Once Tatiana and I got our WordPress software installed, we needed to install a WordPress Theme to our website. In order to do so, we needed a way to move the Theme files we found on the internet over to our website. The only way to do this is by using an FTP program.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a way to move files around on the Internet or from your computer to the internet (i.e. uploading).

Originally, we used the free CoffeeCup Direct FTP but I always encountered FTP errors using this software; only half of my files were ever transferred, and I had to manually transfer the remaining files manually. If you want to read more about our trials and tribulations with CoffeeCup Direct FTP, please read Tatiana’s post on the matter.

So, our search was on for an easy to use tool that would work for us, and we found one (drum roll please….) – FileZilla!

I originally heard about this software while reading Lisa Sabin-Wilson’s book, WordPress for Dummies. In the book, she mentions several other free FTP programs to use such as WS_FTP, SmartFTP, and FTP Explorer. We haven’t tried any of these, but since her examples used FileZilla, we decided to give it a try. Also, the price was right – this software is Free!

Downloading the executable took less than 2 minutes from CNET Download.com. Installing it was just as quick (under 2 minutes) and was as simple as double-clicking the executable file, accepting all the defaults and letting it run.

When we first started the application, we received an automatic notification that a new version was available for installing. You have the option of downloading the updates right away, or deferring them to a later time. If you do decide to update the software at this time, it automatically starts up on its own once the update is complete. We (ok, maybe more so myself than Tatiana) found this to be a nice feature. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes forget to go looking for newer versions of my software to make sure I’m using the latest and greatest. Reminders work great with me!

Once the software launches you will see several sections in the software:

FileZilla screen layout

• Section 1: Message log – shows the connection status to your remote site. This section can be toggled on or off.
• Section 2: Local directory tree – shows the directory tree structure on your local site. This section can be toggled on or off.
• Section 3: Local site – shows the contents of your current directory on your local site.
• Section 4: Remote directory tree – shows the directory tree structure on your remote site. This section can be toggled on or off.
• Section 5: Remote site – shows the contents of your current directory on your remote site
• Section 6: Transfer queue – contains 3 tabs to show the progress of your file transfer. This section can also be toggled on or off. The 3 tabs are:

• Queued files – lists the file names as well as a running total of files that are being transferred. This running total starts decreasing as files are transferred to their destination.
• Failed transfers – lists the file names as well as a running total of files that failed during the transfer. This running total increases as any failures are encountered during the transfer. Note: so far, I haven’t seen any of my files appear in the section, which is a very good thing!
• Successful transfers – lists the file names as well as a running total of files that have been transferred. This running total increases as files are successfully transferred to their destination.

Transferring files between your local site and remote site is as simple as dragging-and-dropping your files from one side to the other. Should you be disconnected from your remote site in the middle of a file transfer, the FileZilla software will automatically reconnect itself, and continue with the transfer where it left off. How cool is that!

Other features of FileZilla are:

• Quickconnect – allows you to setup a quick connection simply by entering the Host name, Username, Password and Port number to the remote server. Hitting the Quickconnect button will then connect you to your remote server. Several connections can be saved in this manner. You can recall any of your previous entries by selecting the drop down list next to the Quickconnect button. You should know that if you happen to enter invalid connection information, it will still be retained by the Quickconnect option. I have not seen a way to delete erroneous entries here without deleting all other entries. I don’t think this is a really big deal, since the Site Manager feature exists.
• Site Manager – as you would expect with any FTP software, this is where you can permanently set up your connection information. One of the nice features of the Site Manager is that it allows you to setup default directories for both your local and remote sites. We used this feature to setup separate connections to our website for our WordPress themes and plugin directories.
• Directory Comparison – allows you to compare files between your local and remote server with a click of a button. This is very handy in order to see what differences exist between the files on your local site versus those on your remote site. This feature will highlight any file differences using colors;
  • Yellow – highlighted file only exists on one side (local or remote)
  • Green – highlighted file is newer than the unmarked file on the other side
  • Red – highlighted file size is different between the local and remote sites

We are still exploring all the features of FileZilla. Everything that was mentioned here we discovered within the first ½ hour of using the software. So, as you can see, it is very friendly and easy to use.

In case you wanted to know more about what other people are saying about FileZilla, here are some references:

1. Lisa Sabin-Wilson, author of WordPress for Dummies recommends FileZilla and it is the tool she uses herself as a blogger and web designer.
2. Ed Tittel & Jeff Noble referenced it in the HTML, XHTML, & CSS for Dummies. They say, “it’s fast and it’s an intuitive drag and drop interface”.
3. CNet Download.com, the Editor’s review states, “Straight forward and fast” and rates it 5 out of 5; users rate it 4 out of 5.

So, I finally get to FTP my files without problems! I would highly recommend FileZilla to anyone looking for a free, functioning, and user friendly interface for transferring files.

Cheers