The first thing you should know is that PHP allows file transfer across both HTTP and FTP connections. The ability to upload files over HTTP has been available since PHP3, while the newer FTP functions have made an appearance only in later versions of PHP3 and in PHP4. Before we begin, you need to make sure that your version of PHP includes FTP support. You can check this by creating a PHP file containing the code and checking the resulting output through your Web browser. There's a section named "Additional Modules" which lists the modules supported by your build; in case you don't find the FTP module listed, you'll need to recompile your build with FTP support. To start with, let's refresh your memory of what a typical FTP session looks like: As you can see, the process can be broken down into clearly-identifiable segments. There's the connection phase (which opens a connection to the FTP server); the authentication phase (where the user identifies himself or herself and is permitted access to the FTP site); the transaction phase (which involves operations like directory navigation, file listing, and file GET or PUT); and the disconnection phase (which terminates the FTP connection cleanly). Nice and symmetrical, right? This article copyright Melonfire 2000. All rights reserved.
blog comments powered by Disqus |