FTPMount feedback

Hello,

I'm working on an updated and bugfixed version of FTPMount. I would like to know, if some of you use it, if you know of any outstanding bug.
I can also take some feature requests but depending on the difficulty I might not implement it in this forthcoming 1.6 version.

Currently the 1.6 version will feature :
? Huge code cleaning (FTPMount is now compiled with -Werror -Wall -Wextra).
? When authentication informations were absent or incomplete in the host icon, FTPMount was requesting them again after a closed connection, now this is cached and won't be asked anymore when accepted by the server.
? Readded support for dos packet ACTION_EXAMINE_FH.
? Added support for dos packet ACTION_EXAMINE_ALL.
? Added support for OS4's 64 bits dos packets and other OS4's new packets.
? When a plain text password Tooltype is found, it's now automatically crypted and saved back to the site's icon for security reason.
? Added support for hidden directory and hidden files (Chris Young).
? Reworked handling of peer disconnection in some circonstances (Elwood)
? Added support for listing opened hosts in FTP: volume rather than only the predefined one with an associated drawer in the Hosts drawer
? Added default preference (port, quick/slow, messages, timeout, case sensitivity, status window, comment generation, cx_popkey).

And I already have on my todo list (not all for the version 1.6 though) :
? possibility to set permission bits and default permission bits (support for DOS packet ACTION_SET_PROTECT).
? rework the directory information storage (maybe by using some hashing mecanism) to speed up directory searching.
? add possibility to open multiple files at the same time on the same server, with option to limit the number of concurrent connections (pvanni)
? open requesters on the default public screen (Severin) -> already in version 1.5
? support for dynamic FTP site addition rather than only static sites defined in Hosts dir (origin) -> already in version 1.5
? support for SFTP (cyborg)
? support for SCP (cyborg)
? support CD to hidden directory (Chris Young) -> Added
? rework bad handling of peer disconnection in some circonstances (Elwood) -> Added
? support for listing opened hosts in FTP: volume rather than only the predefined one with an associated drawer in the Hosts drawer -> Added
? global defaults (PORT, QUICK/SLOW, MESSAGES, TIMEOUT, IGNOREHOSTS, TIMEOUT_NOCONNECTION, CX_POPKEY). -> Added
? write a preference program to set the (newly added) preferences
? potential lockup in AddDosEntry, use NonBlockingAddDosEntry (centaurz)

@abalaban

Hi,
nice to see you are improving FTPMount, I use it regulary
with my NAS server because smbfs doesn't work and maybe
FTPMount it's faster.

It would be nice if you can get rid of the limitations of
the "only one file can be open at a time".

Anyway thanks for the support

@abalaban

I've tried it but it's just to much of a pain to use with dopus, if you have directory caching turned on, every time to change a drawer workbench pops to the front so FTPMount can display it's connecting requester and you have to manually switch back to dopus...

If you could make those requesters open on the front screen instead of workbench it would make it at least usable.

@pvanni

I'm glad to see it is used

Multiple files opened at the same time is a bit difficult in the current design, however I'll add it to the todo and see what I can do about it.

BTW what version are you using ? 1.5/PPC, 1.4/PPC, a 68k one ? In what condition do you use it ?
I have at least one person that reported me a crash editing a file with notepad directly.

@Severin

I think the whole GUI should be reworked because... how to say ? It's looking a bit ... oldish
Currently it uses Gadtools, as a matter of fact it's currently compatible with every Amiga OS flavour around.
If I would rewrite it I'd certainly go for a basic Reaction GUI, but that would need some time and it certainly won't be for v1.5 (more certainly v2.0).

However what I can try to do is to look if I can't make it open on the front-most public screen -> added to the todo list.

EDIT: BTW do you know you can disable the requesters via tooltypes ?

@abalaban

I don't know. Until the day that you can do cd user@artbitratryftpsite.com or just enter ftp://user@arbitraryftpsite.com or smb://arbitraryhost into a file lister then the whole amigaos model is going to feel very outdated :)

@orgin

The whole point of FTPMount is to enable you to do a
cd FTP:notsoarbitraryftpsite.com (given the fact that you
already entered required authentications information).

However while I think about it I think it would be conceivable to allow dynamic ftp site in FTPMount. I'll add it to the todo list

@abalaban

A first step could be to just open a requester asking for username, password and if it should remember the username+password (with the choice of "Current session","until reboot","forever") if an anonymous or stored uname+pwd connection fails. There should also be an easy way to browse edit and remove the stored ftpsite+username+password combinations.

Quote:

(The remember options would be a radio selection chain)

The requester won't open if you access an ftp site with a stored uname+pw combo.

This won't solve the file lister problem, but it would at least be a small step on the way.

@orgin

Yes that's exactly what I had in mind, except the "Remind" option but that could be an idea (I would certainly prefer a cycle gadget rather than radio buttons).

PS: notifications don't seem to work anyway

@abalaban

Can you add support for CDing to hidden directories?

Somebody broke the Aminet new directory so that it is now hidden, and since then I am unable to use FTPMount to upload files.


@orgin

You can cd to arbitrary FTP sites and FTPMount will prompt for a password if anonymous login fails. It certainly used to work anyway.

@Chris

Quote:

I did not know it was impossible to do this, I'll try to look at that.

Quote:

So you are saying that it already accept CDing to any ftp server without previously entering details in an icon in the Hosts dir ? I did not look at that part too much yet but hey if it already works, Origin would not be able to say that features requests are not fast to implement in FTPMount



PS: Chris I contacted Geoff Kuenning about our crash in ISpell and we investigated it, in fact it's not a problem with the OS4 port the problem exists with any ISpell port and is due to a wrongly sorted input files at dictionnay generation. I'll certainly regenerate every dictionnaries I have published until yet to prevent such a crash and I'll also publish an updated versin of ISpell that would prevent the crash (but at the expense of an eventually missing word in the resulting dict when using such a wrong input file to generate it) and also other improvements... But after FTPMount 1.6 release.

Anyone had any success in installing the ftpmount on os4depot?

The main install script dies and the quick-install just says:

"Could not get information for FTP:" when it is trying to mount ftp:

http://os4depot.net/index.php?functio ... =network/ftp/ftpmount.lha

@orgin

Don't you have something else that provides an FTP: device in your system ?

Can you tell me what was the problem with the install script please ? Do you have the install log file ?

EDIT: open a shell and try this (don't think too hard just type the following as it is everything is done for a reason

1) cd to the directory where you unpacked the archive,
2)
3)
4)

if at this point you did not encourted any error then try to type
5)

If you get an error just tell me which point it is and what is the error

@abalaban

Nope to the first question.

I don't know what an install log file is, but it tries to copy a file "L.info" in line 326 after selecting the installation directory.

"DOS Error Type: Unable to access a file or drawer -- object in use"

Scrap that, I just saw that it tries to install in the same directory as the archive. Rebooting now to see if it works.

@abalaban

It worked now.

Okey here's my review on the arbitrary site stuff:

When CD'ing into a site, say ftp:10.0.0.1 I first get a requester that says "login failed" that I have to click retry in and then a new requester pops up requesting a username+password.

There's no use in opening up two requesters. It just makes it more cumbersome. Only one is needed, just state somewhere in the requester that login failed and at the same time ask for a (new) username and password.

The option for how long the username+password is remembered is currently not in there and should be added imho.

Once you have entered a username+password it opens up yet another requester saying that login was successful. That is not useful information for the user and just adds an unnecessary step. If it fails, then open a requester for a new username+password, if it successful it is natural for the user that no requester pops up and it just works.

@orgin

There are normally some tooltypes to control messages details level. But obviously this is only for predefined ftp sites... Maybe I can try to add some global default settings somewhere.

@orgin

Quote:

I guess you looked into the install log file to tell me this don't you ? Nonetheless when you launch an install script it ask you if you want a log file, say yes and you'll have a log file that will be generated (generally in RAM: or T:). I'm almost sure also that in case of an error there is a log file that is written there either.

@abalaban

Quote:

I use 1.5/PPC (from OS4Depot), I don't have
crash, I use it to make backups from my AmigaOne and
a NAS server and sometimes to master DVD with
FryingPan

I get lookups of FTPMount if I try multiple access on
the same site, I know that it must not be done,
but sometimes I forgot I am using FTPMount

@abalaban

Seems it doesn't remember the uname/pwd for arbitrary sites very well, you have to keep reentering them to a point that it becomes unworkable in diropus.

@abalaban

Nope I didn't look in any log file. The installation program threw up requesters with that information.