Member's Handbook - Web Pages

Once you have defined a connection (or session) to DM, you'll want to save it. Some software (like CuteFTP) lets you name the connection when you define it (see Figure 2) and automatically saves it. Other programs will prompt you to save and name the session when you close the program. In either case, name your connection "DM" and save it.

When you're ready to upload and download files, start your FTP software, select the saved connection called DM, and choose open or connect.

Uploading and Downloading Files

When you open a connection, you may get a confirmation screen that verifies that you have logged on. (See Figure 5.) Choose OK to clear this screen and begin working with files.

Most FTP software will display a menu, a toolbar, and two windows or panes; one window will be a folder or file manager view of your PC (the client) and one will be a folder or file manager view of the DM server. Depending on your FTP software, you'll see something like one of these:

The directory web_pages is where you will put your home page and all its graphics (web_pages corresponds to public_html on other systems). You may make as many subdirectories under web_pages as you want.

When you connect via FTP the first time, the files in you see in web_pages are the graphics and HTML that make up the default home page; you may delete them if you like.

When you upload or download a file with FTP, the file is copied to or from the server; the original file remains where it was unless you delete it or overwrite it.

Typically, you upload a file from your PC to the server by selecting it and choosing upload from the menu or toolbar. (To download a file from the server to your PC, select a server file and choose download or retrieve.) Most FTP programs allow you select more than one file at a time, and to drag the file name or icon from one window to the other to upload or download the file.

Be sure the local directory portion of your FTP software is set to the directory where your new web page is stored. (See Figures 3 and 4 - the directory names are at the top of the screens.) Upload your home page and all of its graphics files from your hard disk to the server.

If your home page is not named index.html, use your FTP software's rename function to name the copy of your page on our server index.html (this will overwrite the default page that DM built for you if you didn't delete it).

Common Problems

Here are the most common problems when you first upload your home page:

I can't see my page!

If the default page is still there or you get a "file not found" message, make sure that your page was uploaded to home/your.id/web_pages, not home/your.id. Make sure that you renamed your page index.html. (If your software does not support long file names, you may name your home page index.htm; in that case, delete the DM default index.html page.)

All my graphics are missing!

Be sure you uploaded your graphics. Be sure that the path to your graphics in your <IMG SRC> tags is the path in your webspace, not the path on your hard drive at home. Remember that Unix is case-sensitive; unicorn.gif is not the same as Unicorn.gif. If you're using our graphics library, make sure that the path is correct.

DM offers a web page counter that you may use on your DM home page. (See a sample of our counter and instructions for including it on your page.)

CGI

For security reasons, members may not include .CGI programs (including third-party counters) on their web pages.