Letting users download

[Vonique]

Hi,

On my website (not finished yet), I would like to let visitors download some material, but I have no idea how to accomplish this. Would I use an FTP program or code it in ASP?

Thanks,
Von

[Digital Dragon]

Well...on one of my earlier sites I had some MIDI music files..I just uploaded the files to one of my directories and on one of the pages I made links to each MIDI. The user can right click on it to download it.

Or if it is a program in its compressed form..do the same..upload it..put a link to it on a page and when a user clicks on it they should get that window offereing them to save it to disk or open it from its current location....

Is that what you meant?

[Daria]

What type of materials you are talking about?

what FORMAT?

[Vonique]

I'm doing a website for someone who wrote a book and wants to sell it online by publishing the first five or six chapters on the website free for anyone to access. If they want the rest of the book (which will be available just online via the website), after they pay for it they will be given a password that leads to a page with a button that says "download rest of book." I've got it all figured out except how to enable the user to download the rest of the book in one or several files. I was given the suggestion of just sending them the url to the rest of the files after they make payment, but I don't want to do it that way because it will be too easy for them to distribute it to all their friends. And of course, it's such a great book everyone will want it........
Well right now I'm just trying to get the small website going. I know an ftp program uploads to the server, but what is the process that downloads to an individual computer? I mean other than right clicking as someone would do to save a picture or a file.

Thanks

[pyro]

What happens when a visitor clicks a link depends on what the link is pointing to. For example a browser will desplay a .jpg file in the browser, because it can. But, if you upload a .tga file, the browser will automatically be set to have users download it, since it can't display it. Your best bet would probably be to upload the book in a .zip.

[Vonique]

So, do I save the file with a .tga extension and that's it? Is that all I would have to do? And then zip it?

[pyro]

Sorry, I should have been clearer in my reply. .tga is an image file, I was just using that as an example. All you need to do is add your files to the .zip. They can be any kind of file (html, pdf, txt, whatever format the book was written in...)

[Vonique]

Okay, that sounds pretty easy. I thought it would be some complex piece of code or something equally scary. I'll give it a shot.

Thanks loads!

[pyro]

Originally posted by Vonique
I thought it would be some complex piece of code or something equally scary.LOL... Sometime things are just easy. :D

[Daria]

you can also put the file into the folder behind the .htacess so people could login with a name and a password you can provide them with, but then change a password to that directory, say, once a week - this way you know people would not start emailing each other with the link.

[Vonique]

That's interesting. What is .htacess? How do I put a file "behind" it?

Thanks,
Von

[pyro]

.htaccess basically let's you password protect certain directories. For passwords, it needs to be combined with .htpasswd. It provides decent security...

[Daria]

Thanks, Pyro

Sorry, Vonique, I was being to vague.

[Vonique]

That's quite alright. Thank you for all your help!

Von