How to Upload Files on Sourceforge

And how to redirect visitors to a website

Before to access the space allowed to your web pages at Sourceforge or another open source repository, you have to generate a pair of keys, and send it at the host. Then the scp command, under Unix, allows to send files directly. Once the page(s) uploaded, visitors can view the site of your project at an address in the form: http://projectname.sourceforge.net or http://projectname.berlios.de.
Here is the process, step by step, under Unix. This is simpler under Windows, thanks to Tortoise and other graphical tools.
You need for these infos:
- user: you user name, the exemple uses scriptol that if my user name.
- login or project name or Unix name: the exemple uses myproject that is the Unix name of the Universal Configurator project.

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Update June 2015

This page was written 8 years ago, before the appearance of other project hosting such as GitHub. Recently, Sourceforge got the attention of the media because it incorporates malware in archives it distributes, against payment and without the consent of the authors.. So I would advise to evaluate all options of project hosting before opting for Sourceforge.

Update 2017

The site was bought back in January 2016 along with Slashdot and Freecode and abandoned the dubious practices of the previous management including DevShare, which included spam programs in the archives to be downloaded.

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Uploading files in his space using Winscp

The personnal space holds the content of its your in sub-domain of sourceforge.net.

You can now upload more easily your pages on Sourceforge with winscp.

It's all...

Uploading archives on Sourceforge

This is done with WinSCP too:

The documentation on SF gives more details about packages and releases.

Legacy method

Generating the keys

You have to create a key pair (private, public) to exchange data between your local computer and your web space.
Under Unix the command is:

ssh-keygen -t rsa 

ssh-keyken is the name of the key generator.
-t   is an option to pass the type of encryption.
rsa is a type commonly supported.

You are prompted for a filename, type enter instead.
You are prompted also for a paraphrase. Type a simple word, or nothing.
This creates the ".ssh" sub-directory at the root of your local account, with the id-rsa.pub file inside.
Even if the current directory is not the root, the .ssh directory is created at the root.

Sending the key

At Sourceforge, registering the keys is achieved through the graphical user interface. It is accessed through your account page (scroll the page and click on the "registering key" line). You must cut the the code from the public file and past it into the textbox.

On other repositories, registering the key have to be made manually. Type this command:

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub scriptol@shell.sourceforge.net 

ssh-copy-id is the name of the registering program.
-i option to pass the name of the identity file.
~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub is the path of the previously created key file.
scriptol is my user name. It is not yours, type your user name instead.
shell.sourceforge.net is the remote address.

You are prompted for your password. If it is recognized, all is done, you are ready to upload your pages.

Uploading a page

The command to upload a web page is under Unix:

scp index.php scriptol@shell.sourceforge.net:/home/groups/myproject/htdocs 

1. scp is the name of the program.
2. index.php is the file you want to upload. You can use the "index.html" filename, but in this case you must delete the file that is here by default, since its name is index.php. Otherwise your file replaces the default file.
3. scriptol is my user name, but not yours, type your user name instead.
4. shell.sourceforge.net is the remote address, the shell directory.
5. /home/groups/ is the directory of all projects.
6. myproject is the Unix name of the directory of my project and the login. type your login instead.
   The true path may be something as: /m/my/myproject (replace with letters of your project name.
   
7. htdocs is the sub-directory for html files. You have also a cgi-bin subdirectory, but this out of the topic.
   
   

This command sends directly the file index.php on your web space and become visible at the address http://myproject.sourceforge.net.

You are prompted for your password in addition to keys, or not, depending the host.
You may have more sub-directories, the first letter of the login, and inside this directory, the two first letters of your login, and your directory or login stays inside this second sub-directory.
For example:

/home/groups/m/my/myproject/htdocs         

The ls /home/groups/ command may help to find the directory.

Working in your web space

To delete a file, index.php for example if you have loaded the file index.html, you have to enter into you web space.
You must also enter your web space to perform various tasks as renaming a file, etc...
The command to do that is, under Unix:

ssh -l myproject scriptol@shell.sourceforge.net

1. ssh is the command.
2. -l (not the digit one, not i uppercase, but l the letter and the first letter of the word login).
   This is an option to pass the name of your login, that is also the name of the directory of your project.
3. myproject is my login. Use your login instead.
4. scriptol is my user name. Not yours, use your user name instead.
5. shell.sourceforge.net is the remote address.
   

Once the command is passed, you are prompted for a paraphrase. Type the word you have given at generation of the keys, and you enter into your web space.
The program displays a message, for exemple: "Have a lot of fun". But it is too late, I already had all the fun while trying to access my account!

How to redirect your visitors without PHP

If you own a web site, and you want your visitors at the repository redirected on this site, you may redirect them automatically with a very simple HTML page with frames:

<html>
  <head>
  </head>
  <frameset rows="*,0" cols="*" frameborder="NO">
    <frame name="mysite" src="https://www.scriptol.com" noresize scrolling="NO">
    <frame src="">
  </frameset>
  <noframes>
    <body>
      Home page: https://www.scriptol.com
    </body>
  </noframe>
</html>          

You can download the code. This is the file I use to redirect "http://myproject.sourceforge.net" to "https://www.scriptol.com".

Redirecting visitors with PHP

Replace the home page with this PHP script (nothing else):

<?php 
  header("Status: 301 Moved Permanently"); 
  header("Location:https://www.scriptol.com");            
?>

Of course, the domain "scriptol.com" must be replaced by your own web address otherwise your visitors will be redirected to my site.
The file must be named index.php and uploaded according to the instructions above.