Transferring Files over the internet...

[Hazzard]

Is it possible to transfer files over the internet similar to the way MSN messenger does it? (i know how to make a chat program in java if that helps) I am new and just started to use java so i probably don't know the code.

[beard0]

Chat program knowledge will help. Now the solution depends on whether you want to make it so someone can open a browser and type in an internet address pointing to your computer, and get the file, or if you truly want it more like msn in that both parties must be running your sooftware to make the transfer.

In the case of the former, you need to read up on http (hyper text transfer protocol) which is basically the language used by programs to make the connections and send the right information that allow us to see webpages.

In the case of the later, you get to make up your own protocol. You'll need some way to tell the receiving program that you are sending a file, what it's name is, and then some way of saying, "Okay, I'm sending it now." At that point you open the file, start reading it, and spewing out to the other program the contents. As the other program receives it, it simply writes what it's getting into a file.

[codemage]

With any homebrew file-transfer program, you might want to include some sort of error check as well. You can see if the number of bytes match the sent & received file, for starters, and move on to a CRC-style check.

Something to keep in mind if you end up getting errors or dropped bits.

[Hazzard]

this type of thing is presently beyond me...can anyone direct me to a site where i can learn how to do it? i've made sites before but nothing that made me touch anything like this i can do it manually but i mostly use dreamweaver....do i need to know PHP?

[beard0]

You said you could make a chat program, so you knwo how to have one program send info to another over the internet. All you need to do now is on one side read a file, make it's contents what you send; and on the other side, take whatever you receive and write it to a file.