There are many ways to upload files to your hosting server. The hardest way is to use File Manager within your hosting program. Yes, you can use this but it will take a very long time and require you to work quite a bit. The better way to upload files to your host is to use an FTP. FTP = File Transfer Protocol and is a tool that uploads files from your computer to the location of your choice (i.e. your host’s server). Better FTPs will also download and the best will allow you to edit files without needing to download them to your computer.

I’ve used several, including Dreamweaver (a very expensive HTML editor) and free programs. The absolute best FTP I’ve used is called CoffeeCup Direct FTP. There is a free version of this FTP but if you are building BANS sites and intend to create more than a few and/or edit the look of your sites then you will really appreciate the features found in CoffeeCup Direct FTP.

The reasons I love this FTP include:

• It is fast - I no longer upload files via Dreamweaver which is slow at uploading and tends to disconnect. I work on them in Dreamweaver, save them, and upload files with CoffeeCup Direct FTP.
• I can drag-and-drop files and folders into CoffeeCup Direct FTP. This is handy if I already have a folder open with files I want to upload because I don’t have to navigate within the program to what I’m looking for. This is a great time saver.
• I can see all documents on my hosting server. I’ve read messages in the BANS forum where people can’t find certain files (such as .htaccess) that they want to edit. This includes people who are looking for the files from their hosting account’s File Manager. Some hosting sites hide certain files from their users. CoffeeCup Direct FTP shows me all files.
• I can edit files from within CoffeeCup Direct FTP. This includes permissions which you need to edit when setting up new BANS sites.

CoffeeCup Direct FTP is a program I keep open most of the day when I’m working on my BANS sites. It was well worth the cost of registering.

You can try CoffeeCup Direct FTP for 30 days. The trial version is fully functional so you can decide for yourself if it works as well for you as it does for me. Perhaps best of all is that you get free updates for life with any program you purchase from CoffeeCup (they have a few other great tools for BANS users that I will discuss in future posts). This means you don’t need to pay for a better version of the software no matter when CoffeeCup releases it.

Rochelle