How Important Is FTP Access to You? OR, File Manager With Features To Upload Multiple Files With Relative Paths?

[Jen]

How Important Is FTP Access to You?

I have discussed the lack of no FTP (File Transfer Protocol) access with several Ning Team Members, since this platform feature was removed. I think it would be interesting to hear from fellow Network Creators and find out how important is this feature to you and your Network?

If you're not familiar with FTP access, this discussion topic probably doesn't affect you. If you want to hear a little more, I'll try to explain. This is a method used to upload files to a hosted location - - a place to store your files like for scripts, or 3rd party sliders, etc...

Currently, the Ning platform does not enable FTP access. Instead, Ning built what is called the File Manager. The problem with the File Manager method, the uploaded files are uploaded to the Ning API, and the file path names are very long. But that's not the entire problem. The limitations with this type of file uploading method are severe.

Quick Summary:

If you need to upload several files (scripts, images, css, etc...) or a folder containing all the files needed to add something like a slider to your Ning Network, you cannot. You either have to upload to an external host and call your application into your Ning Network via an iFrame, or attempt to upload many files via the File Manager, and edit your code throughout using the long Ning API file paths.

More Details:

1. You must upload each file, one at a time.
2. There are no relative paths using the current File Manager Upload Method. To explain: Let's say your script that runs your slider engine calls custom css or other js files. Each js and css file has to be uploaded via the Ning File Manager. You then have to hard code each path within your script and HTML. Additionally, your slider images have to be uploaded one at a time, you then need to copy/paste the long Ning API URL into the proper location in your HTML. It's a tedious and easy-to-make-mistakes process.

• Relative Path Example - \slider\js\yourfile.js
• Ning API Path Example - "http://api.ning.com/files/sbcI5*UFXaKvItF6DEMsWegpfCglyldZabcdefghijklmnopqr123yourfile.js"
• If you upload a file today, and edit the file tomorrow, for example a slider image, you must do the following:

1. Re-upload the image file via the File Manager.
2. Change the file URL in your HTML code, to call the new image.
3. Save and re-upload your HTML file, or change the image path in your Text Box HTML Code.

 

With FTP access, the paths would be relative and never change. For example, you would upload your new image, keeping the same file name, something like: slide1.jpg.

Your code would already contain the calling path for slide1.jpg. Therefore, that's all you would need to do to update your slider. The calling path would stay the same http://yourning.com/slider/images/slide1.jpg.

 

Why Did Ning Remove FTP Access?

I think most experienced NCs understand why Ning removed FTP access. I'm sure it was a nightmare with access to backend files, and newbies wiping out files, probably NCs uploading files that had nothing to do with their Ning site, Security issues, file serving load times, cost for Support Team to stay on top of the problems, etc...

However, we desperately need a way to upload files, without having to change filename paths, therefore having to edit all code for one simple app.

I suggest that Ning build the following File Upload Interface:

• A limited amount of disk space for uploading files.
• No access to platform files for security measures.
• A way to upload a folder of files and use relative paths. Note: Even if we only had relative paths like a virtual relative path, this would work.

 

Fellow Network Creators, what are your thoughts?

• How much do you need this, and why?
• Would you pay extra for this type of interface?

 

Thanks in advance to everyone!

Jen

 

 

 

[soaringeagle]

already got 3..or 4 ..or no..5 wait im not even sure how many i have haga but no substitute fior having root access to ning

i had to convincv=ce my sitemap crawler creator to custom make a beta version for me to make it work right with the way i have to do ning sitenmaops cause i have to use a subdomain

and even then i had to spend over a month trying to figure out how to get it to recognize the sitemap

i had to use nings sitepmap to tell the google bit where the subdomain sitemap was

then have the software customized to overrite the www with the sitemap subdomain

[soaringeagle]

the solutions pretty simple

ftp root www root www files are not accessible through ftp when you ftp  files  that cannot have the same names as the importahnt site files  so cant overwrite  the files uploaded into ftp root  uses an htaccess to miror to the www root so its as if the ftp and www roots are both www but theres no crucial www files in the ftp root

[Chris]

FTP or webdav access is very important to me, and a vital tool in maintaining any web site efficiently. We could be given a sub-directory through webdav so we couldn't touch the root or application directories.

[soaringeagle]

well except sitemaps have to go in the root otherwise  yea that would work

but it is possible to prevent the tampering with site files while still giving us ftp access to the root..or.. a mirrored root that functions a the root

i believe ning uses php right?

pho ]p can use define statements  thst can define more then 1 folder as the root i believe

 with diferent acces rules

 1 as an admin only root  that only ning engineers have access to

the files in it im no php expert but i believe thts possible

the other altenative is htacces which i think can be used to define more then 1 site root

theres a 3rd option that just came to mind the files in the root should be backuped in[m sure and could have an autodetect  and restore if tamperd with

[Michel Joseph Pétulli]

actually ftp is for us at the studio what makes the difference between efficiency and maintaining safety and speed of upload as well as quality maintenance on our graphics if i don't have to pay again for something that worked and was Not Broke on top of paying for it already once i feel the stretch ......I wish better management of the resources as opposed to taking the resources away and making the good guys pay again!!!!!!

[soaringeagle]

when i got webdav i was required to justify it and  prove i had at least the basic skill level to not just go deleting files on whims

so couldnt you bring tht back>? webdav for those power users who know a bit of what they are doing and arent about to screw y=things up/

i ujnderstand  we have alot of ncs that need to switch hands to figure out how to use the right mouse bhutton and use the default themes as is cause they cant fo[igure iout how to customize them

byt  at least 1/2 of all ncs have the skills to do basic html and css and not screw things up in the priocess

and they (we) are the ones whod make the most use of ftp or webdav

so maybe  if nothing else  those with "demonstrated skill levels"  could be granted access on a cae bhy case basis like it used to be with webdav

[ismail shah]

M totaly Agreed with JEN.

We need FTP access this will solve our problem regarding Uploading and LONG paths. Due to this access we can upload our JS CSS and all other formats and We can customise our network more felxible.

@Eric if you allow us FTP acess with user  names and Pass and also assign some some to us. like 1 GB or liek this. i dont think it will trouble you. I have my 2 VPS servers and Shared Hostings also. I know that i will not create problem if you allow us with permission MOD..

At least allow us for 100MB its will help us alot. we need direct URL.s for Good SEO and GOOD scripts and 3rd party optimazaton. Currently we upload to Blogs etc our Files .(Its Unprofessional way) We are Creators and we should able to access direct contents..

No diffrence between us and our members uploads.(If we forget URL or we missed it ,WE LOST IT. we can,t access it back)

[AnGella]

I also use Wordpress for content management because Ning falls seriously short there.  Seems with Wordpress I can manage files via ftp or admin panel.  Is this what Eric is suggesting? 

Even this would not tempt me to leave Wordpress as Ning still is not powerful enough for the amount of content I need to keep categorized.  Some sort of advanced file control should be standard, had it been I may have put more into my Ning site.  Because of these shortcomings in a financial crunch, Ning would be the first to go.  I'm trying to be constructive, Ning should know these things.  It has plenty of gadgets for small talk, but not enough backing for the site with masses of quality content; if that helps get my thought across.  Because all of our content is hosted on another site, most of our revenue is also coming from our other site.  Please consider that Ning.

I have always wondered about the ning api file names.  When someone uploads an image to my comments, does that come out of my 10GB storage?

[SweetPotato]

would be handy for sure. relative paths would also reduce my advanced css vode by about 50% because I currently have to use those ridiculously long api.ning urls for images.

that said I am on plus so don't have access to file manager so no idea it'd this solves some of the issues mentioned.

[Ceddy J]

Yes I agree FTP is very crucial to those of us who have intensive work done with our networks. The long process of changing to the new API name drives me nuts and requires more time than needed. On the flipside before this happens I want the security to be on point with this kind of access.

[Patrick Chappelle]

I'm with you on this, Jen. When I first started here on Ning several years ago, I was very much a newbie. Fortunately, I'm a quick learner and I was able to utilize ftp/webdav without a problem ever. I understand Ning's concerns, but I can not believe that after all this time, they haven't thought of a way to grant us this access sans the security issues. It's like they did away with it and never gave it another thought. I say this:

1) Work on the security issue. 

2) Make it clear to the network creator that they can potentially harm their networks if they don't know what they're doing or are not careful (much like the warning we currently get when in Developer Mode). Ning could even penalize repeat offenders by charging to fix the problem, denying future access or both.

[Jen]

Patrick,

And I hope our friends at Ning read this, your comment: "It's like they did away with it and never gave it another thought..."

much as I hate to agree, that's exactly how it feels. Thanks for your input.

Best Regards,

Jen