comparison man/files.texi @ 35908:4ba2a6029c03

(Remote Files): Explain how to use ange-ftp behind firewalls. Add a pointer to the ange-ftp.el commentary for more usage tips.

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the specified host.  It logs in through FTP using your user name or the
name @var{user}.  It may ask you for a password from time to time; this
is used for logging in on @var{host}.  The form using @var{port} allows
you to access servers running on a non-default TCP port.

@cindex ange-ftp
@vindex ange-ftp-default-user
  Normally, if you do not specify a user name in a remote file name,
that means to use your own user name.  But if you set the variable
@code{ange-ftp-default-user} to a string, that string is used instead.
(The Emacs package that implements FTP file access is called
@code{ange-ftp}.)

@vindex file-name-handler-alist
  You can entirely turn off the FTP file name feature by removing the
entries @var{ange-ftp-completion-hook-function} and
@var{ange-ftp-hook-function} from the variable
@code{file-name-handler-alist}.  You can turn off the feature in
individual cases by quoting the file name with @samp{/:} (@pxref{Quoted

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the specified host.  It logs in through FTP using your user name or the
name @var{user}.  It may ask you for a password from time to time; this
is used for logging in on @var{host}.  The form using @var{port} allows
you to access servers running on a non-default TCP port.

@cindex backups for remote files
@vindex ange-ftp-make-backup-files
  If you want to disable backups for remote files, set the variable
@code{ange-ftp-make-backup-files} to @code{nil}.

@cindex ange-ftp
@vindex ange-ftp-default-user
@cindex user name for remote file access
  Normally, if you do not specify a user name in a remote file name,
that means to use your own user name.  But if you set the variable
@code{ange-ftp-default-user} to a string, that string is used instead.
(The Emacs package that implements FTP file access is called
@code{ange-ftp}.)

@cindex anonymous FTP
@vindex ange-ftp-generate-anonymous-password
  To visit files accessible by anonymous FTP, you use special user
names ``anonymous'' or ``ftp''.  Passwords for these user names are
handled specially.  The variable
@code{ange-ftp-generate-anonymous-password} controls what happens: if
the value of this variable is a string, then that string is used as
the password; if non-@code{nil} (the default), then the value of
@code{user-mail-address} is used; if @code{nil}, the user is prompted
for a password as normal.

@cindex firewall, and accessing remote files
@cindex gateway, and remote file access with @code{ange-ftp}
@vindex ange-ftp-smart-gateway
@vindex ange-ftp-gateway-host
  Sometimes you may be unable to access files on a remote machine
because some machine in between (usually called a @dfn{firewall})
blocks the connection for security reasons.  However, you might have
account on another machine, called a @dfn{gateway}, from which the
target files @strong{are} accessible.  Instead of logging into the
gateway, downloading the files, then copying them to your local
machine, you can set the variable @code{ange-ftp-smart-gateway} to a
non-@code{nil} value, and Emacs will use advanced FTP features to
access the remote machine.  If this doesn't work, try setting the
variable @code{ange-ftp-gateway-host} to the name of the gateway
machine (which is the name you use to log into the gateway).  Then
Emacs will try to run the FTP process on the gateway for you.  If that
doesn't work either (because the FTP program on your machine doesn't
support some of the required features), read the instructions in the
@file{ange-ftp.el} file about working with gateways.  You can read
these instructions by typing @kbd{M-x finder-commentary @key{RET}
ange-ftp @key{RET}}.  Those instructions include various additional
tips for using @code{ange-ftp}.

@vindex file-name-handler-alist
@cindex disabling ange-ftp
  You can entirely turn off the FTP file name feature by removing the
entries @var{ange-ftp-completion-hook-function} and
@var{ange-ftp-hook-function} from the variable
@code{file-name-handler-alist}.  You can turn off the feature in
individual cases by quoting the file name with @samp{/:} (@pxref{Quoted