Cozahost help - Publish your web site

The process of creating content is called web design and is done with an HTML editor (see the recommended list) or a content management system like NukeX.  An HTML editor looks and works like a word processor, but it produces a file with HTML code.  This HTML file must then be uploaded to your web server so that other people can download the file (with their web browsers) in order to view it.

There are several HTML editors around (see the recommended list), but if you do not have one already, give NVU a try.  It is freeware and it compares very well with expensive commercial alternatives.  Get a copy from their web site here or download directly from Cozahost.

If you need help to create (design) your site, then please see our list of resources for webmasters.

A web site can be updated in 3 ways:

• With FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
• With Microsoft FrontPage
• With an online content management system

Each of these methods are discussed below.
 

An FTP server is a server designed to upload and download files.

To use an FTP server, you have to install FTP client software on your PC.  (We recommend FileZilla, which is freeware)  Most web browsers (like Internet Explorer) have simple built-in FTP clients, but they are generally neither as good nor as easy to use as dedicated FTP clients.

Browsers are normally used to browse web pages via the HTTP protocol, for instance http://www.cozahost.com.  To use your browser as an FTP client, point your browser to an FTP server like this: ftp://ftp.saix.net. 

In order to publish (upload files) to your web server, you will need the following information:

• The name of your FTP server (this is typically ftp.[your-domain-name.co.za])
• A user id (created in your control panel)
• A password (set / created in your control panel)

All the information required to publish your site is listed in the email you received to let you know your server is ready.

Steps to publish content to your web server:

1. Download and install FileZilla.

2. Open file FileZilla on your computer and use the left pane to navigate to the content you want to publish on your computer

3. Type your server name (eg "ftp.cozahost.com"), user name and password into the address, user and password into the blocks provided on the FileZilla menu bar and press the "Quick Connect" button.

4. Once connected, select the files you want to publish from the pane on the left (on your computer) and drag and drop them to the pane on the right (your ftp/web server)

Note that your home page should be called default.asp or index.htm and you should publish the content to the (existing) /wwwroot folder on your server.

That's it!  If you visit your web site now (and press F5 to refresh the content) you will be able to view the pages you just uploaded.
 

Before you can publish with FrontPage however you need to enable FrontPage server extensions on your server - this is done in your control panel.

Note that once you enabled FrontPage server extensions, you will NOT be able to use FTP to publish your site due to the way FrontPage handles security and version control.

After you enabled FrontPage extensions, follow these steps to publish your web site:

1. Start FrontPage on your PC and open the web site on your computer

2. On the main menu, select "File" and then "Publish Site"

3. When prompted, supply the server you want to publish to (eg http://www.[your-domain-name.co.za]), the user ID as listed when you installed the extensions and the password you chose.

Note that you home page should be called default.asp or index.htm.

That's it! FrontPage will now publish to your web server.

For more information, help and tips on using FrontPage, please see the Microsoft FrontPage web site.