Default Directory

Reference:        Edit Standard FTP Address Entry

This field is available only for standard FTP servers.  It is used to specify the starting directory for all file operations. Beyond FTP defaults this field to the directory associated with the specified user account.  You may augment or replace this default information, depending on how you enter the path information.  If you start the entry with a “/” forward slash, the default value is replaced by your new information.  If the entry starts with any other character, it is appended to the default path. 

For example, suppose the default path for a particular user is /Public/User01.  Now suppose you wish to limit access to the Transfer directory.  You could enter /Public/User01/Transfer in the default directory field.  This would completely replace the existing starting directory.  You could also enter just Transfer in the field, and Beyond FTP would append this to the retrieved starting directory, generating the same result.  Should you enter /Transfer, Beyond FTP would perform all operations starting at the root directory Transfer.  You have the flexibility to determine exactly what path you wish to view as the starting path.

The preceding discussion assumes that the FTP server is able to process combined path and file information.  This is not always the case.  IBM MVS and AS400 servers cannot process such combinations.  In this case, all actions must be performed relative to the default path associated with the user account.  You indicate this situation by setting the relative path indicator in the Advanced options.  All directory and file operations are performed separately.  It is not possible to access any directories or files outside of the starting path specified for the account.  Typically, servers that require relative addressing will also need an FTP Server Type defined.