File Transfer Protocol client syntax conventions

Follow these syntax conventions when you use the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client subcommands.

Uppercase Letters

Letters printed in uppercase in the syntax definitions for client subcommands are the minimum number of letters that enter. You can enter FTP client subcommands in either uppercase or lowercase.

Lowercase Words or Hyphenated Terms

Lowercase words or hyphenated terms, like remotefile and account-information, represent variables that substitute specific information.

Brackets[ ]

You can consider words, symbols, or phrases placed within brackets to be optional.

Left Parentheses ( and Asterisks *

You must enter left parentheses and asterisks exactly as they appear n in the syntax definitions.

Braces { }

Braces indicate a group of parameters, values, or variables that you may repeat.

Ellipsis ...

Ellipses indicate that you can include zero or more repetitions of the preceding variable enclosed within brackets.

Vertical Bar |

A vertical bar between parameters or values indicates that you can specify one or the other, but not both, at one time. The vertical bars are within sets of brackets or braces.

• Enclosing subcommand parameters
  You can use either a single quotation mark (') or quotation marks (") to enclose parameters.

• File names for client-transfer subcommands
  You can use default source and target file names for some subcommands; however, specify a file name for other subcommands.

• Naming files for transfer
  The FTP client subcommands that you use for transferring data can have a localfile parameter, a remotefile parameter, or both. You can use these parameters to name the data you want to transfer.

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