XGETFTP(1) XGETFTP(1)
NAME
xgetftp - an X-based tool for browsing and retrieving files from ftp
sites
SYNOPSIS
xgetftp [ -q ] [ hostname ]
DESCRIPTION
xgetftp is a sophisticated browsing and file retrieval tool for ftp.
It has an X-window user-interface based on the Motif widget set.
Available features include caching of directories, simple
file/directory retrieval, remote text file viewing, caching of viewed
files, and re-use of previously cached files and directories, and also
a simple interface to Archie.
OPTIONS
-q This is the "quiet" flag, which will disable the printing of
responses from the ftp server to standard output.
hostname
If a hostname is given at startup, the program will attempt to
connect to that host using the anonymous login.
USER INTERFACE
The user interface is organized as follows:
Main Window
Pops up after program is started, and contains the entire user
interface.
File List Window
Holds a list of all items in a given directory on the remote
host. The user can manipulate the files and directories in this
window by either single-clicking or double-clicking on a file or
directory. A double click on a directory will move the user
'into' that directory and the contents will be displayed in the
File List Window. A single-click selects the file or directory
for further action (see below). Multiple files and/or
directories may be selected by dragging with the mouse.
Current Directory Name
Holds complete pathname of current remote directory.
Status Line
Located at the very bottom of the main window, this tells the
user what host is currently connected to, what file is being
retrieved, and when the retrieval is complete. Information about
deletion and saving of caches is also given on the status line.
Command Buttons
For performing actions on selected items (see below).
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XGETFTP(1) XGETFTP(1)
Mode Buttons
For selecting Ascii/Binary mode. Simply clicking on one of the
buttons selects the appropriate mode. The default mode is
binary.
Menus
For other interaction (see below).
COMMANDS
There are three command buttons, located below the menu:
View
The user can view a selected remote file in a separate window.
Viewed files may be cached, if caching is turned on (the
default). Files will be cached in a directory called the "cache
root" -- this is normally the directory $HOME/.xgetftpcachedir .
However, the user may specify an alternative directory using the
environment variable $XGETFTPCACHEDIR. Within the cache root
directory, each host has its own directory, which has the same
name as the complete host address -- this is known as the "host
cache root". All the cache information for a host will be stored
it's cache root. The cache directory will be created
automatically when needed.
When the "view" command is given, a separate child window will
pop up and the contents of the file will be displayed in it. The
user can navigate through the contents by using the scroll bar.
Pressing the "Done" button will close the view window.
Note that if the file to be viewed has a ".Z" prefix, it will be
uncompressed within the cache and the uncompressed version will
be shown.
Retrieve
All the selected files and directories will be retrieved from the
remote host and stored in the "Destination Directory". The
Destination Directory is the user's current working directory by
default.
Cd Up
This moves the user up the remote directory hierarchy.
MENUS
File Menu
About xgetftp...
Gives some information about the program.
Set Preferences...
Allows the user to set and save preferences. Preferences may be
saved, and are stored in the file $HOME/.xgetftp.
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XGETFTP(1) XGETFTP(1)
The user preferences are:
Cache View - Whether to cache remote files viewed
Reuse View - Whether to reuse previously cached/viewed files
Reuse Dir - Whether to reuse previously cached directory
information
Autosave Dir - Whether to save directory information upon
disconnection or exit
Confirm - Confirm cache reuse
Exit
Exits the program.
Ftp Menu
Open Connection...
Closes the current connection and pops up a window to prompt the
user for a hostname, username and password. If the "autosave
dir" preference is set, the directory cache for the current
connection will be saved before the connection is closed.
In the Open Connection window, the username is initially set to
"anonymous", in which case the password entry is ignored. If
anonymous connection is not wanted, then a username and password
must be typed in. Note that nothing will be shown in the
password entry window when typing in the password. Also note
that the hostname, username and password fields will be retained
through multiple Opens in the same session, but will not be
retained across sessions. Also, whenever the password entry
window receives the "focus", the current password will be deleted
and a fresh password will need to be typed in.
After all the information has been typed in, click on the Connect
button to start the connection.
A connection will be attempted to the new host, and upon success
the root directory will be displayed in the File List Window. At
this point, if the Confirm Cache preference is set, and a
directory cache for the host exists and is being used, an
informational window will pop up and will display the time the
cache was last modified. This allows the user to determine
whether the possibility that the cache might be stale.
Close Connection...
Closes the connection to the current host. If the "autosave dir"
preference is set, the directory cache for the host will be saved
before the connection is closed.
Set Directory...
Sets the destination directory for retrieved files. The default
is the user's current working directory.
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XGETFTP(1) XGETFTP(1)
Cache Menu
Purge Dir Cache
Deletes the previously saved directory information (if any) about
the host currently connected to. After the info is deleted, the
ftp server is queried for its root level directory listing and
the user is moved to the root level.
This function should be executed if the user believes the cache
to be stale. If xgetftp starts doing wierd things like showing
blank lines in the directory listing or if double-clicking a
directory doesn't work, then it is very likely that there have
been major changes to the ftp server structure and the cache is
out of date.
The user can also use the cache creation time in Cache
information window to help determine if the cache is stale and
should be replaced. Generally, a cache that is more that a week
or two old should be deleted.
Purge View Cache
Deletes the viewed file hierarchy for the host currently
connected to.
Save Dir Cache
Saves all known directory information about the host currently
connected to. The directory information is stored in the host's
root cache directory in a file called "DIRCACHE".
Archie Menu
Search...
Search for a file using Archie. A new child window will pop up,
which will have three main areas : the search string area, a
"Find" action button, and a large text view area. The user
should select the search string area, type in the string to be
searched for, and then select the "Find" button. After a brief
delay (which will depend on the archie server), any information
found will be displayed in the text view area. The user may
scroll through the text view area by using the scroll-bars.
FILES
$HOME/.xgetftprc This is the file that stores the user preferences.
$XGETFTPCACHEDIR/* This directory (if specified) holds all the cache
information.
$HOME/.xgetftpcachedir
This is the default directory for the cache
information.
SEE ALSO
ftp(1)
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XGETFTP(1) XGETFTP(1)
DIAGNOSTICS
xgetftp will print messages to stderr if compiled with the DEBUG flag
defined.
BUGS
Symbolic links on the remote host will not be handled. Trying to
retrieve or traverse a symbolic link will result in a warning bell.
Some ftp servers do not return a standard "ls -l" output when given
the DIR command. xgetftp cannot parse a non-standard output and will
not function properly.
AUTHOR
Salim Alam
University of Colorado, Boulder
salim@cs.colorado.edu
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