File Management: How to Create New Files and Folders Using File Manager

The File Manager is a powerful tool. You can easily add or create new files or folders for your website.

• Adding Files via the File Manager
• Adding a File or Folder via FTP
• Guidelines on Adding a Folder
• What is a File Extension?
• Common Errors When Creating Files or Folders

Adding Files via the File Manager

1. Log in to your Account Manager.
2. Click Hosting on the left-hand menu.

   

3. Click the Manage button of your hosting package.

   

4. Click File Manager on the left-hand side menu.

   

5. On the right pane, click the caret icon of your website's folder (For the primary domain, your website files are found in the public_html folder.) If you need to create a new file or folder in the server that is not necessarily for your website, you can do so as long as you are in the correct folder or directory.

   

6. Click the +New button in the top menu, then select New Folder or New File.

   

7. Enter your New Folder Name.

   

   Enter your New File Name. You can select the file type from the Extension dropdown.

   

8. To save, click the check icon.

The new file or folder is saved in your directory.

Adding a File or Folder via FTP

You can also add or create a new file or folder via an FTP client. To do so, follow the steps below. For this article, we will use FileZilla as an example.

1. Launch your FTP client, FileZilla, and establish a connection. For instructions, please visit the FTP: How to Connect Using an FTP Client article.
2. Within FileZilla, right-click in the Filename pane under Remote Site, where you want to create a folder or file.
3. A pop-up will appear. Select Create Directory or Create new file from the list of options.
4. Another pop-box will appear. Enter the name of the file or folder you want to create.
5. Click the OK button.

The new file or folder will show in your files on the server.

Guidelines on Adding a Folder

• A minimum of 1 to 250 alphanumeric characters are allowed for the folder name.
• Only the following special characters [-  _  .] are accepted.

What is a File Extension?

A file extension is used by computer operating systems (OS) to process and save your data. Each application may be associated with certain file types, which determine the app that opens when you double-click the file. A file extension usually consists of two to four characters at the end of a computer filename. For example, a Microsoft Word document uses the extension .doc or .docx, while image files commonly use extensions like .jpg, .png, .gif, etc. For instance, a file named "mydog.jpg" has the "jpg" file extension. When you open a file, the operating system looks for the app associated with that file type and opens it. If you are creating files with File Manager, please make sure to use the proper extension for your application.

Common Errors When Creating Files or Folders

• The file already exists. 
  
  No two files can have the same name when they are inside the same directory, even if the contents of each file are different.
  
  
• Failed to create a file 'FILENAME.'
  
  This simply means that the system was unable to create the file. Common reasons are because the file name was too long or it contained an unusual combination of special characters.
  
  
• Invalid filename or extension.
  
  The filename or extension you tried to enter is not in the proper format. Double-check to make sure that you entered an extension when creating the file (you must use the dropdown; typing the extension manually does not work).