The LIS 458 "I'm Not a Tech Person" FTP Cheat Sheet

1. The "index.html" Rule

The Problem: You upload everything, but when you go to your URL, you see a "403 Forbidden" error or a messy list of files.

The Fix: Every website must have a file named exactly index.html.

• It must be all lowercase.
• It must be in the main folder (not hidden inside a sub-folder).
• The server looks for this specific name to know which page is your "Home" page.

2. Case Sensitivity (Capital Letters Matter!)

The Problem: Your images show up on your computer, but they are "broken" icons on the website.

The Fix: Most web servers use Linux, which sees Picture.jpg and picture.jpg as two different files.

• Best Practice: Always use lowercase for every file and folder name.
• If your code says <img src="dog.jpg"> but your file is named Dog.jpg, it will not work.

3. No Spaces in Filenames

The Problem: Your links are breaking or showing weird symbols like %20.

The Fix: Web URLs do not like spaces.

• Bad: my project.html
• Good: my-project.html or my_project.html
• Tip: Use a hyphen - or an underscore _ instead of the spacebar.

4. The "Local vs. Remote" Concept

The Problem: You changed your code, but the website still looks the same.

The Fix: Remember that you are working with two separate "worlds."

• Local Side: The files sitting on your laptop. Changing these does not update the website.
• Remote Side: The files on the server (the "Cloud").
• The Workflow: Edit locally → Save → Upload again (Overwrite) → Refresh Browser.

5. The "Invisible" .txt Extension

The Problem: Your file is named index.html, but it opens in a text editor instead of a browser.

The Fix: Your computer might be hiding a secret extension (e.g., index.html.txt).

Check "File name extensions" in Windows View tab or "Get Info" on Mac.

6. Refreshing Your Browser

The Problem: You uploaded the fix, but the website still looks broken.

The Fix: Browsers save old versions in their "Cache."

The Trick: Hold Shift while you click the Refresh button to force a fresh grab of your upload.

7. Master Copy

Always keep a "Master Copy" of your project in a folder on your computer. Never use the FTP server as your only storage spot—if the server crashes or you accidentally delete a folder, you want that backup ready to go!

8. Common Error Messages

• "Authentication Failed": Your Username or Password has a typo. Check for extra spaces!
• "Connection Timed Out": The Wi-Fi you're connected to might be blocking FTP. Try a different network.
• "Permission Denied": You are trying to upload to a folder you aren't allowed to touch. Make sure you are inside public_html.
• "404 Not Found": You either didn't upload the file, or you named it differently than the link in your code.