
			    the ftp-utils


The ftp-utils package includes a library which implements the (client
side of) the FTP protocol, and some shell tools.  The manual isn't
ready yet, so here is some simple documentation of the shell tools.

The programs are:

	with-ftp

	wftp-cd
	wftp-delete
	wftp-get
	wftp-home
	wftp-ls
	wftp-mkdir
	wftp-noop
	wftp-put
	wftp-pwd
	wftp-rename
	wftp-rmdir

You start the FTP client by running `with-ftp', telling it what file
system to access, and what command to run.  For interactive use, ask
`with-ftp' to run a shell:


	% with-ftp ftp://ftp.gnu.org sh
	% 

The second prompt in that example is the prompt printed by the `sh'
that `with-ftp' ran.  That shell is a sub-process of `with-ftp'.

From that shell, you can use all of the other programs:

	
	% wftp-ls
	...directory listing from ftp.gnu.org...

	% ls
	...local directory listing...

	% wftp-get FILE
	...contents of FILE from ftp.gnu.org...

	etc.

The command `wftp-home' returns to whatever directory you specified in
the `ftp:' URL.  For example:

	% with-ftp ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub sh

	% wftp-ls
	...listing of directory `pub' on ftp.gnu.org...

	% wftp-cd gnu
	..."current with-ftp directory" is now `pub/gnu'

	% wftp-home
	..."current with-ftp directory" is now `pub'

A neat feature is that `with-ftp' also works on local file systems:

	% cd ~/

	% with-ftp /etc sh

	% wftp-ls
	...directory listing of local /etc...

	% ls
	...directory listing of your home directory...

All of the commands have a `--help' option.

By default, access is via anonymous FTP.  You can also specify a user
name and password:

	% with-ftp ftp://user:passwd@site/dir ...

Also included is the the program `ftp-push', a shell script which uses
`with-ftp' to update a remote mirror site:

	% ftp-push local-directory ftp://site/remote-directory

`ftp-push' updates a remote directory, making it a copy of a local
directory (recursively).  In the remote directories, it stores MD5
checksums of the programs stored (you must have a local copy of the
program `md5').  When updating an existing directory, it only
transfers files whose checksum has changed.


# tag: Tom Lord Thu Jan 10 05:27:59 2002 (ftp-utils/=README)
#
