Overview
If you are installing Quikstore 3.0 to a Windows web server you probably don't need to read this article.
If however you are installing to one of the many flavors of Unix/Inux, and your Quikstore 3.0 package will not install correctly, you may find the following information helpful.
This simple FTP and CHMOD tutorial has been included because many people who download PHP/MySQL scripts have problems either uploading files or setting correct file permissions (CHMOD) to make the scripts work. Quikstore 3.0 is just such a script package.
This tutorial doesn't go into detail on the why's and wherefore's of how things work, but rather explains in a simple manner how to transfer your Quikstore files to your server and how to CHMOD them.
Choosing an FTP program
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. Just think of it as a way to transfer files to and from a server. To FTP files to your server you will need your FTP login information (FTP address, username and password) which you should get from your hosting company, and an FTP client program.
In this tutorial we will use the FileZilla FTP client. FileZilla is a very neat and useful program and best of all - it's FREE. But you can use any other FTP client though, such as CuteFTP, WS_FTP, etc. They all work in a more or less similar way, but some do not have the ability to change file permissions.
So if you don't have an FTP program already, go to FileZilla Homepage and download your free copy. Windows users make sure you download the .exe file!
Initial steps
Run the downloaded exe file and install FileZilla on your computer. The default installation settings are recommended for most users. After installation launch the program.
First of all you need to setup your website. To do that click the Site Manager icon (the very left icon on the toolbar, see Screenshot 1 below) or go to File > Site Manager.
Screenshot 1: FileZilla interface, mouse pointer on Site Manager button
The "Site Manager" window will open. To add a new site follow these steps:
- Click "New site" and type in the website name in the window above the button, for example "my website"
- On the right side under "Site details" enter your FTP address (for example ftp.mysite.com) and port. The default port 21 should work on most servers
- "FTP" should be selected under "Server type"
- "Logontype" must be set to "Normal" so you can type in your username and password below (the ones you got from your hosting company)
- If you want to make this your default site check the "Default site" radio button below
Your Site manager should now look something like Screenshot 2:
Screenshot 2: Site Manager
Now click "Connect" and wait a moment for FileZilla to connect to your server.
We've got a connection!
Note the two main windows of the program. The left one is "Local Site" (your computer) and the right one is "Remote Site" (your server). Once you are connected to the server you will see a bunch of folders and possibly some files in the right window. This is the root directory of you website. All your website files and folders should go to your public folder, usually called "public_html", "www" or "html". Open (double-click) your public folder and upload all your website files and folders here.
Screenshot 3: Connected to the FTP server
You can create new folders by right-clicking in the "Remote site" window and selecting "Create Directory". For example let's make a new directory for Quikstore 3.0 called "qs30". Right-click with your mouse in the "Remote Site" window, select "Create Directory" and type qs30 instead of New Folder, then click "OK" (see Screenshot 4). This directory would open if you typed http://www.mysite.com/qs30 in your browser. Simple, huh? You can always move one directory up by double-clicking the folder icon with two dots, which is always located at the top of directory listings.
Screenshot 4: Creating new directory
Great, now double-click the "qs30" directory. This is the place where you would for example transfer your Quikstore 3.0 files to.
To transfer files to the server double-click each file/folder in your "Local Site" window, or select all files/folders you want to transfer and drag them with your mouse to the "Remote Site" folder (make sure you don't select the icon for moving one directory up though!). You can select multiple files or folders by holding down the Control (Ctrl) key on your keyboard.
FileZilla will start transferring selected files to your server. You will see upload progress in the "Transfer Queue" window which is the bottom window in FileZilla
ASCII or Binary?
FileZilla will recognize common file types and use the correct transfer mode. If you want to be sure you are transferring files under the correct mode, go to menu bar (the top bar in FileZilla, where "File" and "Edit" buttons are), click Transfer > Transfer type and select either "ASCII" or "Binary". FileZilla will use the selected transfer mode until you change it. Select "Auto" to switch back to auto-detect of file types.
CHMOD
Once all the QS30 files are uploaded it is time to set correct file permissions, in other words to CHMOD files, to grant each file or directory the rights it requires to perform its particular function in the Quikstore program. Below is a list of the files/directories in Quikstore 3.0 that need CHMOD'ing. To do that just right-click on the file or directory name (the one on the server in the right hand panel, not your computer!) and select "File Attributes" from the menu. In the "Numeric value" field type the permissions attribute, eg. in the case of /images/thumbnail and /images/fullsize directories: 777 and click "OK" (Screenshot 6). That's it! Wasn't that hard, right?
Screenshot 6: Setting CHMOD to 666
Do the same for the other files and folders listed below.
/include - 755
/cp - 755
/image/thumbnail -777
/images/fullsize - 777
/utilities - 755
CHMOD on Windows servers
Not all server platforms understand the CHMOD command, Windows servers for example don't support CHMOD. Most Windows hosting plans only come with the cgi-bin folder pre-configured to allow files being writable by scripts. If you are having trouble installing your Quikstore 3.0 on a Windows server, you may need to ask your ISP to set the required read/write or execute permissions for you.