FileZilla Forums

Hi developers of FileZilla!
I am a web developer and I use FileZilla as FTP Client.
I have an idea for a future development of a feature that I would like FileZilla to have.
It would be great if there is the chance to "compress/minify" some type of files (for example: css, js ecc.) during upload and "uncompress/unminify" that files when downloading.
In this way, web developers could continue to develop and easily modify that files locally and have a fresh "compressed/minified" copy online.

Thank you!

I think the idea is great, I could use something like this also...

mode z?
Is this the feature you want? I think it already supported by filezilla.

FileZilla does not support MODE Z. Besides, compression is not the job of an FTP client.

Why do you think it is not a job for an FTP client? This feature could be a simple extension/add-on, not a program feature. It would be very useful for web developers. I can see that I'm not the only one who wants this feature...

Why do you think it is not a job for an FTP client?

Because an FTP client's job is to transfer files, not compress/uncompress them.

This feature could be a simple extension/add-on, not a program feature.

It would require an extensions/add-ons engine+interface. Doesn't exist, yet.

It would be very useful for web developers.

Certainly, but FileZilla is a generic FTP file transfer application, not a tool for web developers. People tend to forget that.

I can see that I'm not the only one who wants this feature...

Lets see what the developer has to say about that.

boco wrote:

sipy wrote:This feature could be a simple extension/add-on, not a program feature.

It would require an extensions/add-ons engine+interface. Doesn't exist, yet.

In this case the first feature to do must be that one (plugin support).

boco wrote:

sipy wrote:It would be very useful for web developers.

Certainly, but FileZilla is a generic FTP file transfer application, not a tool for web developers. People tend to forget that.

If I am a web developer, this doesn't make me a part of the generic "developers/FTP users" comunity? Plugin support could solve this kind of "discrimination".

boco wrote:FileZilla does not support MODE Z. Besides, compression is not the job of an FTP client.

(once the plugin support has been implemented) If a "compress/minify" is not a job for an FTP client, one similar plugin could be a "executing a specific job/script" during downloading and uploading.

boco wrote:

sipy wrote:I can see that I'm not the only one who wants this feature...

Lets see what the developer has to say about that.

Here are two of them that I found, but there are many others...
http://forum.filezilla-project.org/view ... ion#p58692

JobsSteve wrote:I think the idea is great, I could use something like this also...

I don't understand how a compressed file on the server would be useful.

audiopro wrote:I don't understand how a compressed file on the server would be useful.

We talk about web developing (websites mostly), so if you minify and compress your CSS,JS,HTML files on the server, you increase the performance and decrease da page loading time on clients.

These compressed files on the server would not work as webservers expect the original, uncompressed file.

You guys don't know or didn't relate this to MODE-Z, the ftp client compresses the files and they are uncompressed on the ftp server, this saves a lot of time on web development updates.

As a developer I don't want my FTP client to do anything other than provide the File Transfers I requested (and things which obviously fall under file transfer, of which compression is not one)
I wouldn't want it to attempt to compress images, or spell check filenames, or any other stupid thing that one or two people somewhere in the world might find useful. Such other tasks, including file compression, should be done by other software more fit for purpose, in fact designed for purpose.


I think "discrimination" was a tad harsh.
An FTP client is not specifically a web developers tool, in the same way a keyboard isn't. Sure, almost all web developers need to use FTP clients as they do keyboards, but neither are designed for web developers solely or specifically.
FTP is designed to "Transfer Files". Whether data to a back up server, web files to a web hosting server, or something else.

Mode Z is a two way system, and works by "compressing -> sending -> uncompressing", so the files being transferred across the network are smaller in size and thus faster transfer and less bandwidth used, etc.
It's about network preservation, not web page load speeds. Again, nothing to do with "web developers", as they are not centre of the universe (and I speak of myself as a web developer too..).
Mode Z is not great anyway these days, as most file types are already compressed enough, and most people have high bandwidths.

For improving your page speeds, look here:
http://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/

If you are creating files for web development which require compression to make a noticeable difference with transfer speed, I suggest you examine just what you are uploading to the server. You upload it once, your visitors download the file 10,100,1000,10000 times. Not much of a bandwidth saving really.