Fetch Information

As supplied by the developer.

Fetch is a user-friendly Macintosh FTP client; it allows point-and-click, drag and drop file transfers to and from any machine with an FTP server, over a TCP/IP network.

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Features
Common Questions

Features

Fetch has the following notable features.

Multiple Connections: Fetch allows multiple outstanding connections, and automatically reconnects sessions that have been disconnected.
Drag and Drop: Fetch features extensive support for drag and drop (which requires System 7.5, or else the Macintosh Drag and Drop extension and Finder 7.1.3 or later). Files and directories can be dragged to and from remote sites. URLs can be dragged to bookmark list windows and text editors. Even some preferences can be set via drag and drop.
Open Transport: Fetch is one of the first applications to ship with Open Transport code, for better performance on PCI Macintoshes and soon non-PCI models as well.
Apple Events: Fetch is the only Mac FTP client with Apple Event Object Model support, for easier and more powerful scripting with languages such as AppleScript, Frontier, and others. Fetch is also "recordable," so writing a simple script can be as simple as hitting the "Record" button in your script editor.
Bookmark Lists: Fetch supports multiple bookmark lists, with easy drag and drop editing and reordering.
Resume Download: Fetch is the only Mac FTP client that can restart interrupted transfers, making it unnecessary to re-download data that has already been transfered.
Firewalls: Fetch supports simple proxy servers, SOCKS gateways, passive mode transfers, and a user-selected port-number range, all to make Fetch's operation behind firewalls more convenient. In addition, Fetch supports the One-Time Password and S/Key systems for protecting the privacy of passwords.
Searching: Fetch supports the "SITE INDEX" command for searching FTP archives by file name ("SITE INDEX" is not supported by all servers).
Permissions: Fetch allows simple point-and-click management of remote file permissions via the "SITE CHMOD" and "SITE UMASK" commands (not supported by all servers).
File Format Conversion.: Fetch supports up and downloading files in AppleSingle, BinHex, and MacBinary II format, as well as the common Text and Raw Data formats.
Directory Trees.: Fetch can upload, download, or delete entire directory trees (i.e. directories containing files and/or sub-directories) with a single command.
Suffix Mapping.: Fetch comes with a list of suffix mappings which relate file name extensions (such as ".gz") to Macintosh file types (such as MacGzip). Users can modify the default mappings and add their own as well. Fetch can also use Internet Config's mappings.
Post-Processing.: Fetch's Post Processing feature makes it possible to have downloaded files automatically passed to designated helper applications, depending on their type. Fetch can use Internet Config's post-processing settings or its own.
URL support.: Fetch can access files or directories based on their Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and can generate URLs for displayed files.
Text Display.: Fetch can display text files, directory listings, and server messages in its own windows, without requiring a separate viewing program.
Custom Commands.: Fetch allows users to type in arbitrary FTP commands, to navigate firewalls and access server-specific commands.

Q: When I upload GIF or JPEG files with Fetch 3.0 the bottom bit of the image does not show up.
A: That is a bug in Fetch that was fixed in Fetch 3.0.1 (and is still fixed in the latest version). You should upgrade to the latest release (see the News section, above).

Q: When I upload GIF or JPEG files in MacBinary format my Web browser can't display them.
A: Web browsers (and a lot of other software) do not expect to find files encoded in a format like MacBinary II; they expect to find the bare data. So use Raw Data format for uploading Web graphics, or other cross-platform files.

Q: When I try to open a connection I get a -3221 or a -3264 error.
A: Those are Open Transport errors (along with any other error code in the range -3300 to -3000). You should double check the settings in your TCP/IP control panel, with the help of your ISP. If that does not help try checking the "Don't make Open Transport calls" box in the Misc. section of Preferences.

Q: Fetch can download files but when I try to upload a file over my modem connection the computer freezes, or the upload fails.
A: There is probably a problem with the flow-control settings of your dial-up software or your modem. Make sure that your modem init string enables hardware handshaking, and that your dial-up software is configured to do hardware handshaking. Consult your modem manual or service provider for more information. Alternatively, if you are using a Dayna ethernet card the problem is a bug in the ethernet driver; contact Dayna for an updated driver.

Q: When I try to open a connection, my computer freezes.
A: Check the configuration of your SLIP or PPP software, and consult with the administrators of the dial-up service you are using. This sort of problem is usually caused by misconfiguration of the dial-up software.

Q: When I try to get a file from an IBM MVS server Fetch creates an empty folder.
A: This is due to a bug in the server (and affects some other servers besides IBM's). The workaround is to check the "Treat mystery items as files" box in the Misc. section of Preferences.

Q: I have a 14,400 bps modem, but I only get 1000 bytes/second.
A: Modems use 10 bits to send a byte, so 1000 bytes/second over a modem translates to 10,000 bps. In addition to data, your modem must also transmit packet headers, acknowledgements, and other information. So you should not expect to always get the modem's rated speed in actual data throughput. If you think that your throughput should be better (e.g. it is less than 80% of the modem's rated speed) you should check your modem init string and the configuration of your dialup software, or check with your network service provider.

Q: Fetch slows down and eventually drops the connection when I transfer a file over my dial-up link.
A: Check the configuration of your SLIP or PPP software, and consult with the administrators of the dial-up service you are using. This sort of problem is usually caused by misconfiguration of the dial-up software.

Q: The file list includes other information besides the file name, and the Get File button doesn't work.
A: Try refreshing the file list by choosing the "Refresh File List" command from the Remote menu; that will usually fix this problem. Otherwise you can hold down the option key when you press the Get File button and type in the file's name by hand.

Q: I can't connect to ftp.apple.com with Fetch but I have no problem connecting from a Unix machine.
The server at ftp.apple.com requires that its clients be assigned an official domain name. Your network administrator may not have assigned names to the addresses used by Macintoshes running MacTCP; that would cause connection attempts from your Mac to fail while a Unix machine succeeds. Your network administrator can resolve this problem by assigning names to those addresses.

Q: When I tell Fetch to send the FTP command "ls" I get an error message about the command "LS" ; why does Fetch capitalize the command?
A: Fetch does not capitalize the command, the server does. In fact capitalization of FTP commands does not matter. The problem is that "ls" is not an FTP command; it is a command used in many command-line FTP clients, such as the standard Unix client, but it is not a part of the FTP protocol. The corresponding FTP command is "NLST". Similarly, "dir" , "get", "put", and "cd" are not FTP commands; the proper commands are " LIST", "RETR", "STOR", and "CWD."

Q: The file names in the file list don't look right -- there is size and date information in the name column.
A: Fetch sometimes guesses what kind of computer it is talking to, and it can guess incorrectly. You should be able to correct the problem by refreshing the file list -- choose the current directory from the directory pop-up menu above the file list.

Q: The files I get don't have the right icon.
A: This problem can be caused by a number of factors. First be sure that you are using the right settings -- if you've tried the Automatic setting try Binary . It may also be helpful to read the "Automatic/Text/Binary" help topic under "Reference." If you are using System 4.2 and Finder 6.0 you should upgrade since that system version has a bug that causes files to lose their icons. If you use MultiFinder you should try saving the file to a folder that is not currently open in the Finder. The Finder's Get Info... command sometimes fixes incorrect icons under MultiFinder. If all else fails send mail to Fetch@dartmouth.edu.

Q: I can connect to a machine on my local network but not to Internet FTP servers.
A: Check the Gateway Address section of the MacTCP control panel, and make sure it contains the right address. Also, check with your network administrator to see whether you are separated from the Internet by a firewall.

Q: I get the message "This is not a proper BinHex format file."
A: This means that Fetch could not successfully de-binhex the file. You should try unchecking the BinHex4 Format button in Preferences and downloading again (see the "Preferences" help topic under "Reference"). Then try to de-binhex the file with either BinHex4 or Stuffit! , two Macintosh utilities. If they succeed please send a note to Fetch@dartmouth.edu, since this indicates that Fetch has a bug. Otherwise the problem may be that the BinHex file is incomplete. If it has other pieces you will have to get them the same way and assemble them on your Macintosh before running BinHex4 or Stuffit! . Finally, the file may just be corrupted. In that case contact the source and ask for a new copy.

Q: I get the message "This is not a proper MacBinary II file."
A: This message, and other ones about MacBinary I, AppleSingle, StuffIt! and MacHost format files, mean that the file has been corrupted in some way. Contact the source of the file to get a new copy. If the file was created by Fetch send a report to Fetch@dartmouth.edu so we can try to find the bug.

Q: The Cancel button doesn't work when I'm connected to a VMS Vax.
A: We have observed problems with Cancel on VMS and CMS systems. We're working on these problems and in the meantime you can cancel a transfer by closing the connection altogether.

Fetch Information

Features

Common Questions