Browsing FTP - Integrated FTP client

Ac Browser Plus has an integrated FTP client. It enables you to work with remote files in (almost) the same way as with local files.

The best way to use FTP functionality is to open the 'FTP connections..." tool ('Tools | Ftp connections...' menu command, or F12) and to create a new FTP account (by entering valid host name, user name and password). After this is done - you may click 'connect' button. From now on, you may want to 'Favorites | Add current folder to favorites', in this way you can keep your FTP locations in the same place where you keep local folders.

Copying, moving, deleting files and folders

You can use most of the operations available for local folders and files. You can drag&drop files and folders to local folders and vice versa, you can use F5 and F6 keyboard shortcut, copy&paste etc.

More about standard operations (these applies also to FTP locations):

Copying and moving
Deleting (note: 'recycle' is not available in case of FTP)
Creating new folders and files
Renaming (look also at: Mass renaming tool)

What doesn't work (yet):

Undo does not work with FTP yet.
Although you can view images, and text files by using F3, as well as you can open files on FTP servers, they will not be uploaded back to the server even if modified (but this will be implemented soon).
You cannot set comments for remote files/folders.
You cannot calculate sizes of FTP folders.
Editorial renaming won't work with FTP either.

Connection Edit Dialog Box

In this dialog box you can edit your connection details. Click 'Tools | Ftp settings...' to open FTP manager, then select a connection (or create a new one by pressing 'New').

Fields:

Title: For example 'My Server'. This is your own title of connection - you can name it however you want, but this must be a unique name - since it is used to identify this particular connection. Keep it short, because it will become a part of a path AcB will use (so, when connecting, you'll see for example: "acftp://my server/some folder" in the address bar).

Server: Host (server) name or IP. For example ftp.microsoft.com

User name: Here you can enter your user - name. Leave empty or enter 'anonymous' for anonymous login

Password: Here you can enter password.

More advanced options (and troubleshooting):

In most cases you don't have to edit anything here. Unless you're experience troubles.

Passive mode: Checking this option should dismiss the problems with firewalls

Port number: by default 21, in most cases that's OK, unless you know you should use a different port number.

Command for listing folders: you can enter 'LIST' in the 'command for listing folders' edit box (by default AcB uses 'LIST -a' which shows hidden files, but this command isn't supported by all servers, so, entering 'LIST' may solve the problem).

Test: AcB will try to connect using the data you provided.

Remarks

Disconnecting and reconnecting.

There are 'disconnect', 'reconnect' buttons, simply because they are not necessary, the program handles this automatically. As soon as server is not used - it is released (disconnected). This may happen in the following cases:

you close the browse window with an open FTP connection
you go out of currently open server's scope, that is, e.g. you're in 'acftp://my server.com' and now open your local folder e.g. 'c:\windows' - this will close the connection (but if you'll click 'go back' button, AcB will reconnect)
file/folder operation (moving/copying) finished

Don't worry, if there are more browse windows with this concrete FTP server open - they will keep their connections.

Reconnecting: AcB will automatically reconnect if necessary.

More:

You can work with FTP just like with local folders and files. Drag&Drop, copying&pasting, image viewer (and other viewers), all of this works normally.
Operations (moving, copying etc) are working as separate threads, which means you can start the operation and continue working with main AcB's window (you can browse this concrete FTP folders too).
You don't have to use the 'FTP Connections...' tool to open your FTP folders - you can add them to your favorites (in main window menu), or you can simply start entering the FTP address thanks the suggestion tool.
The best way to use AcB's FTP client is to add every FTP account to the list of connections (using 'FTP Connections...' tool - F12) and then use this tool to connect (the bottom line is to use "acftp://some server" paths rather than "ftp://.." so you can also enter paths manually or use the 'favorites')