In this guide, we take a look at how we transfer files from your computer to your webhost. To do this we use a method known as FTP – File Transfer Protocol and some free software known as FileZilla.

To install a new store you will need to transfer the Fresh Store Builder files from your computer to your web host. This is simply a case of entering your password details into the software, connecting to your web host and dragging the files to the right place.

FTP Software

There are many ways you can connect to your web host via FTP (including in your web browser!) but in this guide we will choose one popular and free piece of software – FileZilla.

You can download FileZilla here: http://filezilla-project.org/. Once you have downloaded and installed this software continue below.

FileZilla Overview

Open FileZilla

On opening FileZilla, the top section shows you your connection status. Under that on the left hand side is your “local browser” which shows you the files on your computer (the same as Windows Explorer). We will be using this to drag the Fresh Store Builder files over to your hosting account, which will be on the right hand side. You can also drag files from any Windows Explorer window if you prefer.

To connect to your hosting account you can use the input boxes at the top to immediately connect but since you will likely have more sites to add in the future, we will introduce you to the “Site Manager” feature. This will store your site login details for you so you can easily log back in anytime.

Using FileZilla to Upload Fresh Store Builder

Site Manager

1. At the top of FileZilla, hit “file” and select “site manager” from the drop down list. A pop-up window will appear. Select “new site” button on the left side and then type the name of the site you are adding. You can put anything you like as this is just a nick-name for you to remember which site it is.

After that you will need to enter some information your host should have provided you in their welcome email to you. Specifically, you need: “host address” (or IP address, can also just be your domain name), your user login and your password. You can typically use your domain name as your host address. Under the “logon type” pulldown menu select “normal” and enter your user login name and password (found in your Host Gator welcome email)

2. Once you have your host name, user login and password entered hit “Ok” to save the login information. Now go back up to “File” then hit “Site Manager” and your site should be listed. You can now easily select the site in the left box and click the “Connect” button at the bottom.

After connecting in your hosting account a list of files and folders should be displayed in the right hand side of FileZilla. In this list you should see a directory called “public_html”. Typically, this directory is linked to your website so any files added here will become available on the web via your domain name. i.e. if you upload a file called “sausages.txt” you will then be able to access that file by visiting www.yoursite.com/sausages.txt

Important Note – different hosting accounts may have different folders for the website files. The most common ones are simply “public_html” as described above and subfolders inside “public_html” such as “yourwebsite.com”. To check which is the right folder you can upload a simple file (i.e. “sausages.txt” or a picture) and then try to access it via your domain i.e. http://www.mysite.com/mypicture.jpg. You can also check with your hosting company support.

3. On the left side “local” box navigate to where you have downloaded and unzipped your Fresh Store Builder file. Inside that folder you should many files and folders – all the files in here need to be uploaded to your web host.

4. On the right side, make sure you have navigated into your public_html (or relevant) directory as described above. Now select all the files and folders in the left box from your local computer and drag them all to an empty area in the right box on your host. This will begin the upload process. Depending on your connection this should take serveral mintues. You can watch the process as the files are uploaded one at a time.

After all the folders/files have been copied over you should see the identical contents in both windows…besides the few extra files that were already in your public_html directory on your host.

Final Word

You can use FTP to upload extra images, changes you have made to the HTML/CSS and also remove files or folders. After you have completed the Fresh Store Builder install you will need to delete the “install” directory – we will detail that in another guide.

Remember that any changes you make via FTP are instant and unrecoverable – there is no recycle bin or undo button. Take a look at our guide for keeping backups to make sure you are prepared should the worst happen.

Your site files are now on your web host and your site is ready to be installed.