Site Management and Collaboration > Getting and putting files > Getting files from a remote server

Getting files from a remote server

Getting files copies them from the remote site to your local site.

If you're using the Check In/Check Out system (that is, if the Enable File Check In and Check Out option is on), the Get command results in a read-only local copy of the file; the file remains available on the remote site for other team members to check out. If Enable File Check In and Check Out is turned off, then getting a file transfers a copy that has both read and write privileges. See Using Check In/Check Out.

Note: If you're working in a collaborative environment—that is, if others are working on the same files—then turning off Enable File Check In and Check Out is not recommended. In particular, if other people are using the Check In/Check Out system with the site, you should use that system as well.

Note that the files that are copied when you click Get are the ones selected in whichever pane of the Site window is currently active. If the Remote pane is active, then the selected remote files are copied to the local site; if the Local pane is active, then the remote versions of the selected local files are copied to the local site.

If you are not working in a collaborative environment and you want to have read/write privileges for files that you get, turn off the Enable File Check In and Check Out option for the site; see Associating a remote server with a local site.

To get only those files for which the remote version is more recent than the local version, use the Synchronize command; see Synchronizing the files on your local and remote sites.

To get files from a remote server:

1	Choose Window > Site Files to open the Site window.
2	At the top of the Site window, choose the desired site from the current sites pop-up menu.
3	If you're using FTP to transfer files, click Connect to open a connection to the remote server.
	If a connection is already open (indicated by the Disconnect button displayed), skip this step. If the remote files are visible in the Remote pane from a previous connection, clicking Connect isn't required; when you click Get, Dreamweaver connects automatically.
4	Select the desired files to download. (Usually you select these in the Remote pane, but you may instead select the corresponding files in the Local pane if you prefer.)
5	Click Get, or choose Get from the context menu or the Site menu. If the file is currently open in a Document window, you can instead choose Site > Get from the Document window.
6	To download dependent files, click Yes; to skip them, click No. (If you already have local copies of the dependent files, click No.) To avoid being asked about dependent files in future downloads, select the Don't Ask Me Again option.

Note: To stop the file transfer at any time, click the Stop Current Task button (the red stop sign with the white X in the lower right corner of the Site window) or press Esc (Windows) or Command+period (Macintosh). The transfer may not stop immediately.

Dreamweaver records all FTP file transfer activity. If an error occurs when you are transferring a file using FTP, the Site FTP log can help you determine the problem. To display the log, choose Window > Site FTP Log from the Site window (Windows) or Site > Site FTP Log (Macintosh).