RB FTP 1.0b3

Author: Brian F. Jones Price: free Links: Web Site, e-mail, d/l @ Realbasic café (Hotline)

  Last month we reviewed Hotline Socket Lite, a utility for using the Hotline Protocol. This month, we review another tool for using an internet protocol: RB FTP 1.0. As the name implies, it allows RealBasic to use FTP (File Transer Protocol), the standard for file transfers. RB FTP, which is in its third edition, aims to allow Realbasic to use this protocol in a simple, intuitive manner.

  One of the great things about RealBasic is that it includes a socket control—a tool that allows developers to use Open Transport/MacTCP to send data over the Interntet. RB FTP consists of several subclasses of the Socket control.

  The well written ReadMe file simply explains how to set up RB FTP. You drag the three classes that RB FTP comes with into the project window (these can be put into a folder of their own, where they take little space, and are always available when neccesary), and create two Socket controls into a window. You then specify that one of these is an FtpDataSocket control, and the other is an FtpCommandSocket control. Then, in the open event of the window, specify that the property of the FtpCommandSocket control is the FtpDataSocket control. After you do this, you're done.

  From here, everything else is very simple and self-explanatory. For simple file transfers, you can use the UploadOneFile and DownloadOneFile methods. The ReadMe file simply and clearly shows how to do this.

  If this was all that RB FTP did, then it would probably be a three-star 5.0 rated program. However, what sets this package appart are the features it has from here. If you want to do more than one file transfer at a time, you can specify the name, password, server address, and directory, and then use the Connect method to connect. From here, you can use other Methods and Events to change directories, get file lists, initiate file transfers, get the status of a file transfer, disconnect, and other such things.

  RB FTP comes with two different example projects. One is a fully featured FTP client, and the other is a simple, single transfer program. I was somewhat annoyed when the larger client had an error in it. However, after about two minutes of confusion, I hit myself in the head, and realized that the line that was producing the error had the order of the parameters for the Format method swapped. This was easily correctable, and the Client worked fine from there.

  This package is the first five-star program in RealBasic monthly, and it's something that is well deserved.