Need to make edits to your site? Personally I hate doing that kind of thing with FTP, which is why I’ve chosen to build sites exclusively using Themeco’s X-Theme and Cornerstone, their visual page builder.
For me, FTP is a great way to quickly update or edit files on my server, and once I have everything bookmarked it takes no time at all to log in.
What I mostly use FTP for is updating files and copying over files for backups, though I occasionally use it for updating X-Theme or Cornerstone in the case where the site hasn’t been delivered to the client and it is still a work in progress that hasn’t been licensed (I build the sites with 50% down, the client pays for the theme and the url if necessary prior to going live, then pays the remainder pre-delivery.)
This guide is based around Cyberduck, a by-donation ftp client I love, and Hostmonster, who I am an affiliate for. I have used them for years and the no frills, high value package is perfect for early in your online career. Alright, let’s get into it.
How to setup Quick Access to FTP with Hostmonster & Cyberduck
1. Login to Hostmonster.
2. Find the File Management toolbar.
3. Click on FTP Manager
4. If you already have a FTP account setup, go to step 5. Otherwise you’ll need to setup an account here. It’s just like setting up an email account, follow the steps and remember your password.
5. Scroll down to your username in the FTP Accounts area of the page. Click on “Configure FTP Client” and then below the Cyberduck option click “FTP Configuration File”.
6. Move the new FTP file from Cyberduck somewhere you’ll remember, and fire up Cyberduck. If you don’t have Cyberduck, download it from Cnet here.
7. After opening the file once with Cyberduck and putting in all info needed, you’ll be able to bookmark your login and won’t need to use the file again – just open Cyberduck and double-click on your login.
You don’t need to use it much, but when you do it really makes things easy.
In other tutorials I show you how I quickly update X-Theme and Cornerstone manually using ftp. I encourage everyone to purchase a copy for every installation they have, and appreciate everyone who buys through my affiliate link. I use this process when creating sites for clients and manually keep it updated until they have paid and given me details to validate the licence.
If there’s any part of this tutorial that needs further clarification please ask a question in the comments below!