FAQ Droid FTP



Version Changelog

1.0.0 In the beginning there was DroidFtp and the people saw it and some liked it and some hated it.

1.0.1 Fixed many bugs.

Added file viewer for .txt and .html files

1.0.2 Not sure what happened to 1.0.2

1.0.3 Added upload capability

Fixed many more bugs

Sortable columns in file listings. Click column header to toggle ASC/DESC of Name, Date and Size

Delete Profile confirm.

1.0.4 Changed way upload directory is selected so no typing involved. Will choose from a list of directories on the sdcard

Fixed a bug in profile deletion.

1.0.5 Small bug fix to allow sorting of listings without having to hit ftp server itself cutting down on bandwidth used.

2.0.0 SFTP Functionality added. Download/uploads are considerably slower due to encryption overhead. Use FTP if possible for large DL

Back button on phone performs cd .. (yes I know I said I couldn't do it, sometimes I lie to myself)

Switch from landscape to portrait etc no longer reconnects.

Switch from landscape to portrait etc will change formatting of list to make use of space correctly.

Initial screen added a New Profile button to menu. Clears fields.

Added option to long press a directory or the PWD text at top of screen to set it as a home directory

Upload option added to menu so you can upload to current directory

Refresh option added to menu – for refreshing :)

File sizes display Kor B depending on size.

Initial screen has separate layouts for landscape and portrait.

Code added to try and re-establish timed out connections (may or may not work)

MANY BUG FIXES!!!!!

2.0.2 Little bug fixes with view file and upload.

2.0.3 Small bug fixes

2.0.4 Fixed issue with no files/directories showing in normal FTP. (Sorry for the delay I have been sick as a dog)

3.0.0 Brand new cleaner code base. Faster and less likely to crap out.

Background downloads (Currently limited to one file or directory. May up later if I feel G1 can handle extra requirements). What this means is that you can start a download and continue to browse,rename,delete etc while it keeps going in the background. Please note this requires you being able to connect to the same ftp server 2x at same time, 99% of server have no issue with that so I didnt add a toggle for it.

Slide finger right to see download screen. Right once more to go back to directory listing.

Directory downloads (you asked for em – you got em)

3.0.1 Small bug fix for SFTP checkbox

3.0.2 Log of session added. Available from starting window. Press menu and choose log icon. These logs can get large quickly so I suggest you clear them often.

      Much improved upload functionality. Can drill down as many directories as you wish now (still to do upload directory)

      Server choice will now remain after session terminated. New ftp profiles selected after save.

      Added ability to cancel directory change and added progress bar to indicate how many files are in a directory you are cding to. Cancelling leaves you in your current directory.

3.0.5 Fixed bug with upload closing session. Added padding to file listings easier to click – no overlap in highlight.

3.0.6 Icon set changed to add consistency.. Small increase in line size for better clicking.

3.0.7 Fixed bug with uploading caused by consumption of to much EggNog.

Added progress bar to main screen for upload/download tracking. Main download/upload screen still accessed via finger swipe.

Added checkbox to settings on main screen to be able to turn on logging or off logging of sessions. Default is off.

3.0.9 Fixed bug with progress bars not showing correct amount of time left.

Added ability to view text, html pages and images (jpg and png) by longpressing. Web pages with relative urls for images will not show images.

Streamlined the way current directory and changes are done.

How to use app

For the most part anyone who has used ftp before will be able to use the app, there are a few notables.

Only two fields need be supplied the Name and the Host. The host will be in the form on a DNS name (eg ftp.kernel.org) or an ip (eg 192.168.0.1). Everything else is optional When a download/upload is started a background process is spawned and used for the download/upload. This means that you can keep browsing etc while the file transfer occurs. At this stage I have only allowed one background process at a time as I am still not sure how capable the G1 is of handling more. To see your current download/uploads simply swipe your finger across the screen right to left and you will get a transfer page showing currently running transfers with % complete and a listing of the history of the downloads. Green is downloads, Cyan is uploads and Red is cancelled transfers (You can cancel the transfer and also clear history from this screen).

On the front screen you can create new profiles and also view session logs for past sessions. Long click to view and delete them.

The section where I answer some questions about why my app doesnt have certain features.

If a feature of ftp is missing chances are I just havent had the time to code it. I am slowly but surely trying to add everything into the app you have asked for.

And now the part where I ask for Money.

If you like this app (or for that matter DroidFtp, WootChecker or StopWatchTimer) Please consider donating (even a small amount helps). This money will go towards buying me a development g1 which will lead to faster app development and debugging. It also helps me keep the apps from expiring at a certain date or not including all features etc.

http://thecrayonbox.org/donate.html

The part where I redirect haters and whiners to /dev/null

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_sink

General Questions/Comments Answered

  1. What does your app do? Basically it provides a way of connecting to FTP servers. A number of fields are provided but the only two you HAVE to fill out are the Name and the Host. The port will default to 21 (default ftp port). The other fields should only be filled out if you know what they are. Then hit Save and Connect. I believe a crash can be caused by not hitting save first. I am working on this.

  2. I am a blind deaf mute with no arms and an inability to Google Search – Whats FTP? Ftp is a protocol just like HTTP instead of hypertext however this one transfers files. A server listens for connections and a client can connect to that server and download files hosted there.

  3. You app looks like crap. I know its not the greatest interface – I am a coder not a graphic artist. If you have ideas I suggest sending me an email with them rather than putting a one line comment like “UI NEEDS TWEEKING”. That tells me nothing about what you want done to it

  4. Your attitude stinks and I hope you are eaten by wolves. I am giving away this software for free and despite what some people think it doesn't just magically write itself – it takes hours of coding and debugging. Added to that I paid 25 bucks for the privilege of being abused by people who either don't understand what the app is for or just like to abuse people. I have been incredibly disappointed in some of the comments on the market – not just for my apps but others. It makes it hard to be bothered to code up good apps. What keeps me going is the people who send me emails etc with suggestions or comments (some of which are even nice :)). Thanks!

  5. I am a l33t h@xor and will go Neo on you. Ok, but first have a nice glass of milk, do your homework and your mummy will be along to tuck you in.

  6. I have ideas that could make your app better. Please Please Please email them to peacock73@gmail.com. If they are even half way good chances are you will see them in the next release. Have an idea for a new app? Tell me, most of mine come from people requesting apps on the android boards.

  7. Why doesn't your app contain a flash player, Word processor and pleasure stimulus device. I guess I am just lazy. I have foolishly been spending every waking hour either working, coding, fixing bugs and occasionally seeing my wife and eating (sleep is for the weak). My only suggestion would be http://android.com download the SDK and get to work showing us how its done.

  8. So what can we expect from DroidFTP in the future. Solve world hunger, bring peace to the Middle East. Seriously though – check out the TODO at bottom of changelog.

Here are some answers to some common comments/questions.

  1. Doesn't Work. Wow thanks for that descriptive bug report. I will get right on debugging the issue using that technical data as a starting point.

  2. Y r u such a dik. See above.

TODO:

Add in chown ftp commands (next release I promise)

Recursive uploads

Multiple file selection for download.

Fix bug where deleting the last entry in your servers profiles will cause crash.

THANKS:

Thankyou to the coders of j2ssh and jftp who's code I ripped apart for chunks of this app.

Many thanks to Joel, my beta tester, for being patient as all hell and picky as anything :)