Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 24 Mar 11 - 04:04 PM

I did it in Filezilla, highlight the file, right click and it comes up with View/Edit and a new window, make the changes and save.

SIMPLES! :-)

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Mar 11 - 01:35 PM

FileZilla is an FTP program, not an editor. What program are you using to edit your HTML?

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Mar 11 - 01:26 PM

Looks good, John.
Congratulations!

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 24 Mar 11 - 09:14 AM

SUCCESS! it no longer shows up.

I just got access today to the computer and followed Joe's instructions to comment it out and it worked!.

Didn't put the space in, thought I would try it without first, and it was ok, so just left it and got out quick before anything else happened.

Wonderful stuff, another learning curve, many thanks to Joe and everyone who contributed.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 06:05 PM

PHP means: created by software at download time. The main page is also PHP, genuinely named "http://www.fowlgreenfarm.co.uk/index.php". I guess the host adds his ads on-the-fly, regardless what the lady uploads. This may be stipulated in the small-print. If it costs "a fortune" I would call it a rip-off.

Perhaps the only way out is to move to another host as soon as possible. Read the small print or ask other customers.

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Andrez
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 05:56 PM

Hi, just another way of looking at things. If you have a Mac using friend, there is a little shareware program called Sitesucker. All you need to do is to fire it up and paste in the URL to the FowlGreen website and hit the download button. The program will then download the entire website onto your hard drive where the structure and coding of the website (especially the CSS style sheet that controls page layout etc) can be analysed much more closely using Dreamweaver or whatever programs are available on the Mac.

Alternatively you can then take it off onto a USB stick and put it on your PC to examine as required with what ever software you use there. The plus of this that you can find the image file then experiment with the coding to see what you get when you change or delete the image or code.

I was able to download it pretty much fully and then have a quick look at the coding. Looking at the site content i.e. the images folder, I found the offending logo file so that would seem easy to delete.

In passing I see that the designer has used PHP as part of the construction. PHP scripts sit inside html documents but this means that the site is linked to a PHP server somewhere and when a visitor opens the page, the server processes the PHP commands and then sends the results to the visitor's browser.

In this case depending on your skills you could create a local site say on your computer and see how it looks without the PHP bits served in. Going on from there its not too hard to make some pages using a basic html table layout and then rebuild the web content to your own specifications. A program like Dreamweaver will give you a number of templates with CSS styles to give you a head start to put together a new site.

Once thats done you get the site hosted on another server and you are out of the clutches of the current less than helpful designer. It might be useful to look at your contract as previously suggested though to make sure who "owns" the content

Basic info on PHP can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP

Hope this helps a little,

Cheers,

Andre

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Simon G
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 05:50 PM

My approach would be to

- download links.php. Take a copy and rename it as link2.php.
- Make your modifications in links2.php
- Load links2.php on the server.
- Test by visiting http://www.fowlgreenfarm.co.uk/links2.php in your browser.
- If your happy with the result then rename links.php links-old.php and rename link2.php to links.php and check it on the main site.
- If there is a problem you can rename links.php to links-no.php and links-old.php to links.php to return the site to its former state.

Simon

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 05:31 PM

"Now, Foolestroupe doesn't seem to think this is necessary, but I think it may be - put a single space in a line before the part you "commented out""

Well, depends on what the 'parser' is expecting and how IT is written.

A 'parser' is a bit of code (that can be anywhere, but usually one would expect them in browsers, etc) that reads and interprets input strings of characters. Adding a 'hard space' (as recommended) probably can't hurt ... but I can think of older apps that weren't written to understand that string of characters that make up that 'html hard space'... :-)

You SHOULD be able to make a single comment span more than one line, but it's probably safer to just comment each unwanted line individually.... as you can never be sure what the parser will choke on ...

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 04:52 PM

That's great, I think I can understand enough to give the "comment" a try.

I'll shoot over there tomorrow and have a go, thanks Joe and all, maybe I will crack it, fingers crossed.

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 04:26 PM

Foolestroupe recommends that you "comment out" the offending parts, and I'd agree this is a good way to do it without getting yourself into trouble. This page explains comments very well.

<!--This is a comment. Comments are not displayed in the browser-->

So, I'm supposing you can do this in FileZilla - open the Website and then right-click on the file you want to edit - the file is links.php. You should be able to select to "open" that file.

THEN put <!-- before the part you want to "comment out," and --> after the end of it. That should make the offending part inoperable.
Got that? The comment begins with a < left angle bracket, an exclamation point, and TWO dashes. It ends with TWO dashes and a > right angle bracket, thus:

<!--'commented out' part-->

Now, Foolestroupe doesn't seem to think this is necessary, but I think it may be - put a single space in a line before the part you "commented out" - remember that a space is &nbsp;

That should be all you need, so you can then save the edited page, and test it. There should be a "save" icon at the top of the FileZilla editing window - probably in the upper-left corner of the window. To test the changes, you may have to refresh your browser's view of the page by pushing F5

...and if it doesn't work, remove the "comment" tags and the space, and you're back where you started.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 04:14 PM

I take it you just want to delete certain lines which are particular links.

There are two basic options.

1) Just delete those lines.

2) Just comment out those lines - this leaves the content there without erasing it.

This opinion is based on reading the served page in the 'View - Page Source' link in the menu bar (Firefox).

If the page is being assembled by the server from 'bits', you can have any sort of mess to wade through - which is why I still prefer the old fashioned HTML way ... :-)

Read your 'contract' carefully - if they have been clever in setting up their - ok the phrase 'extortion racket' may be legally incorrect if you agreed to the terms - you may not be allowed to edit the content (particularly removing any) yourself. You may find that they can pull the site from the hoster if you 'muck with it'. Which is why 2) may be the best way for a start ... :-)

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 04:02 PM

I did notice that all the files when opened were php files.

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 03:53 PM

Now I'm getting nervous, maybe I'll have to reconsider, but I can assure you that the designer who built it is the one holding them to ransom because they don't know how to do it, she has already tried him and that's the reason she wanted us to help.

It's sooo frustrating!

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Simon G
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 03:51 PM

The pages you see on the server won't be anything like what is being served and appears in the web browser as the pages use PHP and run code to assemble the page. I would have to see the links.php page from the website to be sure what is needed. Most likely Joe's solution is the correct one, but the code you need to remove might not be in the links.php file but in another file that gets included.



Before you start you need to make sure you have a copy of the working website.

Simon

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Tootler
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 03:48 PM

I agree with Joe's last statement. Get the original website designer to put it right.

Someone mentioned FTP through Firefox. I do that using FireFTP which is a Firefox add on. It works very well.

You can also get add ons for Firefox which allow you to edit a page on the fly, providing you have the necessary permissions and password to access the site. Quite useful for "Quick and Dirty" fixes of the type Joe Offer described.

If you are going to get involved in maintaining your own website, you really need to learn about style sheets and other aspects of current best practice. It is not difficult once you get the idea and it certainly gives good control over the appearance of your web pages and allows you to make them very readable. I converted my own website to using style sheets and while it was a lot of work at the time, it has made maintaining the site easier in the long run, though it is really now due for a major overhaul which I am putting off just now as it will take a bit of time to do properly.

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 03:29 PM

...and the page works off a style sheet, which always complicates matters.

I think you can replace the "Care and Rural Enterprise" stuff with a single space and not screw up the page layout, but I wouldn't guarantee it.

A space is &nbsp;

I'm guessing your FileZilla software works about the same as the WinSCP software I use and love. WinSCP allows me to edit HTML in place, which is how Max allows moderators to edit Mudcat posts.

If my guess is right, you can open the page with FileZilla, replace the two "Care and Rural Enterprise" links with a single space - &nbsp; - and close the file. but if that doesn't work, do you know how to go back to what you had before?

I know that <div> tags are how most Web designers lay out pages, but I don't use them because I don't really understand <div> tags. On the Website I maintain, I changed the Website layout to tables, which I do understand. I lived with the <div> tags and stylesheets the previous Webmaster used until I had reason to redesign the entire site, and then I did away with everything I didn't understand thoroughly. Now when I make changes, I know exactly what's going to happen. Makes me feel a whole lot more secure.

I'm certainly not an expert on Website design, but I know how to keep myself out of trouble. I advise you, Wilbyhillbilly, be very careful. Beth won't be happy with you if you screw up the Website.

The person who designed the Website should be able to make the necessary change in a minute flat, and I'd bet there's a good chance that person won't charge for making a simple change like that. THAT's the safest way to do it.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 01:49 PM

This is the URL for the page, the offending ad is the top right hand corner with .gif picture and link underneath. CARE and Rual Enterprise

http://www.fowlgreenfarm.co.uk/links.php

My main worry is that she wants to keep the other links on the page and I'm afraid I might wipe the lot if I hit the wrong thing.

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 01:46 PM

Your answer is now before your question...

Are there no limits to the uncanny powers of Joe Offer...

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 01:46 PM

Unless I'm designing an entirely new page, I do a lot of HTML editing "on the fly," just changing what needs changing without downloading the whole page and uploading again. I use software called WinSCP for my "on the fly" editing.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 01:44 PM

Thanks Joe, last messages must have crossed. Will post the URL and pm it as well

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 01:42 PM

Ach, our messages crossed. Your answer is now before your question...

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 01:41 PM

For Clarification!

I found the HTML code for the offending add and tried to post it in my previous message so anyone who might offer help could see it, BUT when I tried to post the message Mudcat told me "Your post contains a forbidden HTML tag".

I hope this clarifies the situation.

(I'm now getting confused myself) HEEEELP!

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 01:40 PM

Hi, Willy-
Please don't try to send the code via personal message - it could screw things up at Mudcat - that's why you weren't allowed to post "forbidden HTML" at Mudcat, since we don't want the ads you don't want, either. Better to send it by e-mail.

You can send the URL (address) of the page in question by personal message, or you can post it in this thread, if that's OK with Beth.

I'd be glad to take a look at it if you send me the URL by PM.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: Mr Red
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 12:59 PM

I have used FileZilla portable. It uploads and downloads OK. Surely you have to ask for it to delete otherwise you just get a copy.

Firefox will act as an FTP client - not that I have figured-out how.

Subject: Tech: FileZilla. Deleting File. Help please!
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 17 Mar 11 - 10:03 AM

Beth has recently got involved with a local group of ladies who meet on Thursdays and spin wool on original spinning wheels then create items to sell for charity.

The lady who set it up has a website for the farm in the middle of North Yorkshire (where they meet) which some "organisation" charged her a fortune to get up and running and also included an advert which she does not want any more. They want another fortune to remove it.

She is running WinXP same as me and she can access the site via Filezilla, I had a look and found a couple of files I think are relevant but not knowing too much about Filezilla I dare not just delete them in case I wipe something else off the page (which I managed to locate).

Can someone give me an idea of what to look for, or how I can get to the html source if possible, so I can knock it off from there.

I found the code which I tried to put in this message but it won't let me (says "Your post contains a forbidden HTML tag") what's that all about. Could I pm it if someone is willing to help?



This is advertising loads of competitors links on her site, I hate the idea of these people ripping off this group who are trying to help others not so fortunate as themselves.

Any help would be greatly appreciated not only by me but all involved.