How do I change the write permissions of a file or directory?

In order for LinkMachine to be able to change a file on your site, such as its own data files or the link pages that it generates, the write permissions must be turned on for that file. For a list of which files need to have their write permissions turned on for LinkMachine to work correctly, see this page.

If your web server is UNIX based, than the write permissions of a file or directory can be changed using an FTP client. If you do not have an FTP client, you can download FTP Surfer for free, here.

First you will need to log in to your site via FTP using your FTP client. This will involve entering your site's FTP address, FTP username and FTP password into the FTP client. If you do not know this information, your web host's tech support should be able to provide it to you.

Then navigate to the file or directory on your site that you want to change the permissions for. You will then be able to change the write permissions for the file or directory; how this is done varies between different FTP clients. In FTP Surfer, right-click on the file or directory and select Change Permissions... from the pop up menu. Some FTP clients allow you to set the write permissions as a number. FTP Surfer allows you to check up to 3 checkboxes for write permissions, for owner, group, and other. Checking all 3 boxes is equivalent to setting the permissions value to 666 or 777. Check only the first box, owner, to set the permissions to 644 or 755.

If your web server is Windows based, then you will not be able to turn on the write permissions of a file or directory using an FTP client. If your web host provided you with control panel or file manager software for your site, you may be able to turn on write permissions using that software. Otherwise, you would need to contact your web host's tech support to request that they turn on the write permissions for the appropriate files and directories.