Overview
i.Ftp is a simple cross platform
file transfer program (Win32, Linux, BeOS). It supports
FTP (File Transfer Protocol),
SFTP
(SSH File Transfer Protocol) and
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).
Install/Uninstall
The binary for i.Ftp is a self installing setup executable. But once installed to
a folder the program is completely self contained and can be copied or moved to
another folder using a file manager. The uninstaller is provided for user's
convenience, you could uninstall the program equally well by just deleting the folder
containing it.
Command Line Arguments
You can drive i.Ftp from the command line via optional cmd line arguments:
-o<filename> Set the options file. -x Exit after operations complete. -over Overwrite target file. -s The source file. Either an ftp:// url or a local path. -d The destination file. Either an ftp:// url or a local path.
Connecting To Servers
To connect to a server you need to enter the address and other relevant details into the "Connect"
window which you can access via the File->Connect menu or the "Connect" toolbar button (looks like
a wire with a socket outlined in yellow). The connect dialog has the following fields:
History / Add / Delete The history selector and Add/Delete buttons allow you to store account settings that persist between sessions. To create a new record, click "Add", enter a name and then fill out all the details. This will then be available until you delete it. By default the connect window doesn't store server settings permanently, shown by the history list starting on "(temporary)". If you select an existing account in the list, all the field change to that account's settings. You can edit them or connect using the "Connect" button. To delete an account, just select it and press the "Delete" button. You can also select an account to connect to via the main window's "Accounts" menu. Host Address / URL This is the address to connect to, it should be a host name like "ftp.host.com" or an IP address like "192.168.0.1". This is a required field. You can also paste/type a complete ftp:// URI into this field and i.Ftp will decode all the parameters into the relevant fields when you connect. Port The port to connect to. This is usually 21 for FTP connections, but may be something else depending on the way the server is set up. SFTP connections are usually on port 22. User ID This is the username to use for authentication, if blank it's assumed you want an anonymous connection, which is supported by some servers. Password The password to use for authentication, or blank. Initial Remote Directory The directory to go to on the server once the connection is established. Can be blank for no action. Initial Local Directory The local directory to go to once the connection is established. Can be blank for no action. Anonymous Login This should be set if you want an anonymous login, it will usually be auto-populated depending on whether the user name has been filled out. Use Active Transfers Only If you are having trouble with listing files on the server or sending / receiving files then you may need to use Active Transfers. An active transfer is where instead of the FTP program connecting out (passive transfers) to the server for the data connection (to receive a folder listing or transfer a file) the server connects back to the client. The normal "passive" transfers work well through a firewall. But some servers/proxies don't understand passive transfers, and then you need to switch on this option. Force simple "LIST" Usually a FTP server can accept parameters on the end of a LIST command, but sometimes they can't. If you get an error trying to list files on the server, try switching this option on. Sftp (Secure FTP over SSH) If you want to make an SFTP connection instead of an FTP connection, switch this option on. You will need to have installed the SFTP capable version of i.Ftp to use this option. Proxy: Socks5 Server / User / Password In the case that you can provided access to the internet via a SOCKS5 proxy then you will need to fill out these fields with the details of your proxy server. These fields are global and don't need to be set for each account.
Mode
The mode menu lets you switch between ASCII and Binary transfers. In ASCII mode the file is converted to
the native text file format for the server. This usually means linefeed only for end of line markers.
This is useful for text files but will corrupt a binary file.
You can however force certain types of files to always be transfered as ASCII or Binary. Open the options
using the File->Options menu and then specify the extensions in the fields named
"Automatically transfer as...". Use wildcards to match different extensions e.g. "*.gif *.zip *.jpg" would
be useful in the "Automatically transfer these file types as binary" field. When i.Ftp is transfering a file
that matches one of these wildcards the "Mode" menu option will be ignored and the specified mode used
instead.
Connected State Operation
Once connected you will see a list of files (if any) on the server in the right hand pane. The files on the
local side are in the left hand pane. You can now change folder on either panel, and start transfering files.
To upload a file, select it on the local side (left hand pane) and then click the "Transfer" button above the
pane (a green up arrow) and the transfer will begin. To download a file, first select it in the remote (right
hand pane) and then click the "Transfer" button in the right hand pane (green up arrow). While the transfer is
active the status bar at the very bottom of the main window will show some statistics about the transfer. The
fields from left to right are:
You can select a whole folder, or multiple files and folders and select transfer on the relevant pane to queue up a list of transfers. The number of queued items is show at the bottom left on the menu window. The other button in the toolbar for each pane let you create folders, delete items, open files and move to the parent folder or refresh the view. The labels let you know what they are. If you can't see labels then right click on the buttons and select "Show Text Labels". The delete function deletes all the selected items, including folders and all their contents. Delete confirmation can be switched on or off in the options (File->Options menu).
Transfer Rate Throttle This is a selector that lets you throttle the transfer so that not all the available bandwidth is used. This is used for allowing other application use the available connection bandwidth, or for keeping a low profile :) To use this option first set the scale appropriate for your connection by clicking on the "No Limit" label. A menu of speeds will appear and you should select which is closest to the amount of bandwidth available. A dialup modem is about 56K, ADSL modem is 256K or 512K or 1500K or more. A cable modem can be 8000K, other connections can be higher again. Then select the amount of the connection to use by sliding the control to the left. This sets a percentage of the bandwidth to use. If you want full speed again, slider the knob to the very right until it says "No Limit" again. Throughput History This field is a neat little graph of the throughput history showing you what sort of transfer you are getting over time. The number beside it is the scale of the graph, which equals the largest throughput you have received during the period being graphed. Numerical Progress This shows you in numbers how much has been transfered, and the total transfer size. Graphical Progress A simple graphical progress bar. Average Data Rate This shows the average data throughput rate over the entire transfer. Time Remaining This field shows an approximate time left for the transfer to complete based on the average rate and position in the transfer.