How to automate an FTP session

FTP is used inside companies to shift data about from place to place, a typical task is to move text reports and logs from unix workhorses to windows/novell shares. Using simple scripting, it's possible to automate ftp jobs.

Create the script

create a text file called this_script.txt

	open [servername]
	[username]
	[password]
	cd [yourpath]
	prompt
	mget *
	bye

example:

	open OddJob
	bobajob
	bob
	cd /exports/reports/jobs/oddbobs
	prompt
	mget *
	bye

Run the script

	ftp -s:this_script.txt

the -s parameter tells ftp to run the series of commands stored in the script.

This will extract the files to the current directory, so it's then easy to create a batch job that will move to the right place and then run the ftp script, along the lines of

	> copy con get_reports.cmd
	chdir c:\my_cache\reports
	ftp -s:this_script.txt
	^Z (f6 key)
	>



This article © 2006 Colm Gallagher, Coralquest Limited.

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