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I cannot refresh files I open on a server in FireFTP after I edit them (HTML, PHP, etc.)

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  • Last reply by BalBurgh

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For weeks I've been editing files on a remote web host (via FireFTP) that are also open in Firefox. As of late this evening I can no longer just refresh the Firefox tab after I edit the server file. Rather, I have to close the file and completely reopen it. When I have the remote file open in a local editor its time, date, and size on the server as expected so I know that connection is working.

The url shows the remote file location as:

file:///C:/Users/{account_name}/AppData/Local/Temp/{filename.ext}

and if I check that location on disk the file is there. Note also the file: protocol, which may or may not be standard.

Is Firefox or FireFTP copying the file to the user directory and only showing that version of the file? Is the association with the remote/hosted file somehow not working?

I checked the command line options for Firefox and didn't see anything there that looked like it might make a difference. I've rebooted several times. I've checked for viruses and malware and also run multiple registry cleanups.

Again, this worked until a few hours ago and I haven't installed or changed anything that I'm aware of.

Any suggestions?

For weeks I've been editing files on a remote web host (via FireFTP) that are also open in Firefox. As of late this evening I can no longer just refresh the Firefox tab after I edit the server file. Rather, I have to close the file and completely reopen it. When I have the remote file open in a local editor its time, date, and size on the server as expected so I know that connection is working. The url shows the remote file location as: file:///C:/Users/{account_name}/AppData/Local/Temp/{filename.ext} and if I check that location on disk the file is there. Note also the file: protocol, which may or may not be standard. Is Firefox or FireFTP copying the file to the user directory and only showing that version of the file? Is the association with the remote/hosted file somehow not working? I checked the command line options for Firefox and didn't see anything there that looked like it might make a difference. I've rebooted several times. I've checked for viruses and malware and also run multiple registry cleanups. Again, this worked until a few hours ago and I haven't installed or changed anything that I'm aware of. Any suggestions?

Chosen solution

OK, I am a complete moron. The behavior I've described is exactly what it should be. I was able to do a fast update when I was working with files that are *already on the local disk*, which is what I've actually been doing most of this time. The View on the Web option is the only way to go to a live view of the file.

The downside is that View on the Web seems like it only works with the default browser. It would be nice to be able to select browsers to use if more than one is available, but that's a quibble (or feature request) for another day.

You may now beat me in the face with a crowbar. After I'm done, of course.

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If I access the file directly from the web browser the refresh function works fine after editing, so it seems the problem is that the FireFTP extension is copying the file to the temporary user directory and opening that in the browser. Changes made to the remotely hosted files will naturally not be reflected in that copy.

For some reason I had to reestablish the associations for the files types in FireFTP for my text editor and the browsers. The association with the editor seems to work but the associations with the browsers do not. The same thing happens with Firefox, Chrome, and Explorer.

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I tried uninstalling and reinstalling FireFTP twice. No help.

I disconnected and reconnected, with connection to a different serve in between. No help.

I tried turning passive mode off, at which point I couldn't spawn new tabs in any form, and then turned it back on. No help.

I finally figured out how to get the View on the Web option to work, but that only helps in Firefox, which is a drag. I still need the original methods to work.

Now I'm also way too tired for this and need to give up for the night.

Thanks ahead of time if you have any ideas.

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Chosen Solution

OK, I am a complete moron. The behavior I've described is exactly what it should be. I was able to do a fast update when I was working with files that are *already on the local disk*, which is what I've actually been doing most of this time. The View on the Web option is the only way to go to a live view of the file.

The downside is that View on the Web seems like it only works with the default browser. It would be nice to be able to select browsers to use if more than one is available, but that's a quibble (or feature request) for another day.

You may now beat me in the face with a crowbar. After I'm done, of course.