Although the shareware program AutoFTP (version 1.2 32-bit) will serve as an adequate FTP client, its most compelling feature is the ability to schedule FTP transfers for a future date/time of your choosing. We typically use this program when we don't feel like leaving an Internet connection up and running, it's late in the evening, and we need to download a file or files for use the next morning.
While running, AutoFTP lives exclusively in your system tray, so don't go looking for it in your Taskbar. To get started, we suggest you use its Assistant which walks you through the steps and familiarizes you with the product's vocabulary. Although most of what you need to know is in the help file, the Assistant is a faster way to learn the ropes.
Basically, you browse to a remote FTP system using a Windows Explorer-like tree interface, navigate to the folder of choice, select the desired file, right-click it and choose Download, which adds it to the Transfer Manager's current list ("transfer set" in AutoFTP parlance). You can repeat this process for one or more files, and when done execute the transfer set right then or save it. Saving it applies when you want to do an auto-transfer. You invoke the Transfer Scheduler, pick a transfer set, and choose a date/time. You can also specify to have this transfer be one-time or recur every n days. Global dialing and transfer settings are accessed from the File / Preferences dialog.
Some tips... The default folder location for all downloaded files is the root folder of the drive on which AutoFTP is installed, but you can override this individually by file in the Transfer Manager. You must enter the time for a scheduled download in 24- hour military format, e.g., 14:35 for 2:35 PM. Do heed the developer's warning to NOT select the Shut Down check box which will not only shut down AutoFTP but also your entire system, with no concern for any running applications or open files. As the saying goes, "Don't go there." Another nit-pick is that the Web site and help file material describe transfer mode as supporting Automatic, Serial, or Parallel, but their technical support staff have confirmed this feature was removed in version 1.2. Oops.
A feature we'd like to see in a future version is the ability to multi-select items in the Transfer Manager's current list to facilitate applying the same settings to the items selected. In the current version, you have to individually select each item to customize its settings. Finally, although we're enamored with AutoFTP's ability to download at one or more future date/times, and to do so for multiple files across multiple sources, the current version didn't fare well in our tests of a disconnect; the program did leave the partially downloaded file on the local PC's drive but never attempted to finish the transfer.
You can get AutoFTP as shareware from:
http://www.primasoft.com/ftp.htm
and to register it is $15.00US. It comes with a 30-day money-back
guarantee. If you are familiar with other FTP programs that
include the ability to schedule FTP transfers -- single or
multiple files from different sources -- for future date/times,
drop us a line.
