Mac

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With the advent of Mac OSX, Mac users are now loosely divided into two camps: those still using the "Classic" Mac OS (defined as any system version of 9 or earlier), and those using the new, modern UNIX-based OSX that Apple is transitioning to. (OK, yes, some people use both.)

Mac OSX users will be happy to learn that support for DAV is built right in to OSX, so it's about as simple as it can be. There is also an OSX version of Goliath which adds some functionality for "power users"; the OSX version is still free. Follow the same instructions as for Classic Mac OS if you want to install and use the OSX version.

"Classic" Mac OS users need to download a program called "Goliath" to use DAV. It is free and very easy to use.

Mac OS X

Mac OSX users can relax: support for DAV is built into the Finder. This section gives a walkthrough of connecting to a DAV folder right from the desktop. The screenshots below are from OSX 10.1, but the process is essentially the same on subsequent versions of OSX.

1. Select "Connect to Server..." from the Finder's "Go" menu.

   

2. Enter the folder's full address in the Address box, beginning with "http://", and click "Connect".

   

3. Enter your username and password in the authentication dialog, and click "OK".

   

   You should see your web folder appear on the desktop! From there it's just drag-and-drop, like with Goliath.

   Note: Here's the bug: under certain circumstances in OSX 10.1.3, the web folder icon doesn't appear. It's there, but it just doesn't show. If this is the case, use the following step to make the Finder show the folder.

4. There's no step 4! You should see your web folder mounted on your desktop, which you can open with a double-click; you're done and can skip the rest of these instructions. (The last step explains how to close your connection when you're done, so you might want to scroll down anyway.)
   
   If you don't see it, then you've been bitten by the bug described above, where the volume is there, but the Finder isn't showing it to us. If this is the case, we need to force it to. Select "Go to Folder..." from the Finder's "Go" menu.

   

5. Enter the word "/Volumes" in the "Go To Folder" dialog (be sure to include the leading forward-slash) and click "OK".

   

6. You will see your folder (actually, an alias to it) in the "Volumes" window that appears. Click the "Computer" icon in the top row of buttons.

   

7. You will now see your folder listed among the other items listed in the "Computer" view; you can double-click it to open it, or use the list view (shown below) to navigate its contents.

   

8. When you're finished with your web folder, you can "dismount" it by selecting it in the "Computer" list and selecting "Eject" from the Finder's "File" menu.

   

Classic Mac OS

Setting up DAV on a Macintosh running OS8 or OS9 is very easy; it's done with a free program called Goliath, which is a quick download.

When you follow the "download" link above, you will see some text describing the different versions; pick the latest stable version (sometimes there is a "development" version available with a higher number, but this is usually intended for beta-testers, so avoid it unless you're feeling adventurous).

Download the program and run the installer; it's a quick and simple process. Goliath (get it? DAV and Goliath? Heh heh) allows you to establish connections to DAV-enabled servers like LiteracyTent, and to save the connections as "shortcuts" once they're set up, so you can access your LiteracyTent directory/website by just double-clicking the shortcut.

Here are the steps for setting up your shortcut once you've installed and run the program:

1. Choose "New Connection..." from the File menu.
2. Enter your connection information in the box, as follows (with your own URL, of course, not the one in the image):

   

   Enter the Location/URL in the "URL" field. Check the "Use Basic Authentication" box, and enter your username and password.

3. Click "OK".

   There will be a short delay while the network connection is made, and then, if everything works, a window opens showing the contents of your directory! If it doesn't work, choose "New Connection..." again and carefully retype all of your information.

   

   You can upload files from your computer by just dragging them into the window, exactly as you would to copy or move files from one folder to another. Likewise, you can download files by dragging them from the window into another window or to the desktop.

4. Save your new connection.

   Before you start playing, choose "Save Connection..." from the File menu and save the connection; this will create a shortcut that you can double-click to immediately open the web folder, which you can use from now on.

That's it!

LiteracyTent is a project of Silicon Goblin Technologies.