TIP 213: Testing Server Connections

In Tip 212 you learned how to enter your FTP server settings so that you can upload your site to the Web, but how do you know if you entered everything correctly? You could enter the settings, assign them to your site, and try to connect and have no idea if it's going to work until the very end. That's way too tedious for us, which is why we thought up this great little trick for testing your FTP settings.

After you enter all your FTP server settings including server, username, and password, click the browse button . This will force GoLive to talk to the server and test the connection as it tries to resolve the directory path. If you see a file listing for the folder you expected, you know you entered the settings correctly (Figure 213a).

Figure 213a. If you get a directory listing that's a good sign.

However, if you get a warning dialog you know you've entered something incorrectly (Figure 213b). A mistake in the username or password is the most common error, but verify all fields and try again.

Figure 213b. An warning lets you know something is wrong with the settings or your connection without leaving the Edit Server dialog.