FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Understanding case sensitivity

Another small detail, which can throw many newer users into a tailspin. Unlike your local PC, the Unix file system is very particular about "uppercase" and "lowercase" file names. Therefore, if you were to install a script, (let's say the wwwboard discussion forum) for example), the name of this script would be wwwboard.pl. If you name a file picture file called me.jpg, then this is what you must call it as. Naming it me.JPG for example, (observe the uppercase) tells a Unix web server to treat it as a totally different file name.

Unix file servers are exceptionally fussy on this issue, so make sure you pay close attention to "case' when uploading files, or installing and configuring cgi based scripts. The same rule applies for all files including your .html pages. Again, the server treats .html and .HTML as two entirely different files. Want to keep in simple? Try to stick with lowercase letters in all file names and extensions.

Related Topics:
Uploading your files in the correct mode (ASCII or Binary)
File Types and how they control the behavior of your files
FTP and FrontPage (What you should know)
The difference between ASCII and BINARY
How come the files I've uploaded doesn't show up on my web site?
index.html and why you should use it
Setting your FTP client to automatically detect ASCII and Binary file transfers