qftp

qftp is a utility that performs file transfers using ftplib based on instructions presented on the command line.

Format

    qftp <action> <host> [ -l user [ -p pass ] ] { options/files }...

    Actions: send, get, dir, list, rm

    Options:
        -v level        Set verbosity
        -r rootpath     Change remote working directory
        -m umask        Set umask for created files
        -a | -i         Set ascii/image transfer mode
        -w              Toggle wildcard mode
        -s cmd          Send cmd as a SITE command
        -b              Toggle stripping of path from filename
                        on send

action

Specifies what qftp is to do. qftp can send files to a remote system, get files from a remote system, remove (rm) files from a remote system, or retreive a directory of files or a list of files on a remote system.

host

Specifies the name of the remote system. An alternate port may be specified by appending a colon and the port name or number to the host name.

-l user

Specifies the username to log in with on host.

-p pass

Specifies the password to log in with on host.

If user is not specified, qftp will use anonymous. If pass is also not specified, qftp attempts to build a password from the translation of the environment variable "USER" and the string returned by gethostname() separated by an "@".

-v level

Specifies the verbosity level. A level of 1 will cause qftp to display messages indicating successful transfers. A level of 2 will cause FTP protocol responses to be displayed. A level of 3 will cause FTP protocol commands to be displayed.

-r rootpath

Sends a 'change directory' request to the remote server. All subsequent file names on the command line will be parsed relative to this new directory.

-m umask

Sends a request to change the umask to the remote server. This may not be supported by all servers. It is implemented using the 'SITE' command in the FTP protocol.

-a

Requests that subsequent files be sent in ascii mode.

-i

Requests that subsequent files be sent in image mode.

-w

Toggles handling of filenames to get as wildcards. When a wildcard filename is encountered it is passed to the server in a NLST (brief directory) command. qftp will save the list of files returned and then retrieve each file individually.

-s cmd

Sends cmd in a SITE command. This can be useful to alter the way filenames are presented. For example, an OpenVMS FTP server will strip version numbers from file names after receiving a 'SITE UNIX' command.

-b

Toggles stripping of paths from filenames on send. By default, qftp passes the full path of the input file as specified on the command line to the remote FTP server as the target filename. This option will cause qftp to send only the basename of the file.

qftp reads the command line argument by argument and acts on each as it comes to it. Most options only change the value of a variable. The '-m' (umask), '-s' (site), and '-r' (change directory) options are executed immediately by sending the command to the server. The '-a' (ascii) and '-i' (image) options save the type for subsequent transfers. When a filename is encountered it is sent to the server with the command for the selected action.

It is possible to send multiple files with different modes on the same command line. For example, the following command will send all text files in ascii mode and all zip files in image mode:

    qftp send srvr -a *.txt -i *.zip

qftp may optionally be invoked through a softlink. qftp searches the command which invoked it for 'send', 'get' or 'dir' and, if found, performs the requested function. In this case, leave off the action argument on the command line.

For example; create the following softlinks:

    ln -s qftp ftpsend
    ln -s qftp ftpget
    ln -s qftp ftpdir
    ln -s qftp ftplist
    ln -s qftp ftprm

and then invoke transfers with 'ftpsend' instead of 'qftp send', etc.

If no file names are specified on the command line, qftp will read file names from stdin. Use your favorite utility to generate a list of files to send/retreive or type them interactively.