When you initially log in, click the File Manager and you will see a directory listing similar to the following:
Access-logs
Etc
Public_ftp
Public_html
Tmp
www
Create New File
.bash_logout
.bash_profile
.bashrc
.contactemail
.emacs
.lang
.lastlogin
DO NOT DELETE OR RENAME any of these directories! They are required in order for your account to function.
DO NOT remove the cgi-bin folder, as this will be used to store any CGI scripts
DO NOT remove the .htaccess file as this can control how your site handles certain requests. This file only shows if your settings allow you to view 'hidden' files.
Of these directories, the one that you will use most is the public_html directory. This is the directory where you will upload your web pages and create other subdirectories on your website. Your pages WILL NOT be viewable on a web browser unless they are uploaded to this directory. If you are using a what-you-see-is-what-you-get editor like Dreamweaver, then all of the editor's files will be located in this directory.
Files that begin with a period (.filename) are files hidden unless you specify in your File Manager to show hidden files.
To enter a folder or open a file, click the icon next to its name. To access information about the file, click on the name. You can create new files and new folders by clicking on the icon of the bold "+File" or "+Folder".
As you add options from your Control Panel (cPanel), such as Spam Assassin, Wordpress, etc, the system will automatically create the required directories within this area.
Below is a brief description of the different directories you may see when you log into your account depending on what options you have utilized in your Control Panel.
File/Directory Name - Description
.cpanel This folder holds all pertinent information related to your site.
.htpasswds Prevents un-authorized users from viewing the directory.
.trash Files deleted through cpanel show up here
.etc Any extra miscellaneous files, typically used for configuration data and scripts
.mail Logs all mail data.
public_ftp The directory users will see if they login to your site anonymously
public_html The folder that contains your website files that your visitors see when they visit your site
tmp Used for storage of temporary files during the operation of various programs or scripts.
www This is a duplicate of the public_html directory
Where and how to upload your files
ALL files must be uploaded to your pubic_html directory.
Files are uploaded to your account via the upload files function at the top of the page in File Manager, or you can use another FTP program such as CuteFTP, WS_FTP, or Fetch, for example. Please refer to your FTP Instructions for more details. IMPORTAN: you must use SFTP on port 22 when FTPing files to your site or you won't be able to connect.
How to view your pages Live on the web
Generally, you can view your pages within any browser by typing the following in the URL.
http://www.yourdomain.com
http://yourdomain.com
http://www.yourdomain.com/index.html
http://yourdomain.com/index.html
Each of these urls is seen by the search engines as a different page. We recommend setting up a Google Search Console account so you can specify which url Google will display in their results - either the www version or the non-www version.
