How do I open files over FTP with Emacs 22.2.1 on Windows?

Question

AngeFtp? EFS?
Is there a better option?
Is the preferred option built-in?
If so, how do I turn it on?
If not, where do I download it?

I tried with AngeFtp, just by doing find-file using a filespec like

/name@server:/directory

and it prompts me for a password, then does the login to the FTP server and gets the contents - it takes a while - but when it finishes, I don't get or see a dired buffer. I just get a blank buffer with a weird name.

Answer 1

Tramp is the modern replacement for ange-ftp.

The short version is, you specify a file like "/myusername@host:path/to/file". Works like a charm.

View the linked documentation for installation instructions, though it might already be installed if you have a fairly new installation of emacs. Also, there are several questions related to tramp and remote development with emacs on SO