especially if the source filename contains blanks. QVT/FTP will not attempt to shorten outgoing filenames, or force them to upper or lower case. Blanks, however, will be replaced by underscore characters ('_'), to allow for the likelihood that the receiving system does not support filenames with blanks.


Filesystem Maintenance
Filesystem Maintenance Operations

In addition to transferring files, QVT/FTP can be used to perform a few common maintenance operations. Among the supported functions are:

Deleting Files

QVT/FTP can delete files on both the local and remote filesystems. There are two ways to delete files:

Select the file(s) that you want to delete, and drag them over to the 'trashcan' icon.

Select the file(s) that you want to delete, then click the right mouse button. This will bring up a popup menu, and two of the options on this menu will refer to deleting files. The first option will allow you to delete only the file whose name lies right underneath the cursor. The second option will allow you to delete all of the selected files.

Be careful, because the file(s) will be deleted immediately, no confirmation is required!

Renaming Files

Files are renamed using the standard Windows 95 method. First select the file by single-clicking on it. Then, after a short delay, click on the filename a second time; make sure that the delay between the clicks is long enough so that it will not be interpreted as a double-click. Also, be sure to click on the actual filename itself, not on the small icon which is located just to the left of the filename.

After the second click, the filename will be highlighted, and you can now type in the new name for the file. When finished, press the <Enter> key.

Creating Directories

To create a directory, simply click on the 'New' button which is located under the directory-name display; there is one for each filesystem, local and remote. This will bring up a small dialog box that you can use to enter the name of the new directory.

Removing Directories

To delete a directory, select the directory from the list, and drag it over to the 'trashcan' icon. After you 'drop' the name on the icon, a confirmation dialog will pop up:

Renaming Local Directories

Local directories can also be renamed, using the same method as that used for renaming files. Remote directories cannot be renamed.


Command Line Interface
The Command-Line Interface

In addition to the mouse-driven user interface, QVT/FTP also allows you to enter FTP commands directly from the keyboard. This can often be convenient, since it sometimes allows you to carry out in a single command what might otherwise require a series of mouse operations. For example, to move down three levels in a directory tree will require three mouse commands, but only a single command from the keyboard.

In addition, there are some capabilities which are available only via the command-line interface. For example, if you want to limit the file listing to files whose names match a selection string, you can do this from the command line using the 'LS' command (see below).

The FTP command-input area is located along the bottom the main QVT/FTP window. To enter a command, place the mouse cursor into the field, type the command, and press <Enter> (or click on 'Go'). Your FTP command will be executed, and the window will clear when it is ready to accept another command. All commands are stored, and you can retrieve an earlier command by clicking on the down-arrow.

The following FTP commands are supported:

OPEN

Opens a new FTP session. Syntax is:

OPEN <host> <username> <password>

ASCII

Sets the transfer mode to 'text'

BINARY

Sets the transfer mode to 'binary'

PASSIVE

Puts QVT/FTP into 'passive' mode. In this mode, the data connection is initiated by the client rather than the server. Passive mode is often required by FTP servers that sit behind firewalls.

LCD

Changes the local directory. Syntax is:

LCD <directory>

CD

Changes the remote directory. Syntax is:

CD <directory>

CDUP

Changes the remote directory to the parent directory.

LS

Lists the remote directory. You can provide a selection mask:

LS [<mask>]

For example:

LS *.txt

LLS

Lists the local directory. An optional selection mask can be used:

LLS [<mask>]

MKDIR

Create a directory on the remote system.

MKDIR <directory>

RMDIR

Delete a directory on the remote system.

RMDIR <directory>

SEND/PUT

Upload a file to the remote machine:

SEND <filename> [<remote filename>]

RECV/GET

Download a file from the remote machine:

RECV <filename> [<local filename>]

MPUT

Upload multiple files to the remote machine. If a file-selection mask is not used, all files in the current local  directory will be uploaded.

MPUT [<mask>]

MGET

Download multiple files from the remote machine. If no file-selection mask is used, all files in the current remote directory will be downloaded.

MGET [<mask>]

RM/DELE

Delete a remote file.

RM <filename>

RENAME

Rename a remote file. Both the current and new names are required.

RENAME <old filename> <new filename>

QUOTE

Sends a verbatim command.

QUOTE <command line>

CLOSE

Closes the current FTP session.

Note: where a filename argument is called for, make sure that you enclose long filenames, especially those which include blanks, in double quotes:

"This is a Long Filename"


QVT/FTP Setup
Setup

QVT/FTP doesn't involve much setup. There are, however, a few configurable items that can be used profitably. To access the Setup dialog, select the 'Setup - Preferences' menuitem. This will bring up the main setup dialog:

This dialog contains the following items:

Default Host

This will be the host that will be selected by default when the Open Session dialog is initially displayed. The Username and Password fields will be filled in with the values that are appropriate to that host.

Default Directory

The local directory that will be displayed in the Local Filesystem side of the main window when QVT/FTP is first started.

Default Editor

This item is used by the Execute File command. The value of this item should be the name of the application that should be run if no other application can be associated with an 'execute' file. We recommend that you supply the fully-qualified pathname of the application.

SMTP Host

The name or IP address of the host to call when sending a file via email. Used by the Mail File command.

Email Address

Your return email address. Required by the one-step anonymous login feature, and also used by the Mail File command.

Notification

The name of a .WAV file that will be played at the conclusion of a file transfer.

Show Trace Window

This checkbox indicates whether the Trace Window will be displayed when QVT/FTP is launched.


Special Features

QVT/FTP provides some special features that extend its functionality.

File Properties

QVT/FTP normally displays on file and directory names, with no additional information. You can, however, obtain detailed information on any selected object by right-clicking on the name of the object. This will bring up a popup menu, and the first item on the menu will be 'Properties'. By selecting this item, you can obtain the detail information on the selected object, including the file size and date.

Here is the 'Properties display for a local file:

... and for a remote file:

Executing Files

With QVT/FTP, you can launch either program or document files by dragging the filename and dropping it on the 'running man' icon. This can be done for either local or remote files.

If the file is a remote file, it will first be downloaded. Afterward, QVT/FTP will try and find the appropriate strategy for executing the file. If it is an EXE file, it will be launched as an application. In all other cases, an application will looked for that can process the file as a document. If none is found, you will be prompted for an application name:

Mailing Files

You can use QVT/FTP to mail a file to someone on the Net. This is done by dragging the filename and dropping on the 'envelope' icon. This will bring up this dialog:

All you have to do is fill in the missing items - particularly the 'Mail To' field - and click on 'Ok'. You can save some keystrokes by using the Preferences dialog to assign default values for 'SMTP Host' and 'Return Address'.

Note that all files will be send in uuencoded form!

Log File

QVT/FTP allows you to capture your FTP session to a disk file. All FTP commands, and server responses, will be recorded. The name of the logfile will be 'ftp.log'.

Script Files

QVT/FTP allows you to create a file containing a series of FTP commands, and then execute the script file in batch mode. After you select the 'File - Execute Script' menuitem, you will be prompted for the name of the script file. The commands will then be read from the file and given to the command processor for execution.

All commands must be acceptable to the command-line processor.

Here is a simple QVT/FTP script:

open mysys smithj secret

cd src

ascii

prompt off

mget *.c

close

Right Mouse-button Support

QVT/FTP takes advantage of the right mouse button to provide you with context-sensitive access to several commands. By clicking the right button over a filename, you will be able to:

Look at an extended description of the file ('Properties')

Execute the file

Delete the file

Delete all 'selected' files