How To Edit Your Website Files Directly in WebHostingM cPanel

Learn how to conveniently edit your website files directly from cPanel's File Manager interface. Follow this step-by-step guide to make quick and easy modifications to your website's content, ensuring seamless updates and improvements.

Editing website files is a common task for website owners, allowing them to make changes, updates, or fixes to their website's content.

With cPanel's File Manager, you can edit files directly within your hosting environment, eliminating the need for external text editors and simplifying the editing process.

This guide will equip you, whether you're a website-building novice or a seasoned pro, with the power to edit your website files directly within your cPanel interface.

Why Edit Files Directly in cPanel?

Imagine you want to add a new banner to your website or update some product descriptions.

While your WebHostingM control panel might have a user-friendly website builder, sometimes you need to get under the hood and make changes to the core files themselves.

This gives you ultimate control over the look and feel of your website.

Before You Begin: Backup is Your Best Friend!

Crucially important: Before you start tinkering with your website's files, creating a backup is an absolute must. Think of it as an insurance policy for your website. In case something goes wrong during the editing process, you can easily restore your website to its previous state.

Step-by-Step Editing Guide

1. Access File Manager:

• Log in to your cPanel hosting panel and navigate to the Files section.
• Click on the File Manager icon to launch the File Manager interface.

2. Locate the File:

• Navigate to the folder containing the file you wish to edit within the File Manager interface.

3. Open the File for Editing:

• Click on the name of the file you want to edit.
• Next, click on the Edit icon to open the Edit window.

4. Make Changes:

• The Edit window will display the content of the file.
• Make your desired changes directly within the text editor provided.

5. Save Changes:

• After making your edits, click on the Save Changes button located in the top toolbar.
• This will save your modifications and update the file in your hosting environment.

You can also edit the file on your local machine using a text editor such as Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, Panic Code, etc, then upload back to your cPanel account.

• Panic Nova
• Visual Studio Code
• Sublime Text

Editing via Command-Line (Optional):

For advanced users comfortable with command-line interfaces, editing files using commands offers additional flexibility and efficiency.

While graphical editors are often preferred for editing files, editing files using commands offers additional flexibility and efficiency to advanced users. This section delves into using commands like vi, vim, and nano for direct file editing and the sed command for selective line deletion.

Command-Line Editors:

• vi, vim, nano: These commands provide text-based interfaces for editing files directly from the command line.
• Choosing an Editor:
  • vi and vim are powerful but have a steeper learning curve.
  • nano is a user-friendly option for beginners.
• Example: Let's edit a file named filename:

vi filename # Use 'vi' or 'vim' for advanced editing. nano filename # Use 'nano' for a beginner-friendly editor.

Important Note: Once you open a file in an editor like vi or vim, you'll need to enter specific commands within the editor to save or exit. Refer to the editor's documentation for detailed instructions.

Deleting Specific Lines with sed:

The sed command is a powerful tool for manipulating text files. Here, we'll explore how to delete specific lines using sed.

• Syntax:

sed -i 'command' filename

• Explanation:

  • sed: Invokes the sed command.
  • -i: Applies the edit directly to the file (use with caution!).
  • 'command': The specific command to be executed on the file.
  • filename: The file to be edited.

• Examples:

  • sed -i '20d' filename: Deletes the 20th line from filename.
  • sed -i '$d' filename: Deletes the last line from filename.
  • sed -i '10,55d' filename: Deletes lines 10 through 55 from filename (inclusive).

Remember:

• sed is a powerful tool, so exercise caution when using it to modify files. Consider making a backup copy of the file before using sed.
• For more complex line manipulation tasks, consult the man sed for detailed documentation.

WebHostingM Support

Remember: If you're a WebHostingM customer and encounter any challenges or require assistance with editing your website files, simply submit a ticket and our friendly engineers will be happy to provide expert guidance.

Not a WebHostingM customer yet, but curious about the power of cPanel? WebHostingM offers fantastic cPanel hosting plans – check them out at our cPanel Marketplace and unlock a world of website management possibilities!