I have been learning flash for a couple of months and have built a small one scene website - very simple with no sound and just hand-drawn graphics and text. My problem is this, I have very little Idea how to get my site on the web. Sounds stupid I know. Here are my specific questions. I hope you can help.
When I published my movie, I have the SWF file and also a HTML file created. I presume I send both of these to a web hosting company? - Do i have to call the html file something specific like mysite.html - do i have to have the .html file extension?
I think I will need to have some FTP software to enable me to send the files, Is this true? if it is true, what is the procedure when using this software? Do I have to contact the host company and then open up the FTP software? How does this work and can someone recommend a FTP that is easy to use.
The reason I am posting here is that I have tried my best to find the answers but have had no luck. I figure that most people who use this forum will indeed have gone through all this because most of you will have flash sites on the web.
I really must beg someone now to spend a little time to help me and talk me through my problems - what is the step by step procedure once the site is designed and waiting to be put on internet?
Many thanks and I hope someone will take pitty on me and help me out
Ok. To get your site online you’re going to need somewhere to host it. As in you are going to have to find a web host. There are some free out there, but usually they suck (or don’t they? I haven’t used free hosting in ages…)
When you have gotten yourself a webhost you get ftp-access from them. Usually this consists of a username and password and the name of the server you should log on to.
If you’re on windows go to www.tucow.com and download a program called “cuteFTP” it’s fairly easy to get the grips on.
Your file should be named index.html or index.htm as long as it’s going to be the first page people see when they access your page. You have to keep the .html or .htm suffix.
Also make sure your .swf file is in the same folder as the index.html file…
the cute ftp is too expensive for me. i’ll have to look for some free ftp. I have looked at various web hosting companies and written to them but none of them seems able to answer even the simplest of questions. I know that once I have done this, it will be as easy as oppening word and typing a letter. However I would rather ask for advice than spend money on webspace only to find that I have made some easy mistake and my pages won’t download. Ok, so from your answer, I use the FTP software to actually log onto the host site and then use this to send the files?
i suggest you worry about getting your hosting before we teach you about the FTP cause its alot easier to do it as you go…
I suggest searching around comparing bandwidth/hosting size vs price, and special features, like, you probably dont need an online shop but you might want to be able to use php etc.
Also you might want to look for bundled packages with name and hosting together (you no doubt understand you need to buy the name (kirupa.com in this case) as well right?), And its alot easier if you only have to pay one company to do both.
Personally im on a 50 gig bandwidth/1 gig host size a month paying around $100 US a year thats with www.globat.com but i got it during one of their deal things, you can probably find better
If you search the forums for “web host” there was a topic a few days ago where someone was advertising their web hosting company, they might have an ok deal for you
hope something in here helps, like LilleMartin suggested, go to a few html based sites, they normally have suggested web hosters, www.davesite.com got me started.
It’s also a hell of a lot easier to remedy any problems you might have later if you have the basic understandings on how it works.
FTP programs are in plenty supply. I only suggested cuteFTP because it was my first ftp-app when I was walking in the dark (I.E. working on a pc ) back then.
) back then.