Share via

How to Make Virtual Directories Visible (IIS 7.5 Windows Server)

  • Article

Problem: You added a Virtual Directory on IIS. Now you try to access it via FTP: You can't see it, but when you manually type it, it's there.

Solution:

Let me show it by an example:

Situation: your FTP site is named "www Test" located anywhere. You want to add a Virtual Directory (Target "C:\Test" Alias: Test)

http://philipp-sponsel.de/wp-content/uploads/manual/1.PNG

  1. Add the Folder "Test" (Not a Virtual Directory, a real one!) to your Page
    http://philipp-sponsel.de/wp-content/uploads/manual/2.PNG

  2. Create a Virtual Directory Alias "Test" Target: "C:\Test"
    http://philipp-sponsel.de/wp-content/uploads/manual/3.PNG

  3. You're Done!
    http://philipp-sponsel.de/wp-content/uploads/manual/4.PNG

What happens in the background:

When you access your Page via FTP your IIS sends you the List of data, with the Real "TEST" Folder, so you can see it. If you want to enter the folder, your IIS checks first if there is a Virtual Directory, and there is one! So you enter the Virtual directory. If there is no Virtual directory, the IIS checks if there is a real folder and enters this one.