Newbie question: need to transfer directory contents from my local machine to my website

Hi all: I'm really new at PHP and will probably embarrass myself many times over asking questions that have been asked gazillions of times before, so let this serve as a blanket apology. Now, to my question. Here's what I'm trying to do. I have a simple database on my website that I wish to populate with information from various directories on my local computer. The website is running Linux; my computer is running Windows XP. Once the data are stored, I want to be able to update the information as things change on my local computer (not in real time, mind you, but at my request). I can set up the database access easily enough, and I know how to both populate and query it. What I don't know is how to obtain the information from my local computer via the website. Initially, I'd like to be able to specify the folder on my local computer to access and whether or not to process any subfolders that are found. After the data have been added, I'd like the web application to be able to access the individual folders without having to specify them again (although I'd still be able to identify new folders to include in subsequent updates). I'm not really asking for anyone to write the code for me, but I am looking for suggestions for PHP functions to use to accomplish the inspection of my local computer's folders. I'd also need to know what additional information I'd need to store in the database so that subsequent updates can be automated (i.e., do I need to somehow store my IP address?). Any help you can send my way will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. Sincerely, Jon