The File Transfer Window

Overview

The File Transfer Window is the work horse window for Get-It. After a connection to a host machine has been established, all file tranfer and related activities are done through this window.

Introduction

The file transfer window conveys a lot of information in a highly efficient manner. Understanding the anatomy of the file transfer window is the first step in really utilizing the power of Get-It.

The file transfer window is pretty symmetric between its right and left sides. On the outside edges of each side are two dominant text fields. Going right up the center of the window are two columns of push buttons. If you picture an imaginary line that goes vertically right between the two columns of buttons, then you've already grasped how most of the window is organized. Specifically, to the left of this imaginary line are push buttons and text that are specific to your local machine. To the right are push buttons and text that are specific to the host machine.

Because most of the push buttons in the file transfer window are duplicated on each side of the imaginary line, only one description for each common button is given. Buttons that are specific to the client and the server are covered at the end of this chapter.

Directory Operations

The portion of the file transfer window below the "Directory" label and above the "Files" label deals exclusively with directories on the client and the server. The two text fields in this region (one on each side of the imaginary line) list the folders that are currently available at this level in the file system. Each directory can be selected by clicking, and opened by double-clicking. The ".." at the top of most directory listings moves you up one level in the directory hierarchy when double-clicked.

The push buttons in the directory section and the equivalent items in the Directory menu do the following:

Moves you up one level in the directory hierarchy. If the client side button is pressed, the client side working directory is moved up on level. If the server side button is pressed, the working directory is changed on the server side.
Opens the selected directory. If no directory is selected, you are prompted to enter a directory or directory path (useful when working with invisible directories). The client side button operates on the client directories, the server side button on the server directories.
Creates a new directory, prompting you for the directory name. To create a new directory on your local machine, use the client side button. To create a new directory on the host, use the server side button.
Removes the selected directory and its contents from a machine. To remove a selected directory from your local machine, press the client side Remove button. To remove a selected directory from the host machine, press the server side Remove button.
Renames the selected directory to a name of your choosing. To rename a directory on your local machine, use the client side button. To rename a directory on the host, use the server side button.
Copies an entire directory from one machine to the other. To use this button, first select the directory that you wish to move, then press this button on the destination machine. The destination machine is the machine you want to copy this directory to.

File Operations

The portion of the file transfer window below the "Files" label deals exclusively with files on the client and the server. The two text fields in this region (one on each side of the imaginary line) list the files that are currently available at this level in the file system. Each file can be selected by clicking.

The push buttons in the files section and the equivalent items in the Files menu do the following:

Copies the selected file(s) from one machine to the other. To use this feature, first select the file(s) that you wish to move, then press this button on the destination machine. The destination machine is the machine you want to copy this file to.
Copies all of the files in the current directory from one machine to the other. To use this feature, press this button on the destination machine. The destination machine is the machine you want to copy the files to.
Reloads the file listing on the selected machine. The file list can change after being displayed based on your actions or the actions of others. To reload the file list on your local machine, press the client side Reload button. To reload the file list for the server machine, press the server side Reload button.
Deletes the selected file(s) from a machine. To delete the selected file(s) from your local machine, press the client side Remove button. To delete the selected file(s) from the host machine, press the server side Remove button.
Displays the selected file locally for your viewing. Every file that can normally be displayed by double-clicking on its icon can be displayed using this feature.
Renames the selected file to a name of your choosing. To rename a file on your local machine, use the client side button. To rename a file on the host, use the server side button.
Operating in conjunction with the other file functions, this check box indicates that the file should be treated as ASCII text. When this option is not checked, a file is transferred byte for byte from one machine to the other. When this option is checked, the file is treated as text. Specifically, some operating sytems expect a carraige return and a line feed character at the end of each line of text, while others only expect one of these characters. Checking the ASCII box ensures that the text file will be converted to the proper format for the destination machine. However, non-ASCII files can be easily corrupted by erroneously leaving this box checked for file transfer.
Selects all of the files on the appropriate machine. To select all of the files on your local machine, select the client side All button. To select all of the files on the host machine, select the server side All button.
Clears (de-selects) all selections on the appropriate machine. To clear all selections on your local machine, press the client side Clear button. To clear all selections on the host machine, press the server side Clear button.

Additional Buttons

There are six additional buttons in the transfer window that provide information or post-transfer processing on files accessible to Get-It.

GUnZip uncompresses files that have been compressed using the GNU zip file compression utility. These files usually (but not always) have a ".gz" as the last three characters of the file name. GUnZip only operates on files on your local machine.
UnTar restores an archived file (i.e. a file created using the "tar" utility) to its original file or directory hierarchy form. These files usually (but not always) have a ".tar" as the last four characters of the file name. UnTar only operates on files on your local machine.
UnZip uncompresses files that have been compressed using the Zip file compression utility. These files usually (but not always) have a ".zip" as the last four characters of the file name. UnZip only operates on files on your local machine.
LogInfo displays the file transfer log for this connection.
DirInfo displays directory status and information for the current directory.
Logout breaks the connection with the server machine. Once the connection has been broken, it must be reestablished before more file transfers can take place.

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