In this topic
Introduction
Requirements
Limitations
Folder syntax and security considerations
Temporary storage and back-up copies
Introduction
The Text Workbench keeps abreast of the times and respects your possible needs. Nowadays, we are quite used to the fact that the information we use is not stored at the local computer or home (corporate) network only, but remotely as well, at servers on the Internet.
The Text Workbench (hereinafter called TW) edition allows to process remote files via the FTP protocol. This means that you can search for files that satisfy the specified criteria, find and replace text in files, rename remote files. You can even edit the found files in the seamless text editor, and all absolutely transparently - just as if you were processing files on your computer.
Requirements
Processing remote files requires that you have a broadband permanent Internet connection. This is not because the TW is very fastidious about being modern. Being connected to the Internet continuously guarantees that you keep your files on an FTP server safe and sound. When processing (replacing text in) remote files, the TW:
- downloads a file to a temporary local storage;
- examines it;
- if you select to replace some text in the file, performs the required operations;
- uploads the file (if it was modified).
The last operation (uploading) is the weakest point in the whole process: if uploading gets interrupted due to lost of connectivity (e.g. telephone connection breaks), the remote file becomes corrupted (cut off). If you have a dial-up connection, the described scenario is rare but possible. If you have a permanent connection via a dedicated line or using the DSL technology, this can almost never happen.
At the same time, the TW can work via dial-up modem connections. It will ask you to connect to the Internet if you are not connected, and will perform the prescribed operations. Besides information integrity, the processing (downloading and uploading) speed is the major issue in this case. If you use a dial-up connection, we advise you to download required files to your computer first, process them with the TW, and then upload them to the server. You can download and upload files using your favourite FTP client.
Limitations
The main limitation is that you cannot walk the remote directory hierarchy.
That is, the
The Modify read-only files option is ineffective as well. The TW cannot change file permissions.
Another possible issue is that, when renaming remote files (the
When processing, if an FTP server returns extended error codes (those wrapped in the textual description), and the whole extended FTP error description cannot be displayed in a single line of the report properly, the TW reports that the file cannot be found.
Relative target locations are not allowed with FTP folders (see the Storage Folders Tab topic for more information on storage modes).
Folder syntax and security considerations
For performance reasons, the TW requires that you specify a user name and a password that are used to connect to a server, in the open form. The whole remote path (URL) that you have to provide in the Folders field has the following form:
ftp://username:password@server[/folder/folder/....]
For example:
ftp://jeffrey:qt98267@jeffreyandco.com/wwwroot
This form is canonical and used widely (e.g. in the Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer).
If you want to access the server anonymously, simply omit the user name, password and separators. For example:
ftp://ftp.jeffreyandco.com
The search report displays server names without a user name or password.
Temporary storage and back-up copies
When processing remote files, the TW creates a special folder on your computer, where it stores the downloaded files and creates back-up copies of modified files.
The temporary storage folder root path is formed as follows:
<Windows temp directory>\HFFR.TW.FTP.Local\
After you have performed at least one search on a FTP server, you can open this folder in the Windows Explorer by typing the following path in the address field and pressing Enter:
%temp%\HFFR.TW.FTP.Local
Click here to open the temporary folder in
the Windows Explorer now
In this folder, the TW creates folders for each server (server-specific folders):
<Windows temp directory>\HFFR.TW.FTP.Local\server name\
The TW downloads files from a server and creates their back-up copies in a server-specific folder.
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