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(python2.1-lib.info)ftplib

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FTP protocol client
===================

FTP protocol client (requires sockets).

This module defines the class `FTP' and a few related items.  The `FTP'
class implements the client side of the FTP protocol.    You can use
this to write Python programs that perform a variety of automated FTP
jobs, such as mirroring other ftp servers.  It is also used by the
module `urllib' to handle URLs that use FTP.  For more information on
FTP (File Transfer Protocol), see Internet RFC 959 .

Here's a sample session using the `ftplib' module:

     >>> from ftplib import FTP
     >>> ftp = FTP('ftp.cwi.nl')   # connect to host, default port
     >>> ftp.login()               # user anonymous, passwd user@hostname
     >>> ftp.retrlines('LIST')     # list directory contents
     total 24418
     drwxrwsr-x   5 ftp-usr  pdmaint     1536 Mar 20 09:48 .
     dr-xr-srwt 105 ftp-usr  pdmaint     1536 Mar 21 14:32 ..
     -rw-r--r--   1 ftp-usr  pdmaint     5305 Mar 20 09:48 INDEX
      .
      .
      .
     >>> ftp.retrbinary('RETR README', open('README', 'wb').write)
     '226 Transfer complete.'
     >>> ftp.quit()

The module defines the following items:

`FTP([host[, user[, passwd[, acct]]]])'
     Return a new instance of the `FTP' class.  When HOST is given, the
     method call `connect(HOST)' is made.  When USER is given,
     additionally the method call `login(USER, PASSWD, ACCT)' is made
     (where PASSWD and ACCT default to the empty string when not given).

`all_errors'
     The set of all exceptions (as a tuple) that methods of `FTP'
     instances may raise as a result of problems with the FTP connection
     (as opposed to programming errors made by the caller).  This set
     includes the four exceptions listed below as well as
     `socket.error' and `IOError'.

`error_reply'
     Exception raised when an unexpected reply is received from the
     server.

`error_temp'
     Exception raised when an error code in the range 400-499 is
     received.

`error_perm'
     Exception raised when an error code in the range 500-599 is
     received.

`error_proto'
     Exception raised when a reply is received from the server that does
     not begin with a digit in the range 1-5.

See also:
     Note: netrc Parser for the `.netrc' file format.  The file
     `.netrc' is typically used by FTP clients to load user
     authentication information before prompting the user.  The file
     `Tools/scripts/ftpmirror.py'  in the Python source distribution is
     a script that can mirror FTP sites, or portions thereof, using the
     `ftplib' module. It can be used as an extended example that
     applies this module.

FTP Objects