How to trouble-shoot Publisher web upload issues

applies to versions 2003, 2002, 2000

Firstly a word of advice.. if you must contact you web host support avoid telling them you have a Publisher web. Most of them will freak out if they hear that and cause you more grief in the end. This reaction is based on ignorance. For the most part issues are fundamental and it is irrelevant as to what generated html files. If you are having FrontPage Extension issues just let the host assume you are using a FrontPage web, most hosts don't know that Publisher is using FP components.

If you are having an issue with Publisher publishing the web publication to the web server there are some basic trouble-shooting steps to work through. Such an issue is usually a connectivity and/or host side issue versus a Publisher issue. Use these steps to help determine the problem and/or isolate it.

Note: if you have a form page in your web publication - which requires FrontPage Server Extensions (FPSE), or you are wanting to use http uploading (requires FPSE) - then disregard any ftp procedures. Forms do not work if using ftp publishing, ftp publishing will break FPSE. You should only use one protocol all the time and not both

- check firewall settings, application/user privileges.

- if behind a network, verify with network admin that you have ftp privileges.

- reboot your machine (you may have a hung connection).

- verify you have the correct FTP url from the host.

- if using http verify the url with the host.

- verify with host the user login.

- verify your publishing steps (see how to publish articles)

- see if you can connect to the server using a different ftp client (i.e. wsftp le).

- if it's ftp that is failing, then if possible try publishing in http.

- delete the ftp location and create a new one.

- if http then delete the network place and create a new one.

- log in host control panel and verify file and directory permissions are read/write.

- is the issue before or after the login is prompted and/or accepted. When after a successful login the likelihood increases that the issue is on the host side and not on your end. Contact host support.

- verify that you have no page in the web publication that has "hanging" objects, an object that straddles the document area and the scratch area. This can confuse and lock up publishing. The Design Checker should be used to identify issues prior to publishing.

- verify with the host that the server has the correct permission settings to allow Publisher to create and modify directories and XML files.

- verify that you have the disk space on your host account, that you aren't surpassing your alloted web space (this is very commonplace!)

- if your login was accepted then verify that you are in the correct directory on the web server when trying to publish.