Joomla! Documentation - User contributions [en]

Extension development using eclipse and phing

2012-12-21T10:43:04Z

Jbrice: /* Create the "build.xml" File */

{{review}}

This article is based on Mark Dexter's article "Setting_up_your_workstation_for_extension_development" at http://docs.joomla.org/Setting_up_your_workstation_for_extension_development

This article explains one way in which you can set up your workstation for writing Joomla! extensions. It assumes that you are using Eclipse and that you are familiar with using Eclipse for working with Joomla! and Subversion. For more information about the basics of getting started with Eclipse for Joomla! development, see [[Setting up your workstation for Joomla! development]].

<blockquote>''Joomla! developers can and do use many different development tools, and there is no one way that is best for everyone. This article documents one way to use Eclipse and Phing to help streamline the process of writing and testing Joomla! extensions.''</blockquote>

===Overview===
If you are writing a Joomla! extension, you have a challenge. On one hand, you need to keep the source code for the extension separate from the Joomla! source code. However, you also need to be able to run and perhaps debug the extension from within Joomla!. The problem is somewhat more difficult if you are using the Subversion (SVN) source code control system for the extension source code.

One simple way to do this is to create two separate projects in Eclipse. One project will be the "development" project. It will only contain the extension source code, and, if needed, can be controlled by SVN. The second project will be a "test" project. It will contain a full copy of Joomla! as well as a copy of your extension source code. Then we will create a Phing automatic build task that will allow us to keep the test copy of the extension current with the actual development copy.

[[Category:Tutorials]][[Category:Module Development]]
[[Category:Plugin Development]]
[[Category:Component Development]][[Category:Template Development]]

===Create the Development Project===
The development project will contain the source code just for your Joomla! extension. If you are using SVN, then you will create this project in Eclipse by using File → Import → Checkout Projects from SVN. If you are not using SVN, you will just create a new PHP Project and create the appropriate folders and files for the extension. You should also have an install archive file so you can install the extension in Joomla! using the normal extension installer (Extensions → Install/Uninstall). We will see below how we can use Phing to create ZIP and "tar.az" archives automatically.

In our simple example, our extension is a plugin called "FJ Author Plugin". This has just two files called "authorunpublish.php" and "authorunpublish.xml". We also have created a zip archive file that contains these files, so we can install this extension on a Joomla! website.

===Create the Test Project===
Creating the test project is very easy. Just create a new PHP Project in Eclipse (in our case, called "Joomla_1.5.9_test"). Then unzip a full Joomla! zip archive into the top-level folder for this project (in our example, "C:\xampp\htdocs\joomla_development\Joomla_1.5.9_test"). Then navigate to the back end of this site and install Joomla!. (''Note: If you already have a test environment set up you can just use this environment.'')

Once the environment is set up, install the current version of the extension into the Joomla! test site in the normal way. In the back end of Joomla!, navigate to Extensions → Install/Uninstall, press Browse, find the archive file for your extension, and press "Upload File and Install".
* Note that this step is needed so that the Joomla! installer can add the extension to the database. In this case, a row is added in the jos_plugins table to register this plugin in Joomla!.
* Also note that, at this stage, the extension programs do not have to be working or finished. You just have to have a valid XML file for the installation and the appropriate files. The contents of the files, other than the XML file used for installation, does not matter. They can even be empty files.
**Sample XML:
<source lang="XML"><?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<install version="1.5" type="plugin" group="authentication">
<name>Authentication - Myauth</name>
<author>Joomla! Documentation Project</author>
<creationDate>May 30, 2007</creationDate>
<copyright>(C) 2005 - 2007 Open Source Matters. All rights reserved.</copyright>
<license>http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU/GPL</license>
<authorEmail>ian.maclennan@help.joomla.org</authorEmail>
<authorUrl>www.joomla.org</authorUrl>
<version>1.5</version>
<description>An sample authentication plugin</description>
<files>
<filename plugin="myauth">myauth.php</filename>
</files>
<params/>
</install></source>

===Install Phing===
Next, we need to add the Phing program to our PHP environment. Phing is an open-source project build system based on Apache Ant. In this example, we are going to use it to automate the copying of the program files from the development project to the test project every time we build the project. [http://phing.info/trac/wiki/Users/Download Download Phing]

Installing Phing is very easy.
# Go to the command line.
# Change directory to the Apache PHP folder. On my XAMPP system, it is "C:\xampp\php".
# Enter the command <code>pear channel-discover pear.phing.info</code>
# Then enter the command <code>pear install phing/phing</code>
# The system will download Phing. On Windows, the executable "BAT" file will be in your PHP folder (for example, "C:\xampp\php").

If phing is already installed, you may see the error "Ignoring installed package phing/phing Nothing to install" at step 4.

In some cases, the version of Phing that is included with XAMPP may not work correctly. (For example, I had this problem running XAMPP 1.7 on Windows Vista.) The symptom of this problem is that you will get an error message "No VERSION.TXT file found" when you try to run a Phing script. If this happens, uninstall and then re-install Phing as follows:
# at the command prompt, enter <code>pear uninstall phing/phing<code>
# then enter <code>pear install phing/phing</code>

===Create the "build.xml" File===
Next, we need to create a file called "build.xml". This file will tell Phing what we want it to do during a project build -- in our case, just copy the two plugin files from the development project to the test project.

In Eclipse, select File → New → XML and create a file called "build.xml" in the root folder of your extension project. In our example, the file will contain the following code:
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="FJ Author Plugin" default="copy_all" basedir=".">
<property name="src" value="."/>
<property name="test" value="../Joomla_1.5.9_test/plugins/content" />
<target name="copy_all" description="Copies files to test project.">
<echo message="Running build.xml. Copying files from dev to test..." />
<copy file="${src}/authorunpublish.php" todir="${test}"/>
<copy file="${src}/authorunpublish.xml" todir="${test}"/>
</target>
</project>
</source>

Line 2 tells Phing that the default action to take is called "copy_all" and that the base directory for this is the current directory. Lines 3 and 4 just define the variables "src" (our current development folder) and "test" (where we want the files to be copied). Notice that "test" is set to copy the files to the "plugins/content" folder of the Joomla! test system. Of course, this will vary with different extension types. You can define as many variables as you need.

The next line creates the "target" element, in this case the default target called "copy_all". Inside the target element we have three lines. The first is just an echo command which will display the message in the Eclipse console when the build is run. The next two actually do the work. They copy the two files from the "src" folder to the "test" folder.

There are many things you can do inside a build file with Phing. See the [http://phing.info/docs/guide/current/ Phing User Guide] for more information. There are also complete phing build tools available through code-sharing sites such as GitHub (e.g. [https://github.com/jbrice/JoomExtBuild JoomExtBuild - a phing extension builder script]). Such scripts are ideal to use as-is, to modify to meet your specific needs, and for analysis of the code in order to learn more about phing scripting.

===Add Phing to the Eclipse Build===
The last step is to set up the project in Eclipse so that our Phing build program is run automatically each time we build the project. To do this:
# Right-click on the project and select Properties. Then select "Builders" as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_properties_20090122.png|frame|center]]
# Press New to display the Choose Configuration Type dialog shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_phing1_20090122.png|frame|center]]
# Select Program and press OK to show the Edit Configuration dialog shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_phing2_20090122.png|frame|center]]
#* In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the program.
#* In the Location field, press "Browse File System" and browse to the location of the "phing.bat" file (for example, "c:\xampp\php").
#* In the Working Directory, press "Browse Workspace" and select the root folder of the current project.
#* Note that we are not entering anything into the Arguments field. This is because Phing by default will run the file called "build.xml". Also, we specified the "copy_all" as the default task inside the "build.xml" file. So this executes by default when Phing is run.
# Click on the Refresh tab to display the screen below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_edit_configuration_20090123.png|frame|center]]Here you have the option of refreshing the workspace after the files are copied. <blockquote>''Note about Eclipse Refresh: Eclipse keeps track of all local file changes. This allows it to restore files from it's local history repository. When you copy or change files outside of Eclipse (for example, with Phing), Eclipse needs to record these file changes. This is done with the Refresh command.''</blockquote>If you check the options "Refresh resources upon completion" and "The entire workspace", then the workspace will be automatically refreshed after the build. On some systems, this might take a long time. In this case, you would uncheck the "Refresh resouces upon completion" box. If automatic refresh is not done, you just need to refresh the files (using F5 or right-click → Refresh) manually. If you try to open a file that hasn't been refreshed, you get a message "Resource is out of sync with the file system" and you can refresh at that time.
# Press the Build Options tab to show the screen below.[[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_edit_configuration2_20090123.png|frame|center]]Here you can choose whether to have the Phing script run "During auto builds". If you set the project up for Automatic Builds (using the menu option Project → Build Automatically), and you check the "During auto builds" option, the Phing script will be run automatically every time you save an edited file.
# Press OK and the Properties dialog should now be as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_phing3_20090122.png|frame|center]]

Finally, let's test that this works. The idea here is that our Phing task should run whenever we build the Eclipse project. In the PHP Explorer, right-click on the project and select "Build". In the Eclipse console, you should see something similar to screen below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_phing4_20090122.png|frame|center]]

====No VERSION.TXT Error====
If you get the error "No VERSION.TXT file found; try setting phing.home environment variable.", you may need to uninstall and re-install Phing. See [[Setting_up_your_workstation_for_extension_development#Install_Phing | Install Phing]] above for more information.

Note that, in this example, the source files in the development project were identical to the files in the test project, so we got the message "omitted, is up to date" for both. If you change one or both of these files and build the project again, you will see they have been copied.

===More Phing Examples===
Below are some more examples of things you can do with Phing. Please keep in mind that there are many advanced capabilities that you can use with Phing. See [http://phing.info/docs/guide/current/ the Phing website] for more information.

====Run Phing File Outside of Build====
In the previous example, we ran the Phing build.xml file automatically when the Eclipse project was built. We can also run any Phing file directly from Eclipse using the Eclipse External Tools Configuration. To do this:
# Select Run → External Tools → External Tools Configuration, as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools0_20090122.png|frame|center]]
# Highlight the Program option and click on the New Launch Configuration button, as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools1_20090122.png|frame|center]]
# Fill out the Externals Tools Configurations dialog box as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools2_20090122.png|frame|center]]
#* Enter a descriptive name in the Name field.
#* In the Location field, again click on the Browse File System button and find the "phing.bat" file.
#* In the Working Directory field, click on the Browse Workspace button and select the root directory of the project.
#* In the Arguments field, enter "-f build.xml". Note that this is not strictly necessary, since "build.xml" is the default file name for Phing. However, this shows how you would run any Phing file.
# Select the Refresh tab and enter the desired refresh options. These are the same as discussed earlier.
# Select the Build tab to show the screen below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools4_20090123.png|frame|center]]Here you can select whether or not you want to automatically build the project before running this Phing script and, if so, which projects you want to build.
# Press the Run button to actually run the "build.xml" file. You should see the same output as you did when you ran the project build.

To re-run this file, you can just select it from the list using the Run External Programs button, as shown below.[[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools3_20090122.png|frame|center]] Alternatively, you can select Run → External Tools and select it from that list.

====Copy From Test Project to Development Project====
In some situations, it may be more convenient to write your code in the test environment and copy files from the test project to the development project. Again, this is very easy to do with Phing. In this example, we will create a Phing file in our test project called "copy_to_dev.xml" that will copy the files from our test project to the development project.

# Highlight the test project (in our example, "Joomla_1.5.9_test"), right-click, and select New → XML.
# Place the file in the project's root directory and name it "copy_to_dev.xml".
# In our example, the code for this file is the following:
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="Plugin Test" default="copy_to_dev" basedir=".">
<property name="test" value="./plugins/content"/>
<property name="dev" value="../FJ Author Plugin" />
<target name="copy_to_dev" description="Copies files to dev project.">
<echo message="Copying files from test to dev..." />
<copy file="${test}/authorunpublish.php" todir="${dev}"/>
<copy file="${test}/authorunpublish.xml" todir="${dev}"/>
</target>
</project>
</source>
: This code is very similar to the "build.xml" discussed above, except that it copies in the other direction.

To run this, add a new External Tools Run Configuration by following the steps outlined in the previous section. When you get to the External Tools Configurations dialog, enter the following in the Arguments field: <code>-f copy_to_dev.xml</code>. Check that the settings in the Refresh and Build tabs are what you want. For example, you may want to uncheck the "Build before launch" option if it takes a long time to build the test project.

When you run this, it should copy the files from the test project to the development project.

====Alternate Copy File Syntax====
Another way to use Phing to copy files is using the "fileset" property. The script below does the same thing as the "build.xml" file shown earlier.
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="FJ Author Plugin" default="copy_all" basedir=".">
<property name="test" value="../Joomla_1.5.9_test/plugins/content" />


<fileset dir="${project.basedir}" id="allfiles">
<include name="authorunpublish.*" />
</fileset>


<target name="copy_all" description="copy all files target">
<echo message="Copying files to test project..." />
<copy todir="${test}">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</copy>
</target>
</project>
</source>
This code uses the Phing "fileset" property to select the files to be copied. With this property, you can include or exclude files using wildcards to create the list of files you need. You can read more about different Phing options at the [http://phing.info/docs/guide/current/ Phing web site].

====Create Archive Files In Phing====
You can also use Phing to automate the creation of your extension archive files. For example, the script below creates a "tar.gz" archive using the built-in "tar" task in Phing:
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="FJ Author Plugin" basedir="." default="copy">

<property name="testdir" value="../Joomla_1.5.9_/plugins/content" override="true" />
<property name="srcdir" value="${project.basedir}" override="true" />


<fileset dir="." id="allfiles">
<include name="authorunpublish.*" />
</fileset>


<target name="copy" description="copy target">
<echo>Running phing_test.xml. Copying files from dev to test...</echo>
<copy todir="${testdir}">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</copy>
<echo msg="Creating archive..." />
<tar destfile="plg_authorunpublish.tar.gz" compression="gzip">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</tar>
<delete file="plg_authorunpublish.zip" quiet="true" />
<zip destfile="plg_authorunpublish.zip">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</zip>
<echo msg="Files copied and archive file created OK!" />
</target>
</project>
</source>
Notice that we can re-use the "fileset" we used for the copy task. The "tar" task creates a compressed "tar.gz" archive for our extension. The "zip" task creates a zip archive. Also note that we have a "delete" task before the "zip" task. This is because the zip task adds files to the archive instead of replacing files in the archive.

====More Complex Phing Example====
Here is a more complicated real-life example of a Phing script. The project is called FJEventsNews and has the following structure, typical of a simple Joomla! component extension:[[Image:Screenshot_fjeventsnews_project_20090122.png|frame|center]]
Our Phing script will do two things:
# Copy each of these files to the appropriate folder in the test project (called JEvents_dev).
# Create a ZIP and "tar.gz" archive file for installation.

Here is the script:
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="FJEventsNews" basedir="." default="copy_to_test">

<property name="test" value="../Jevents_dev" override="true" />
<property name="testadmincomp"
value="../Jevents_dev/administrator/components/com_fjeventsnews"
override="true" />
<property name="src" value="${project.basedir}" override="true" />
<fileset dir="./site" id="component_files">
<include name="**" />
</fileset>
<fileset dir="${src}" id="allfiles">
<include name="admin/*" />
<include name="language/*.*" />
<include name="language/admin/*.*" />
<include name="site/helpers/*" />
<include name="site/models/*" />
<include name="site/views/fjeventsnews/tmpl/*.*" />
<include name="site/views/fjeventsnews/*.*" />
<include name="site/views/*.*" />
<include name="site/*.*" />
<include name="fjeventsnews.xml" />
</fileset>


<target name="copy_to_test" description="copy target">
<echo>Copying files from dev to test...
</echo>
<copy file="${src}/admin/admin.fjeventsnews.php"
todir="${testadmincomp}" />
<copy file="${src}/admin/index.html" todir="${testadmincomp}" />
<copy file="${src}/language/admin/en-GB.com_fjeventsnews.ini"
todir="${test}/administrator/language/en-GB" />
<copy file="${src}/language/en-GB.com_fjeventsnews.ini"
todir="${test}/language/en-GB" />
<echo msg="Copying site files if needed..." />
<copy todir="${test}/components/com_fjeventsnews">
<fileset refid="component_files" />
</copy>
<copy file="${src}/fjeventsnews.xml" todir="${testadmincomp}" />
<delete file="${src}/com_fjeventsnews_dev.zip" />
<zip destfile="${src}/com_fjeventsnews_dev.zip">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</zip>
<tar destfile="${src}/com_fjeventsnews_dev.tar.gz" compression="gzip">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</tar>
</target>
</project>
</source>
This script uses the same commands we have seen in the earlier examples. It is just longer because we are working with more files. Here are some notes about the script:
* The first three property elements just define variables we will use later in the script.
* We define two "fileset" elements.
** The first one, called "component_files", is used to copy all of the files under the "site" folder to the test folder, "components/com_fjeventsnews".
** The second "fileset" element is "allfiles". We use this to create the two archive files. Notice that this uses "*.*" in some places. This is to exclude folder names. If the "*" is used, for example, in "site/*", then empty folders are included in the ZIP archive and this causes errors in the Joomla! extension install. By using "*.*", we only include files, since all of the files have extensions.
** Notice also that we can have multiple include statements. We could also use "exclude" statements if we needed them to exclude one or more files or folders.
* This file only has one "target" element, which is the default target. If we wanted, we could break this up into two or more "target" elements and execute them separately. Then we could use the command arguments <code>-f ''filename'' ''targetname''</code> to call a specific target. For example, if we had a target in the file called "create_archive", we could enter <code>-f copy_to_test.xml create_archive</code> to execute the "create_archive" target instead of the default "copy_to_test" target.

As stated earlier, there are many more advanced capabilities of Phing which are documented in the [http://phing.info/docs/guide/current/ Phing website].

===Inserting Version Control Info in Your Files===
If you ever edited one of Joomla's files you might certainly have noticed a comment block at the top of the file like this:
<source lang="php">
/**
* @version $Id: index.php 10381 2008-06-01 03:35:53Z pasamio $
* @package Joomla
* @copyright Copyright (C) 2005 - 2008 Open Source Matters. All rights reserved.
* @license GNU/GPL, see LICENSE.php
* Joomla! is free software. This version may have been modified pursuant
* to the GNU General Public License, and as distributed it includes or
* is derivative of works licensed under the GNU General Public License or
* other free or open source software licenses.
* See COPYRIGHT.php for copyright notices and details.
*/
</source>
What we are going to address here is the very first line of that block.

Note that it contains the name of the file, the build number of the last time the file was committed, the date and time of the last commit and the username of the person who committed the file.

The question is: "How can I use it in my own SVN managed extension project?"

Actually, it's quite easy to accomplish with the keyword replacement feature in SVN that we will explain here!

The first step is to put a comment block like the one above in your file. Actually, you don't have to use the same structure as the files in Joomla, but it would be better to maintain consistency and to make possible for your extension to be documented by phpDOC like the [http://api.joomla.org/ Joomla! 1.5 API Reference]. But, to achieve our goal, it's enough to have a comment block like:
<source lang="php">
/**
* $Id$
*/
</source>
Notice the two "$" signs and the uppercase "I" letter. Place this comment block in every file you want to have the keyword replacement to take place. It doesn't matter where you put the block, but the top of the file seems to be more logical.

After placing the comment block in all the files, you are ready for the replacement to occur, but SVN won't do anything without being explicitly told to. So, let's move to next step.

For the keyword replacement to occur, it's necessary to instruct SVN through a special property named "svn:keywords". Notice that this property applies only to files, not folders, so you have to set it for each and every file you want to have the replacement to take place, just as you did with the comment block. Also, never set this property for binary files. If you do, Eclipse may behave oddly when you make a commit.

To do it just highlight the file you want to set the property for. [[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_01.png|frame|center]]
If the file isn't versioned yet you'll have to make it versioned to be able to set the property. For this, right-click the file and select Team → Add To Version Control. You'll see that a blue plus sign will appear at the bottom-right-hand of the file's icon. [[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_02.png|frame|center]]
Now it's time to set the property for the file. At the bottom of the edit area, there's a set of tabs. One of them might read "SVN Properties". Select that tab, right click inside of it and select "Add a Property" from the menu. If this tab isn't showing you can always right-click the file and choose Team → Set Property.[[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_03.png|frame|center]]
In the window that opens just type svn:keywords for the property's name and Id (notice the capitalized I letter) in the "Enter a text property" text box. Select OK.[[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_04.png|frame|center]][[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_05.png|frame|center]]
You're set. Next time you make a commit, right after finishing the commit process, SVN will replace the $Id$ tag in your comment block with all the information you see in Joomla! files. Also, after committing the first time, if anybody else makes a change to that file and commits it, the next time you update your working copy the changes will be reflected in the comment block.

There is a quicker way to set the property for a set of files at once. Instead of highlighting each file, highlight the folder that contains them. Then proceed as explained above with the difference that in the "Set Property" window you'll have to check the "set property recursively" select box at the bottom of the window. In this case, make sure the folder doesn't contain any binary files for the reason we mentioned before. If inadvertedly you set the property for a binary file, just select the file/files, right-click svn:keywords property in the "SVN properties" tab and delete it.

For more information about SVN properties, check [http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.5/svn.ref.properties.html Version Control with Subversion - Chapter 9]

===Tips===
* If you accidentally overwrite or delete a file, remember that Eclipse automatically keeps a local history of all files in a project. You can right-click on any file and select either Compare With → Local History or Replace With → Local History to recover any lost edits.
* If you delete a file and need to restore it, you can right-click on a project and select Restore From Local History. This will let you recover any deleted files.
* If you have multiple Phing scripts, including a "build.xml" script, you may need to check the setting "Build before launch" on the Build tab of the External Tools Configuration. For example, if this is checked for a Phing file called "copy_to_test.xml", the "build.xml" will be run each time you run "copy_to_test.xml", which may not be what you want.

[[Category:Development]]
[[Category:Bug Squad]]

Setting up your workstation for extension development (build with Phing)

2012-12-21T10:36:33Z

Jbrice: /* Create the "build.xml" File */

{{underconstruction}}

{{RightTOC}}
{{review}}
This article explains one way in which you can set up your workstation for writing Joomla! extensions. It assumes that you are using Eclipse and that you are familiar with using Eclipse for working with Joomla! and Subversion. For more information about the basics of getting started with Eclipse for Joomla! development, see [[Setting up your workstation for Joomla! development]]. Note that these instructions assume you are using XAMPP version 1.7 or later.

<blockquote>''Joomla! developers can and do use many different development tools, and there is no one way that is best for everyone. This article documents one way to use Eclipse and Phing to help streamline the process of writing and testing Joomla! extensions.''</blockquote>

===Overview===
If you are writing a Joomla! extension, you have a challenge. On one hand, you need to keep the source code for the extension separate from the Joomla! source code. However, you also need to be able to run and perhaps debug the extension from within Joomla!. The problem is somewhat more difficult if you are using the Subversion (SVN) source code control system for the extension source code.

One simple way to do this is to create two separate projects in Eclipse. One project will be the "development" project. It will only contain the extension source code, and, if needed, can be controlled by SVN. The second project will be a "test" project. It will contain a full copy of Joomla! as well as a copy of your extension source code. Then we will create a Phing automatic build task that will allow us to keep the test copy of the extension current with the actual development copy.

===Create the Development Project===
The development project will contain the source code just for your Joomla! extension. If you are using SVN, then you will create this project in Eclipse by using File → Import → Checkout Projects from SVN. If you are not using SVN, you will just create a new PHP Project and create the appropriate folders and files for the extension. You should also have an install archive file so you can install the extension in Joomla! using the normal extension installer (Extensions → Install/Uninstall). We will see below how we can use Phing to create ZIP and "tar.az" archives automatically.

In our simple example, our extension is a plugin called "FJ Author Plugin". This has just two files called "authorunpublish.php" and "authorunpublish.xml". We also have created a zip archive file that contains these files, so we can install this extension on a Joomla! website.

===Create the Test Project===
Creating the test project is very easy. Just create a new PHP Project in Eclipse (in our case, called "Joomla_1.5.19_test"). Then unzip a full Joomla! zip archive into the top-level folder for this project (in our example, "C:\xampp\htdocs\joomla_development\Joomla_1.5.19_test"). Then navigate to the back end of this site and install Joomla!. (''Note: If you already have a test environment set up you can just use this environment.'')

Once the environment is set up, install the current version of the extension into the Joomla! test site in the normal way. In the back end of Joomla!, navigate to Extensions → Install/Uninstall, press Browse, find the archive file for your extension, and press "Upload File and Install".
* Note that this step is needed so that the Joomla! installer can add the extension to the database. In this case, a row is added in the jos_plugins table to register this plugin in Joomla!.
* Also note that, at this stage, the extension programs do not have to be working or finished. You just have to have a valid XML file for the installation and the appropriate files. The contents of the files, other than the XML file used for installation, does not matter. They can even be empty files.
**Sample XML:
<source lang="XML"><?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<install version="1.5" type="plugin" group="authentication">
<name>Authentication - Myauth</name>
<author>Joomla! Documentation Project</author>
<creationDate>May 30, 2007</creationDate>
<copyright>(C) 2005 - 2007 Open Source Matters. All rights reserved.</copyright>
<license>http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU/GPL</license>
<authorEmail>ian.maclennan@help.joomla.org</authorEmail>
<authorUrl>www.joomla.org</authorUrl>
<version>1.5</version>
<description>An sample authentication plugin</description>
<files>
<filename plugin="myauth">myauth.php</filename>
</files>
<params/>
</install></source>

===Install Phing===
Next, we need to add the Phing program to our PHP environment. Phing is an open-source project build system based on Apache Ant. In this example, we are going to use it to automate the copying of the program files from the development project to the test project every time we build the project. [http://phing.info/trac/wiki/Users/Download Download Phing]

Installing Phing is very easy.
# Go to the command line.
# Change directory to the Apache PHP folder. On my XAMPP system, it is "C:\xampp\php".
# Enter the command <code>pear channel-discover pear.phing.info</code>
# Then enter the command <code>pear install phing/phing</code>
# The system will download Phing. On Windows, the executable "BAT" file will be in your PHP folder (for example, "C:\xampp\php").

If phing is already installed, you may see the error "Ignoring installed package phing/phing Nothing to install" at step 4.

In some cases, the version of Phing that is included with XAMPP may not work correctly. (For example, I had this problem running XAMPP 1.7 on Windows Vista.) The symptom of this problem is that you will get an error message "No VERSION.TXT file found" when you try to run a Phing script. If this happens, uninstall and then re-install Phing as follows:
# at the command prompt, enter <code>pear uninstall phing/phing<code>
# then enter <code>pear install phing/phing</code>

====Install Phing On Linux====
You need to have '''pear''' package for php installed.
# At opensuse 11.3 run under root user: <pre>zypper install php5-pear-VersionControl_SVN php5-pear-xml_parser php5-pear</pre> This will install 3 packages, but I guess, '''php5-pear''' will be enough.
# Run: <pre>sudo pear channel-discover pear.phing.info</pre> My result was: 
#:''pear channel-discover pear.phing.info''
#:''Adding Channel "pear.phing.info" succeeded''
#:''Discovery of channel "pear.phing.info" succeeded''
# Run <pre>pear install phing/phing</pre> My result was:
#:''# pear install phing/phing''
#:''Unknown remote channel: pear.phpunit.de''
#:''Did not download optional dependencies: phing/phingdocs, channel://pear.phpunit.de/PHPUnit, pear/PhpDocumentor, pecl/Xdebug, ''
#:''pear/PEAR_PackageFileManager, use --alldeps to download automatically''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "phing/phingdocs" (version >= 2.4.2)''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "channel://pear.phpunit.de/PHPUnit" (version >= 3.4.0)''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "pear/PhpDocumentor" (version >= 1.4.0)''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "pecl/Xdebug" (version >= 2.0.5)''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "pear/PEAR_PackageFileManager" (version >= 1.5.2)''
#:''downloading phing-2.4.2.tgz ...''
#:''Starting to download phing-2.4.2.tgz (369,282 bytes)''
#:''............................................................................done: 369,282 bytes''
#:''install ok: channel://pear.phing.info/phing-2.4.2''

====Install Phing on OS X====
# Go into Terminal
# With XAMPP you'll want to change directory to /Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/bin <pre>cd /Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/bin</pre> 
# Run as root: <pre>sudo pear channel-discover pear.phing.info</pre> My result was: 
#:''pear channel-discover pear.phing.info''
#:''Adding Channel "pear.phing.info" succeeded''
#:''Discovery of channel "pear.phing.info" succeeded''
#Run as root: <pre>sudo pear install phing/phing</pre> My result was:
#:''Unknown remote channel: pear.phpunit.de''
#:''Did not download optional dependencies: phing/phingdocs, channel://pear.phpunit.de/PHPUnit, pear/PhpDocumentor, pecl/Xdebug, ''
#:''pear/PEAR_PackageFileManager, use --alldeps to download automatically''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "phing/phingdocs" (version >= 2.4.3)''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "channel://pear.phpunit.de/PHPUnit" (version >= 3.4.0)''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "pear/PhpDocumentor" (version >= 1.4.0)''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "pecl/Xdebug" (version >= 2.0.5)''
#:''phing/phing can optionally use package "pear/PEAR_PackageFileManager" (version >= 1.5.2)''
#:''downloading phing-2.4.2.tgz ...''
#:''Starting to download phing-2.4.3.tgz (386,013 bytes)''
#:''............................................................................done: 386,013 bytes''
#:''install ok: channel://pear.phing.info/phing-2.4.3''
You can call the executable with '''/usr/bin/phing'''

===Create the "build.xml" File===
Next, we need to create a file called "build.xml". This file will tell Phing what we want it to do during a project build -- in our case, just copy the two plugin files from the development project to the test project.

In Eclipse, select File → New → XML and create a file called "build.xml" in the root folder of your extension project. In our example, the file will contain the following code:
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="FJ Author Plugin" default="copy_all" basedir=".">
<property name="src" value="."/>
<property name="test" value="../Joomla_1.5.9_test/plugins/content" />
<target name="copy_all" description="Copies files to test project.">
<echo message="Running build.xml. Copying files from dev to test..." />
<copy file="${src}/authorunpublish.php" todir="${test}"/>
<copy file="${src}/authorunpublish.xml" todir="${test}"/>
</target>
</project>
</source>

Line 2 tells Phing that the default action to take is called "copy_all" and that the base directory for this is the current directory. Lines 3 and 4 just define the variables "src" (our current development folder) and "test" (where we want the files to be copied). Notice that "test" is set to copy the files to the "plugins/content" folder of the Joomla! test system. Of course, this will vary with different extension types. You can define as many variables as you need.

The next line creates the "target" element, in this case the default target called "copy_all". Inside the target element we have three lines. The first is just an echo command which will display the message in the Eclipse console when the build is run. The next two actually do the work. They copy the two files from the "src" folder to the "test" folder.

There are many things you can do inside a build file with Phing. See the [http://phing.info/docs/guide/current/ Phing User Guide] for more information. There are also complete phing build tools available through code-sharing sites such as GitHub (e.g. [https://github.com/jbrice/JoomExtBuild JoomExtBuild - a phing extension builder script]). Such scripts are ideal to use as-is, to modify to meet your specific needs, and for analysis of the code in order to learn more about phing scripting.

===Add Phing to the Eclipse Build===
The last step is to set up the project in Eclipse so that our Phing build program is run automatically each time we build the project. To do this:
# Right-click on the project and select Properties. Then select "Builders" as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_properties_20090122.png|frame|center]]
# Press New to display the Choose Configuration Type dialog shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_phing1_20090122.png|frame|center]]
# Select Program and press OK to show the Edit Configuration dialog shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_phing2_20090122.png|frame|center]]
#* In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the program.
#* In the Location field, press "Browse File System" and browse to the location of the "phing.bat" file (for example, "c:\xampp\php" on Windows or "/usr/bin/phing" in OS X).
#* In the Working Directory, press "Browse Workspace" and select the root folder of the current project.
#* Note that we are not entering anything into the Arguments field. This is because Phing by default will run the file called "build.xml". Also, we specified the "copy_all" as the default task inside the "build.xml" file. So this executes by default when Phing is run.
# Click on the Refresh tab to display the screen below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_edit_configuration_20090123.png|frame|center]]Here you have the option of refreshing the workspace after the files are copied. <blockquote>''Note about Eclipse Refresh: Eclipse keeps track of all local file changes. This allows it to restore files from it's local history repository. When you copy or change files outside of Eclipse (for example, with Phing), Eclipse needs to record these file changes. This is done with the Refresh command.''</blockquote>If you check the options "Refresh resources upon completion" and "The entire workspace", then the workspace will be automatically refreshed after the build. On some systems, this might take a long time. In this case, you would uncheck the "Refresh resouces upon completion" box. If automatic refresh is not done, you just need to refresh the files (using F5 or right-click → Refresh) manually. If you try to open a file that hasn't been refreshed, you get a message "Resource is out of sync with the file system" and you can refresh at that time.
# Press the Build Options tab to show the screen below.[[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_edit_configuration2_20090123.png|frame|center]]Here you can choose whether to have the Phing script run "During auto builds". If you set the project up for Automatic Builds (using the menu option Project → Build Automatically), and you check the "During auto builds" option, the Phing script will be run automatically every time you save an edited file.
# Press OK and the Properties dialog should now be as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_phing3_20090122.png|frame|center]]

Finally, let's test that this works. The idea here is that our Phing task should run whenever we build the Eclipse project. In the PHP Explorer, right-click on the project and select "Build" (this option only appears when 'Build Automatically', found in the Project menu, is turned off). In the Eclipse console, you should see something similar to screen below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_phing4_20090122.png|frame|center]]

====No VERSION.TXT Error====
If you get the error "No VERSION.TXT file found; try setting phing.home environment variable.", you may need to uninstall and re-install Phing. See [[Setting_up_your_workstation_for_extension_development#Install_Phing | Install Phing]] above for more information.

Note that, in this example, the source files in the development project were identical to the files in the test project, so we got the message "omitted, is up to date" for both. If you change one or both of these files and build the project again, you will see they have been copied.

====Can't load default task list Error====
If you get the Error "BUILD FAILED Can't load default task list" you may need to add the PEAR data path to the PHP include path. To do so open php.ini form your PHP installation folder (e.g. C:\xampp\php\), locate the line with the "include_path" setting and add the data folder (e.g.

include_path = ".;C:\xampp\php\PEAR;C:\xampp\php\PEAR\data

===More Phing Examples===
Below are some more examples of things you can do with Phing. Please keep in mind that there are many advanced capabilities that you can use with Phing. See [http://phing.info/docs/guide/current/ the Phing website] for more information.

====Run Phing File Outside of Build====
In the previous example, we ran the Phing build.xml file automatically when the Eclipse project was built. We can also run any Phing file directly from Eclipse using the Eclipse External Tools Configuration. To do this:
# Select Run → External Tools → External Tools Configuration, as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools0_20090122.png|frame|center]]
# Highlight the Program option and click on the New Launch Configuration button, as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools1_20090122.png|frame|center]]
# Fill out the Externals Tools Configurations dialog box as shown below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools2_20090122.png|frame|center]]
#* Enter a descriptive name in the Name field.
#* In the Location field, again click on the Browse File System button and find the "phing.bat" file.
#* In the Working Directory field, click on the Browse Workspace button and select the root directory of the project.
#* In the Arguments field, enter "-f build.xml". Note that this is not strictly necessary, since "build.xml" is the default file name for Phing. However, this shows how you would run any Phing file.
# Select the Refresh tab and enter the desired refresh options. These are the same as discussed earlier.
# Select the Build tab to show the screen below. [[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools4_20090123.png|frame|center]]Here you can select whether or not you want to automatically build the project before running this Phing script and, if so, which projects you want to build.
# Press the Run button to actually run the "build.xml" file. You should see the same output as you did when you ran the project build.

To re-run this file, you can just select it from the list using the Run External Programs button, as shown below.[[Image:Screenshot_eclipse_external_tools3_20090122.png|frame|center]] Alternatively, you can select Run → External Tools and select it from that list.

====Copy From Test Project to Development Project====
In some situations, it may be more convenient to write your code in the test environment and copy files from the test project to the development project. Again, this is very easy to do with Phing. In this example, we will create a Phing file in our development project called "copy_to_dev.xml" that will copy the files from our test project to the development project.

# Highlight the test project (in our example, "Joomla_1.5.9_test"), right-click, and select New → XML.
# Place the file in the project's root directory and name it "copy_to_dev.xml".
# In our example, the code for this file is the following:
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="Plugin Test" default="copy_to_dev" basedir=".">
<property name="test" value="./plugins/content"/>
<property name="dev" value="../FJ Author Plugin" />
<target name="copy_to_dev" description="Copies files to dev project.">
<echo message="Copying files from test to dev..." />
<copy file="${test}/authorunpublish.php" todir="${dev}"/>
<copy file="${test}/authorunpublish.xml" todir="${dev}"/>
</target>
</project>
</source>
: This code is very similar to the "build.xml" discussed above, except that it copies in the other direction.

To run this, add a new External Tools Run Configuration by following the steps outlined in the previous section. When you get to the External Tools Configurations dialog, enter the following in the Arguments field: <code>-f copy_to_dev.xml</code>. Check that the settings in the Refresh and Build tabs are what you want. For example, you may want to uncheck the "Build before launch" option if it takes a long time to build the test project.

When you run this, it should copy the files from the test project to the development project.

====Alternate Copy File Syntax====
Another way to use Phing to copy files is using the "fileset" property. The script below does the same thing as the "build.xml" file shown earlier.
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="FJ Author Plugin" default="copy_all" basedir=".">
<property name="test" value="../Joomla_1.5.9_test/plugins/content" />


<fileset dir="${project.basedir}" id="allfiles">
<include name="authorunpublish.*" />
</fileset>


<target name="copy_all" description="copy all files target">
<echo message="Copying files to test project..." />
<copy todir="${test}">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</copy>
</target>
</project>
</source>
This code uses the Phing "fileset" property to select the files to be copied. With this property, you can include or exclude files using wildcards to create the list of files you need. You can read more about different Phing options at the [http://phing.info/docs/guide/current/ Phing web site].

====Create Archive Files In Phing====
You can also use Phing to automate the creation of your extension archive files. For example, the script below creates a "tar.gz" archive using the built-in "tar" task in Phing:
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="FJ Author Plugin" basedir="." default="copy">

<property name="testdir" value="../Joomla_1.5.9_/plugins/content" override="true" />
<property name="srcdir" value="${project.basedir}" override="true" />


<fileset dir="." id="allfiles">
<include name="authorunpublish.*" />
</fileset>


<target name="copy" description="copy target">
<echo>Running phing_test.xml. Copying files from dev to test...</echo>
<copy todir="${testdir}">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</copy>
<echo msg="Creating archive..." />
<tar destfile="plg_authorunpublish.tar.gz" compression="gzip">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</tar>
<delete file="plg_authorunpublish.zip" quiet="true" />
<zip destfile="plg_authorunpublish.zip">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</zip>
<echo msg="Files copied and archive file created OK!" />
</target>
</project>
</source>
Notice that we can re-use the "fileset" we used for the copy task. The "tar" task creates a compressed "tar.gz" archive for our extension. The "zip" task creates a zip archive. Also note that we have a "delete" task before the "zip" task. This is because the zip task adds files to the archive instead of replacing files in the archive.

====More Complex Phing Example====
Here is a more complicated real-life example of a Phing script. The project is called FJEventsNews and has the following structure, typical of a simple Joomla! component extension:[[Image:Screenshot_fjeventsnews_project_20090122.png|frame|center]]
Our Phing script will do two things:
# Copy each of these files to the appropriate folder in the test project (called JEvents_dev).
# Create a ZIP and "tar.gz" archive file for installation.

Here is the script:
<source lang="xml">
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="FJEventsNews" basedir="." default="copy_to_test">

<property name="test" value="../Jevents_dev" override="true" />
<property name="testadmincomp"
value="../Jevents_dev/administrator/components/com_fjeventsnews"
override="true" />
<property name="src" value="${project.basedir}" override="true" />
<fileset dir="./site" id="component_files">
<include name="**" />
</fileset>
<fileset dir="${src}" id="allfiles">
<include name="admin/*" />
<include name="language/*.*" />
<include name="language/admin/*.*" />
<include name="site/helpers/*" />
<include name="site/models/*" />
<include name="site/views/fjeventsnews/tmpl/*.*" />
<include name="site/views/fjeventsnews/*.*" />
<include name="site/views/*.*" />
<include name="site/*.*" />
<include name="fjeventsnews.xml" />
</fileset>


<target name="copy_to_test" description="copy target">
<echo>Copying files from dev to test...
</echo>
<copy file="${src}/admin/admin.fjeventsnews.php"
todir="${testadmincomp}" />
<copy file="${src}/admin/index.html" todir="${testadmincomp}" />
<copy file="${src}/language/admin/en-GB.com_fjeventsnews.ini"
todir="${test}/administrator/language/en-GB" />
<copy file="${src}/language/en-GB.com_fjeventsnews.ini"
todir="${test}/language/en-GB" />
<echo msg="Copying site files if needed..." />
<copy todir="${test}/components/com_fjeventsnews">
<fileset refid="component_files" />
</copy>
<copy file="${src}/fjeventsnews.xml" todir="${testadmincomp}" />
<delete file="${src}/com_fjeventsnews_dev.zip" />
<zip destfile="${src}/com_fjeventsnews_dev.zip">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</zip>
<tar destfile="${src}/com_fjeventsnews_dev.tar.gz" compression="gzip">
<fileset refid="allfiles" />
</tar>
</target>
</project>
</source>
This script uses the same commands we have seen in the earlier examples. It is just longer because we are working with more files. Here are some notes about the script:
* The first three property elements just define variables we will use later in the script.
* We define two "fileset" elements.
** The first one, called "component_files", is used to copy all of the files under the "site" folder to the test folder, "components/com_fjeventsnews".
** The second "fileset" element is "allfiles". We use this to create the two archive files. Notice that this uses "*.*" in some places. This is to exclude folder names. If the "*" is used, for example, in "site/*", then empty folders are included in the ZIP archive and this causes errors in the Joomla! extension install. By using "*.*", we only include files, since all of the files have extensions.
** Notice also that we can have multiple include statements. We could also use "exclude" statements if we needed them to exclude one or more files or folders.
* This file only has one "target" element, which is the default target. If we wanted, we could break this up into two or more "target" elements and execute them separately. Then we could use the command arguments <code>-f ''filename'' ''targetname''</code> to call a specific target. For example, if we had a target in the file called "create_archive", we could enter <code>-f copy_to_test.xml create_archive</code> to execute the "create_archive" target instead of the default "copy_to_test" target.

As stated earlier, there are many more advanced capabilities of Phing which are documented in the [http://phing.info/docs/guide/current/ Phing website].

===Inserting Version Control Info in Your Files===
If you ever edited one of Joomla's files you might certainly have noticed a comment block at the top of the file like this:
<source lang="php">
/**
* @version $Id: index.php 10381 2008-06-01 03:35:53Z pasamio $
* @package Joomla
* @copyright Copyright (C) 2005 - 2008 Open Source Matters. All rights reserved.
* @license GNU/GPL, see LICENSE.php
* Joomla! is free software. This version may have been modified pursuant
* to the GNU General Public License, and as distributed it includes or
* is derivative of works licensed under the GNU General Public License or
* other free or open source software licenses.
* See COPYRIGHT.php for copyright notices and details.
*/
</source>
What we are going to address here is the very first line of that block.

Note that it contains the name of the file, the build number of the last time the file was committed, the date and time of the last commit and the username of the person who committed the file.

The question is: "How can I use it in my own SVN managed extension project?"

Actually, it's quite easy to accomplish with the keyword replacement feature in SVN that we will explain here!

The first step is to put a comment block like the one above in your file. Actually, you don't have to use the same structure as the files in Joomla, but it would be better to maintain consistency and to make possible for your extension to be documented by phpDOC like the [http://api.joomla.org/ Joomla! 1.5 API Reference]. But, to achieve our goal, it's enough to have a comment block like:
<source lang="php">
/**
* $Id$
*/
</source>
Notice the two "$" signs and the uppercase "I" letter. Place this comment block in every file you want to have the keyword replacement to take place. It doesn't matter where you put the block, but the top of the file seems to be more logical.

After placing the comment block in all the files, you are ready for the replacement to occur, but SVN won't do anything without being explicitly told to. So, let's move to next step.

For the keyword replacement to occur, it's necessary to instruct SVN through a special property named "svn:keywords". Notice that this property applies only to files, not folders, so you have to set it for each and every file you want to have the replacement to take place, just as you did with the comment block. Also, never set this property for binary files. If you do, Eclipse may behave oddly when you make a commit.

To do it just highlight the file you want to set the property for. [[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_01.png|frame|center]]
If the file isn't versioned yet you'll have to make it versioned to be able to set the property. For this, right-click the file and select Team → Add To Version Control. You'll see that a blue plus sign will appear at the bottom-right-hand of the file's icon. [[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_02.png|frame|center]]
Now it's time to set the property for the file. At the bottom of the edit area, there's a set of tabs. One of them might read "SVN Properties". Select that tab, right click inside of it and select "Add a Property" from the menu. If this tab isn't showing you can always right-click the file and choose Team → Set Property.[[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_03.png|frame|center]]
In the window that opens just type svn:keywords for the property's name and Id (notice the capitalized I letter) in the "Enter a text property" text box. Select OK.[[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_04.png|frame|center]][[image:screenshot_eclipse_svn_property_05.png|frame|center]]
You're set. Next time you make a commit, right after finishing the commit process, SVN will replace the $Id$ tag in your comment block with all the information you see in Joomla! files. Also, after committing the first time, if anybody else makes a change to that file and commits it, the next time you update your working copy the changes will be reflected in the comment block.

There is a quicker way to set the property for a set of files at once. Instead of highlighting each file, highlight the folder that contains them. Then proceed as explained above with the difference that in the "Set Property" window you'll have to check the "set property recursively" select box at the bottom of the window. In this case, make sure the folder doesn't contain any binary files for the reason we mentioned before. If inadvertedly you set the property for a binary file, just select the file/files, right-click svn:keywords property in the "SVN properties" tab and delete it.

For more information about SVN properties, check [http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.5/svn.ref.properties.html Version Control with Subversion - Chapter 9]

===Tips===
* If you accidentally overwrite or delete a file, remember that Eclipse automatically keeps a local history of all files in a project. You can right-click on any file and select either Compare With → Local History or Replace With → Local History to recover any lost edits.
* If you delete a file and need to restore it, you can right-click on a project and select Restore From Local History. This will let you recover any deleted files.
* If you have multiple Phing scripts, including a "build.xml" script, you may need to check the setting "Build before launch" on the Build tab of the External Tools Configuration. For example, if this is checked for a Phing file called "copy_to_test.xml", the "build.xml" will be run each time you run "copy_to_test.xml", which may not be what you want.
* On Windows Vista, you might see the error message "CLI Has Stopped Working". This error doesn't cause any problems, but it is annoying. This error comes from a bug in the file c:\xampp\php\ext\php_mysqli.dll that is included with some versions of XAMPP. You can correct this error as follows:
** Download the ZIP archive php-5.2.11-Win32.zip from [http://us.php.net/get/php-5.2.11-Win32.zip/from/a/mirror http://us.php.net/get/php-5.2.11-Win32.zip/from/a/mirror]
** Copy the file ext/php_mysqli.dll from the archive and replace the version in your XAMPP folder (for example, <code>C:\xampp\php\ext</code>).

[[Category:Development]]
[[Category:Bug Squad]]
[[Category:JED]]

Installing Joomla on Debian Linux

2012-07-25T13:53:31Z

Jbrice:

== Preface ==

This document guides you through the manual installation of Joomla! on '''Debian GNU Linux''' or one of its derivatives such as '''Ubuntu''', '''Knoppix''' or '''GRML'''. Note that this guide applies to Joomla! {{JVer|1.5}} {{JVer|1.6}} {{JVer|1.7}} {{JVer|2.5}}. It has been successfully tested on Debian 4.0 [Etch], Debian 5.0 [Lenny], Ubuntu 8.04 LTS [Hardy Heron], Ubuntu 10.10 [maverick] and Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot). It will work for all '''Debian''' based Linux distribution as well.

Also note that this guide assumes, you're installing Joomla! in a '''single hosting''' environment, running PHP as module. If you want to run multiple web sites as a web hosting service provider, for security reasons you should consider setting up an suPHP (php5-cgi, libapache2-mod-suphp) environment, where every virtual Apache host runs under its own UID.

== Installing Joomla! ==
=== Prerequisites ===
You will need to install apache2, mysql-server-5.0, mysql-client-5.0 and php5 in order to have a web-server for Joomla!.

=== Which stack should I choose? ===

- [[Installing_Joomla_on_Debian_Linux#XAMPP|XAMPP]] automatically configures ownership.

- [[Installing_Joomla_on_Debian_Linux#LaMp|LaMp]] requires use of the CHOWN command.

- [[Installing_Joomla_on_Debian_Linux#BitNami_Joomla.21_stack|BitNami Joomla! Stack]] is free, self-contained and automatically configures the LAMP stack and Joomla!

== XAMPP ==
Download [http://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp/files/XAMPP%20Linux/ XAMPP] for Linux to your your Home folder.

=== Install XAMPP ===
Open Terminal and enter:

<source lang="bash">
sudo tar xvfz xampp-linux-1.7.7.tar.gz -C /opt
</source>

(replace ''xampp-linux-1.7.7.tar.gz'' with the version of XAMPP you downloaded).

This installs ... Apache2, mysql and php5 as well as an ftp server.

<source lang="bash">
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start
</source>

and
<source lang="bash">
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp stop
</source>

starts/stops all the services

=== Test your XAMPP localhost server ===
Open your Browser and point it to
http://localhost
The index.php will redirect to
http://localhost/xampp

There you will find instructions on how to change default usernames/passwords. On a PC that does not serve files to the Internet or LAN then changing the defaults is personal choice.

=== Multiple Versions of XAMPP ===
It can be useful to have access to several versions of XAMPP on your PC (e.g to have available different versions of PHP for testing). XAMPP doesn't make this easy but it is possble - see [http://www.jamesbrice.com/multiple-xampp-versions "how to" article here] (for Linux only).

=== Get Joomla ===
Download the latest Joomla installation zip [http://www.joomla.org/download.html]

Unzip to your hard drive

Connect to localhost with an FTP client
Default
nobody
lampp

Create a folder for your Joomla on the localhost server

FTP the unpacked Joomla installation files to the newly created Joomla folder.

'''Important:'''
* The XAMPP installation sets the correct Ownership of the files and permissions.
* Using the '''CHOWN command''' will '''cause Ownership problems with xampp'''.
* '''Using nautilus''' to manipulate folders/files on localhost will '''cause Ownership problems with xampp'''.

=== Configure Joomla ===
In your Browser type
http://localhost/yournewjoomlafolder

In the first Joomla installation screen if error reporting is shown as on then:

In your Terminal type
<source lang="bash">
sudo gedit /opt/lampp/etc/php.ini
</source>

In the <tt>php.ini</tt> file, locate
<source lang="ini">
error_reporting =
</source>
And change the value to
<source lang="ini">
error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE & ~E_DEPRECATED
</source>

Also locate
<source lang="ini">
display_errors = On
</source>
And change the value to
<source lang="ini">
display_errors = Off
</source>

Stop then restart xampp for the new settings to take effect

FTP layer is NOT needed

'''Database info'''

'''Host''': <code>localhost</code>

'''Database name''': <code>test</code>
:<code>(Xampp will automatically create a database of the name you specify).</code>

'''Default Database user''': <code>root</code>
:There is no Password for '''Database user''': <code>root</code>.

Administrator password is your choice.

Installing Sample Data is recommended for the novice user.

After installation delete the installation directory and point your Browser to:
http://localhost/yournewjoomlafolder
or
http://localhost/yournewjoomlafolder/administrator

=== Create a link in the Ubuntu menu ===
'''To create a GUI for XAMPP connected to your Ubuntu menu'''

Open up the Terminal and type
<source lang="bash">
sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/xampp-control-panel.desktop
</source>

Then copy the following into the gedit and save.

<source lang="ini">
[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=XAMPP Control Panel
Comment=Start and Stop XAMPP
Exec=gksudo "python /opt/lampp/share/xampp-control-panel/xampp-control-panel.py"
Icon=/usr/share/icons/Tango/scalable/devices/network-wired.svg
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=GNOME;Application;Network;
StartupNotify=true
</source>

'''N.B.''' Ubuntu 11.10 needs ''python-glade2'' installed in order to run the GUI. ''python-glade2'' can be found in the Ubuntu Software Center.

== LaMp ==
You will find instructions on [http://wiki.debian.org/LaMp wiki.debian.org]. Make sure that you have installed bzip2 for extracting the downloaded Joomla! package.

You can check this by the following command:
<source lang="bash">
$ dpkg -l | awk '/^ii bzip2/ {print $1" "$2}'
ii bzip2
</source>

Note that the dollar sign '$' shell prompt is indicating you're a ''regular user''. We will later see a hash mark (#) shell prompt, which indicates that you're the super user ''root'' after issuing an '''su''' or '''sudo'''. The first policy for a secure linux system administration on the command line (but under X also) is to issue commands with the lowest permission as possible.

If bzip2 is not installed, you won't get an output. Then you can quickly install it via aptitude:
<source lang="bash">
$ su -c "aptitude install bzip2"
</source>

Here we see the first command executed with toot permissions, because a regular user is not allowed to install new software. The '-c' option passes the following command to '''su''' and hereafter it terminates instead of switching to a root shell.

=== Configure PHP5 ===
in the pre install check [ you get to that when the install is complete and are setting up Joomla at the web page ], Output Buffering was On and it's recommended that it should be Off .to do so
edit /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini , comment out this line: output_buffering = 4096 , by putting a ';' in front. it'll look like this when done:
;output_buffering = 4096

there were also warnings on the install screen regarding suhosin . to make the suggested changes, edit this file:
/etc/php5/conf.d/suhosin.ini
I set these :
<pre>
suhosin.post.max_array_index_length = 256
suhosin.post.max_totalname_length = 8192
suhosin.post.max_vars = 2048
suhosin.request.max_array_index_length = 256
suhosin.request.max_totalname_length = 8192
suhosin.request.max_vars = 2048
</pre>

=== Configure MySQL ===
It is time to create a database for Joomla! You can do this by the following commmands:
mysqladmin -u root -p create joomla

You may replace ''joomla'' with the name of choice for Joomla!'s database.

Now create a MySQL user different from root for Joomla!'s database. first enter into mysql system with:
mysql -u root -p
Then at the 'mysql>' prompt enter the following. Make sure you replace ''joomla'' with the name of Joomla!'s database from above. Replace ''yourusername'' with the user name you choose for the MySQL user accessing Joomla!'s database, and replace ''yourpassword'' with your password of choice for the MySQL user.
<source lang="bash">
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, DROP, INDEX, ALTER, CREATE TEMPORARY TABLES, \
LOCK TABLES ON joomla.* TO 'yourusername'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourpassword';
</source>
Activate the settings and quit : [ there will be a mysql> prompt:
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
\q

After disconnecting from the database server, you should remove the login information of your just new created MySQL user by editing MySQL's history file.
vi ~/.mysql_history

You can use any editor of your choice such as '''nano''', '''vi''' or '''emacs''' that is installed on your system.

=== Get Joomla! source ===
Now it is time to download the Joomla! sources. Currently you will find download links on the [http://joomlacode.org/download.html joomlacode.org] download page. For version 1.5.11, you may do the following from command line, assuming your current working directory is your home folder '''/home/user''':
<source lang="bash">
$ wget http://joomlacode.org/gf/download/frsrelease/10209/40306/Joomla_1.5.11-Stable-Full_Package.tar.bz2
$ cd /var/www
$ su
# mkdir -m 0755 joomla
# cd joomla
# tar -xvjf /home/user/Joomla_1.5.11-Stable-Full_Package.tar.bz2
</source>

for 1.7 use this wget line:
wget http://joomlacode.org/gf/download/frsrelease/15278/66553/Joomla_1.7.0-Stable-Full_Package.tar.bz2
You may want to check http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/joomla/frs/ for an updated package.

Here is the first time we see this hash mark (#) shell prompt. We call '''su''' without any options, because we want to issue root commands more than only one time. Calling '''su''' that way will prompt us for the super user's password and then change the actual shell environment, repectively $UID and $EUID.

=== Set ownerships and permissions ===
If you want to allow writing in the entire joomla folder, simply do

<source lang="bash">
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/joomla
</source>

If you want a more restrictive approach, do this instead:
<pre>
chown -R root:root /var/www/joomla
cd /var/www/joomla
PLACES='
administrator/backups
administrator/components
administrator/modules
administrator/templates
cache
components
images
images/banners
images/stories
language
mambots
mambots/content
mambots/editors
mambots/editors-xtd
mambots/search
media
modules
templates
'
for i in $PLACES; do chown -R www-data:www-data $i; done
</pre>

Now set file and directory permissions:
<source lang="bash">
find /var/www/joomla -type f -exec chmod 0644 {} \;
find /var/www/joomla -type d -exec chmod 0755 {} \;
</source>

=== Configure Joomla! ===
Open your favourite web-browser, and point it to the page http://localhost/joomla. Replace ''localhost'' with your servers IP or domain name if it you are installing on a remote system.

You will be guided through the final steps of setting up Joomla!, have your MySQL user, password and database name available.

When you reach the final screen with congratulations on installing Joomla!, you should remove the installation directory. From root terminal:
<source lang="bash">
# rm -rf /var/www/joomla/installation/
# exit
$
</source>

And that's it! Now you can login into the admin interface of your fresh installed Joomla! 1.5.9.

== BitNami Joomla! stack ==

=== What is BitNami Joomla! Stack? ===
BitNami Joomla! Stack is an all-in-one installer that makes it easy to install Joomla on your computer. It is free, easy to use and self-contained. That means it bundles and automatically configures every piece of software (dependency) necessary to run Joomla for development or production purposes, including Apache, MySQL and PHP.
You can download the latest version of BitNami Joomla! stack for Windows, Linux and OS X at http://bitnami.org/stack/joomla.

=== Installing Joomla! Stack ===
Regardless of which operating system you are running (Windows / Linux / Mac), the install process is the same.

Download the latest version of Joomla! Stack from the [http://bitnami.org/stack/joomla BitNami website].

Find the installer you just downloaded (the filename will be similar to bitnami-joomla-VERSION-linux-installer.run. Double click on the icon to launch the installer.

Note: If you are using Linux you will have to give executable permissions to the file first, using this command:
chmod +x /path/to/bitnami-joomla-VERSION-linux-installer.run

[[File:Joomla_welcome.png]]

Click "Forward".

[[File:Joomla_components.png]]

Select the components you want to install. If you are not sure, leave the default components checked. Click "Forward" when you are done.

[[File:Joomla_directory.png]]

Now it will ask where do you want to install the program. Provide the location where you want to install the BitNami Joomla! stack and click "Forward" when you are done.

[[File:Joomla_userdata.png]]

The user and password you provide here will be used to create the admin account in Joomla! Click "Forward" when you are done.

[[File:Joomla_sitename.png]]

Type in the name you want to use for your Joomla site, and click "Forward".

[[File:JoomlaReadytoinstall.png]]

The installer is now ready to begin the installation process. Click "Forward".

[[File:JoomlaCopyingfiles.png]]

Wait a minute while the installer copies the files and configures your Joomla! installation.

[[File:Joomlafinalscreen.png]]

Joomla! is now set up and ready to be used. Click "Finish" to launch the application.

[[File:Joomlaapplicationscreen.png]]

You can now log in using the username and password you provided during the installation.
<noinclude>[[Category:Installation]]<noinclude>

Installing Joomla on Debian Linux

2012-07-25T13:52:42Z

Jbrice:

== Preface ==

This document guides you through the manual installation of Joomla! on '''Debian GNU Linux''' or one of its derivatives such as '''Ubuntu''', '''Knoppix''' or '''GRML'''. Note that this guide applies to Joomla! {{JVer|1.5}} {{JVer|1.6}} {{JVer|1.7}} {{JVer|2.5}}. It has been successfully tested on Debian 4.0 [Etch], Debian 5.0 [Lenny], Ubuntu 8.04 LTS [Hardy Heron], Ubuntu 10.10 [maverick] and Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot). It will work for all '''Debian''' based Linux distribution as well.

Also note that this guide assumes, you're installing Joomla! in a '''single hosting''' environment, running PHP as module. If you want to run multiple web sites as a web hosting service provider, for security reasons you should consider setting up an suPHP (php5-cgi, libapache2-mod-suphp) environment, where every virtual Apache host runs under its own UID.

== Installing Joomla! ==
=== Prerequisites ===
You will need to install apache2, mysql-server-5.0, mysql-client-5.0 and php5 in order to have a web-server for Joomla!.

=== Which stack should I choose? ===

- [[Installing_Joomla_on_Debian_Linux#XAMPP|XAMPP]] automatically configures ownership.

- [[Installing_Joomla_on_Debian_Linux#LaMp|LaMp]] requires use of the CHOWN command.

- [[Installing_Joomla_on_Debian_Linux#BitNami_Joomla.21_stack|BitNami Joomla! Stack]] is free, self-contained and automatically configures the LAMP stack and Joomla!

== XAMPP ==
Download [http://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp/files/XAMPP%20Linux/ XAMPP] for Linux to your your Home folder.

=== Install XAMPP ===
Open Terminal and enter:

<source lang="bash">
sudo tar xvfz xampp-linux-1.7.7.tar.gz -C /opt
</source>

(replace ''xampp-linux-1.7.7.tar.gz'' with the version of XAMPP you downloaded).

This installs ... Apache2, mysql and php5 as well as an ftp server.

<source lang="bash">
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start
</source>

and
<source lang="bash">
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp stop
</source>

starts/stops all the services

=== Test your XAMPP localhost server ===
Open your Browser and point it to
http://localhost
The index.php will redirect to
http://localhost/xampp

There you will find instructions on how to change default usernames/passwords. On a PC that does not serve files to the Internet or LAN then changing the defaults is personal choice.

=== Multiple Versions of XAMPP ===
It can be useful to have access to several versions of XAMPP on your PC (e.g to have available different versions of PHP for testing). XAMPP doesn't make this easy but it is possble - see [http://www.jamesbrice.com/multiple-xampp-versions "how to" article] (for Linux only).

=== Get Joomla ===
Download the latest Joomla installation zip [http://www.joomla.org/download.html]

Unzip to your hard drive

Connect to localhost with an FTP client
Default
nobody
lampp

Create a folder for your Joomla on the localhost server

FTP the unpacked Joomla installation files to the newly created Joomla folder.

'''Important:'''
* The XAMPP installation sets the correct Ownership of the files and permissions.
* Using the '''CHOWN command''' will '''cause Ownership problems with xampp'''.
* '''Using nautilus''' to manipulate folders/files on localhost will '''cause Ownership problems with xampp'''.

=== Configure Joomla ===
In your Browser type
http://localhost/yournewjoomlafolder

In the first Joomla installation screen if error reporting is shown as on then:

In your Terminal type
<source lang="bash">
sudo gedit /opt/lampp/etc/php.ini
</source>

In the <tt>php.ini</tt> file, locate
<source lang="ini">
error_reporting =
</source>
And change the value to
<source lang="ini">
error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE & ~E_DEPRECATED
</source>

Also locate
<source lang="ini">
display_errors = On
</source>
And change the value to
<source lang="ini">
display_errors = Off
</source>

Stop then restart xampp for the new settings to take effect

FTP layer is NOT needed

'''Database info'''

'''Host''': <code>localhost</code>

'''Database name''': <code>test</code>
:<code>(Xampp will automatically create a database of the name you specify).</code>

'''Default Database user''': <code>root</code>
:There is no Password for '''Database user''': <code>root</code>.

Administrator password is your choice.

Installing Sample Data is recommended for the novice user.

After installation delete the installation directory and point your Browser to:
http://localhost/yournewjoomlafolder
or
http://localhost/yournewjoomlafolder/administrator

=== Create a link in the Ubuntu menu ===
'''To create a GUI for XAMPP connected to your Ubuntu menu'''

Open up the Terminal and type
<source lang="bash">
sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/xampp-control-panel.desktop
</source>

Then copy the following into the gedit and save.

<source lang="ini">
[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=XAMPP Control Panel
Comment=Start and Stop XAMPP
Exec=gksudo "python /opt/lampp/share/xampp-control-panel/xampp-control-panel.py"
Icon=/usr/share/icons/Tango/scalable/devices/network-wired.svg
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=GNOME;Application;Network;
StartupNotify=true
</source>

'''N.B.''' Ubuntu 11.10 needs ''python-glade2'' installed in order to run the GUI. ''python-glade2'' can be found in the Ubuntu Software Center.

== LaMp ==
You will find instructions on [http://wiki.debian.org/LaMp wiki.debian.org]. Make sure that you have installed bzip2 for extracting the downloaded Joomla! package.

You can check this by the following command:
<source lang="bash">
$ dpkg -l | awk '/^ii bzip2/ {print $1" "$2}'
ii bzip2
</source>

Note that the dollar sign '$' shell prompt is indicating you're a ''regular user''. We will later see a hash mark (#) shell prompt, which indicates that you're the super user ''root'' after issuing an '''su''' or '''sudo'''. The first policy for a secure linux system administration on the command line (but under X also) is to issue commands with the lowest permission as possible.

If bzip2 is not installed, you won't get an output. Then you can quickly install it via aptitude:
<source lang="bash">
$ su -c "aptitude install bzip2"
</source>

Here we see the first command executed with toot permissions, because a regular user is not allowed to install new software. The '-c' option passes the following command to '''su''' and hereafter it terminates instead of switching to a root shell.

=== Configure PHP5 ===
in the pre install check [ you get to that when the install is complete and are setting up Joomla at the web page ], Output Buffering was On and it's recommended that it should be Off .to do so
edit /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini , comment out this line: output_buffering = 4096 , by putting a ';' in front. it'll look like this when done:
;output_buffering = 4096

there were also warnings on the install screen regarding suhosin . to make the suggested changes, edit this file:
/etc/php5/conf.d/suhosin.ini
I set these :
<pre>
suhosin.post.max_array_index_length = 256
suhosin.post.max_totalname_length = 8192
suhosin.post.max_vars = 2048
suhosin.request.max_array_index_length = 256
suhosin.request.max_totalname_length = 8192
suhosin.request.max_vars = 2048
</pre>

=== Configure MySQL ===
It is time to create a database for Joomla! You can do this by the following commmands:
mysqladmin -u root -p create joomla

You may replace ''joomla'' with the name of choice for Joomla!'s database.

Now create a MySQL user different from root for Joomla!'s database. first enter into mysql system with:
mysql -u root -p
Then at the 'mysql>' prompt enter the following. Make sure you replace ''joomla'' with the name of Joomla!'s database from above. Replace ''yourusername'' with the user name you choose for the MySQL user accessing Joomla!'s database, and replace ''yourpassword'' with your password of choice for the MySQL user.
<source lang="bash">
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, DROP, INDEX, ALTER, CREATE TEMPORARY TABLES, \
LOCK TABLES ON joomla.* TO 'yourusername'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourpassword';
</source>
Activate the settings and quit : [ there will be a mysql> prompt:
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
\q

After disconnecting from the database server, you should remove the login information of your just new created MySQL user by editing MySQL's history file.
vi ~/.mysql_history

You can use any editor of your choice such as '''nano''', '''vi''' or '''emacs''' that is installed on your system.

=== Get Joomla! source ===
Now it is time to download the Joomla! sources. Currently you will find download links on the [http://joomlacode.org/download.html joomlacode.org] download page. For version 1.5.11, you may do the following from command line, assuming your current working directory is your home folder '''/home/user''':
<source lang="bash">
$ wget http://joomlacode.org/gf/download/frsrelease/10209/40306/Joomla_1.5.11-Stable-Full_Package.tar.bz2
$ cd /var/www
$ su
# mkdir -m 0755 joomla
# cd joomla
# tar -xvjf /home/user/Joomla_1.5.11-Stable-Full_Package.tar.bz2
</source>

for 1.7 use this wget line:
wget http://joomlacode.org/gf/download/frsrelease/15278/66553/Joomla_1.7.0-Stable-Full_Package.tar.bz2
You may want to check http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/joomla/frs/ for an updated package.

Here is the first time we see this hash mark (#) shell prompt. We call '''su''' without any options, because we want to issue root commands more than only one time. Calling '''su''' that way will prompt us for the super user's password and then change the actual shell environment, repectively $UID and $EUID.

=== Set ownerships and permissions ===
If you want to allow writing in the entire joomla folder, simply do

<source lang="bash">
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/joomla
</source>

If you want a more restrictive approach, do this instead:
<pre>
chown -R root:root /var/www/joomla
cd /var/www/joomla
PLACES='
administrator/backups
administrator/components
administrator/modules
administrator/templates
cache
components
images
images/banners
images/stories
language
mambots
mambots/content
mambots/editors
mambots/editors-xtd
mambots/search
media
modules
templates
'
for i in $PLACES; do chown -R www-data:www-data $i; done
</pre>

Now set file and directory permissions:
<source lang="bash">
find /var/www/joomla -type f -exec chmod 0644 {} \;
find /var/www/joomla -type d -exec chmod 0755 {} \;
</source>

=== Configure Joomla! ===
Open your favourite web-browser, and point it to the page http://localhost/joomla. Replace ''localhost'' with your servers IP or domain name if it you are installing on a remote system.

You will be guided through the final steps of setting up Joomla!, have your MySQL user, password and database name available.

When you reach the final screen with congratulations on installing Joomla!, you should remove the installation directory. From root terminal:
<source lang="bash">
# rm -rf /var/www/joomla/installation/
# exit
$
</source>

And that's it! Now you can login into the admin interface of your fresh installed Joomla! 1.5.9.

== BitNami Joomla! stack ==

=== What is BitNami Joomla! Stack? ===
BitNami Joomla! Stack is an all-in-one installer that makes it easy to install Joomla on your computer. It is free, easy to use and self-contained. That means it bundles and automatically configures every piece of software (dependency) necessary to run Joomla for development or production purposes, including Apache, MySQL and PHP.
You can download the latest version of BitNami Joomla! stack for Windows, Linux and OS X at http://bitnami.org/stack/joomla.

=== Installing Joomla! Stack ===
Regardless of which operating system you are running (Windows / Linux / Mac), the install process is the same.

Download the latest version of Joomla! Stack from the [http://bitnami.org/stack/joomla BitNami website].

Find the installer you just downloaded (the filename will be similar to bitnami-joomla-VERSION-linux-installer.run. Double click on the icon to launch the installer.

Note: If you are using Linux you will have to give executable permissions to the file first, using this command:
chmod +x /path/to/bitnami-joomla-VERSION-linux-installer.run

[[File:Joomla_welcome.png]]

Click "Forward".

[[File:Joomla_components.png]]

Select the components you want to install. If you are not sure, leave the default components checked. Click "Forward" when you are done.

[[File:Joomla_directory.png]]

Now it will ask where do you want to install the program. Provide the location where you want to install the BitNami Joomla! stack and click "Forward" when you are done.

[[File:Joomla_userdata.png]]

The user and password you provide here will be used to create the admin account in Joomla! Click "Forward" when you are done.

[[File:Joomla_sitename.png]]

Type in the name you want to use for your Joomla site, and click "Forward".

[[File:JoomlaReadytoinstall.png]]

The installer is now ready to begin the installation process. Click "Forward".

[[File:JoomlaCopyingfiles.png]]

Wait a minute while the installer copies the files and configures your Joomla! installation.

[[File:Joomlafinalscreen.png]]

Joomla! is now set up and ready to be used. Click "Finish" to launch the application.

[[File:Joomlaapplicationscreen.png]]

You can now log in using the username and password you provided during the installation.
<noinclude>[[Category:Installation]]<noinclude>

Installing Joomla on Debian Linux

2012-07-25T13:25:17Z

Jbrice: Added link to "how to" about using multiple versions of XAMPP

== Preface ==

This document guides you through the manual installation of Joomla! on '''Debian GNU Linux''' or one of its derivatives such as '''Ubuntu''', '''Knoppix''' or '''GRML'''. Note that this guide applies to Joomla! {{JVer|1.5}} {{JVer|1.6}} {{JVer|1.7}} {{JVer|2.5}}. It has been successfully tested on Debian 4.0 [Etch], Debian 5.0 [Lenny], Ubuntu 8.04 LTS [Hardy Heron], Ubuntu 10.10 [maverick] and Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot). It will work for all '''Debian''' based Linux distribution as well.

Also note that this guide assumes, you're installing Joomla! in a '''single hosting''' environment, running PHP as module. If you want to run multiple web sites as a web hosting service provider, for security reasons you should consider setting up an suPHP (php5-cgi, libapache2-mod-suphp) environment, where every virtual Apache host runs under its own UID.

== Installing Joomla! ==
=== Prerequisites ===
You will need to install apache2, mysql-server-5.0, mysql-client-5.0 and php5 in order to have a web-server for Joomla!.

=== Which stack should I choose? ===

- [[Installing_Joomla_on_Debian_Linux#XAMPP|XAMPP]] automatically configures ownership.

- [[Installing_Joomla_on_Debian_Linux#LaMp|LaMp]] requires use of the CHOWN command.

- [[Installing_Joomla_on_Debian_Linux#BitNami_Joomla.21_stack|BitNami Joomla! Stack]] is free, self-contained and automatically configures the LAMP stack and Joomla!

== XAMPP ==
Download [http://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp/files/XAMPP%20Linux/ XAMPP] for Linux to your your Home folder.

=== Install XAMPP ===
Open Terminal and enter:

<source lang="bash">
sudo tar xvfz xampp-linux-1.7.7.tar.gz -C /opt
</source>

(replace ''xampp-linux-1.7.7.tar.gz'' with the version of XAMPP you downloaded).

This installs ... Apache2, mysql and php5 as well as an ftp server.

<source lang="bash">
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start
</source>

and
<source lang="bash">
sudo /opt/lampp/lampp stop
</source>

starts/stops all the services

=== Test your XAMPP localhost server ===
Open your Browser and point it to
http://localhost
The index.php will redirect to
http://localhost/xampp

There you will find instructions on how to change default usernames/passwords. On a PC that does not serve files to the Internet or LAN then changing the defaults is personal choice.

=== Multiple Versions of XAMPP ===
It can be useful to have access to several versions of XAMPP on your PC (e.g to have available different versions of PHP for testing). XAMPP doesn't make this easy but it is possble - see "how to" article (for Linux only) here [http://www.jamesbrice.com/multiple-xampp-versions].

=== Get Joomla ===
Download the latest Joomla instalation zip [http://www.joomla.org/download.html]

Unzip to your hard drive

Connect to localhost with an FTP client
Default
nobody
lampp

Create a folder for your Joomla on the localhost server

FTP the unpacked Joomla installation files to the newly created Joomla folder.

'''Important:'''
* The XAMPP installation sets the correct Ownership of the files and permissions.
* Using the '''CHOWN command''' will '''cause Ownership problems with xampp'''.
* '''Using nautilus''' to manipulate folders/files on localhost will '''cause Ownership problems with xampp'''.

=== Configure Joomla ===
In your Browser type
http://localhost/yournewjoomlafolder

In the first Joomla installation screen if error reporting is shown as on then:

In your Terminal type
<source lang="bash">
sudo gedit /opt/lampp/etc/php.ini
</source>

In the <tt>php.ini</tt> file, locate
<source lang="ini">
error_reporting =
</source>
And change the value to
<source lang="ini">
error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE & ~E_DEPRECATED
</source>

Also locate
<source lang="ini">
display_errors = On
</source>
And change the value to
<source lang="ini">
display_errors = Off
</source>

Stop then restart xampp for the new settings to take effect

FTP layer is NOT needed

'''Database info'''

'''Host''': <code>localhost</code>

'''Database name''': <code>test</code>
:<code>(Xampp will automatically create a database of the name you specify).</code>

'''Default Database user''': <code>root</code>
:There is no Password for '''Database user''': <code>root</code>.

Administrator password is your choice.

Installing Sample Data is recommended for the novice user.

After installation delete the installation directory and point your Browser to:
http://localhost/yournewjoomlafolder
or
http://localhost/yournewjoomlafolder/administrator

=== Create a link in the Ubuntu menu ===
'''To create a GUI for XAMPP connected to your Ubuntu menu'''

Open up the Terminal and type
<source lang="bash">
sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/xampp-control-panel.desktop
</source>

Then copy the following into the gedit and save.

<source lang="ini">
[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=XAMPP Control Panel
Comment=Start and Stop XAMPP
Exec=gksudo "python /opt/lampp/share/xampp-control-panel/xampp-control-panel.py"
Icon=/usr/share/icons/Tango/scalable/devices/network-wired.svg
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=GNOME;Application;Network;
StartupNotify=true
</source>

'''N.B.''' Ubuntu 11.10 needs ''python-glade2'' installed in order to run the GUI. ''python-glade2'' can be found in the Ubuntu Software Center.

== LaMp ==
You will find instructions on [http://wiki.debian.org/LaMp wiki.debian.org]. Make sure that you have installed bzip2 for extracting the downloaded Joomla! package.

You can check this by the following command:
<source lang="bash">
$ dpkg -l | awk '/^ii bzip2/ {print $1" "$2}'
ii bzip2
</source>

Note that the dollar sign '$' shell prompt is indicating you're a ''regular user''. We will later see a hash mark (#) shell prompt, which indicates that you're the super user ''root'' after issuing an '''su''' or '''sudo'''. The first policy for a secure linux system administration on the command line (but under X also) is to issue commands with the lowest permission as possible.

If bzip2 is not installed, you won't get an output. Then you can quickly install it via aptitude:
<source lang="bash">
$ su -c "aptitude install bzip2"
</source>

Here we see the first command executed with toot permissions, because a regular user is not allowed to install new software. The '-c' option passes the following command to '''su''' and hereafter it terminates instead of switching to a root shell.

=== Configure PHP5 ===
in the pre install check [ you get to that when the install is complete and are setting up Joomla at the web page ], Output Buffering was On and it's recommended that it should be Off .to do so
edit /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini , comment out this line: output_buffering = 4096 , by putting a ';' in front. it'll look like this when done:
;output_buffering = 4096

there were also warnings on the install screen regarding suhosin . to make the suggested changes, edit this file:
/etc/php5/conf.d/suhosin.ini
I set these :
<pre>
suhosin.post.max_array_index_length = 256
suhosin.post.max_totalname_length = 8192
suhosin.post.max_vars = 2048
suhosin.request.max_array_index_length = 256
suhosin.request.max_totalname_length = 8192
suhosin.request.max_vars = 2048
</pre>

=== Configure MySQL ===
It is time to create a database for Joomla! You can do this by the following commmands:
mysqladmin -u root -p create joomla

You may replace ''joomla'' with the name of choice for Joomla!'s database.

Now create a MySQL user different from root for Joomla!'s database. first enter into mysql system with:
mysql -u root -p
Then at the 'mysql>' prompt enter the following. Make sure you replace ''joomla'' with the name of Joomla!'s database from above. Replace ''yourusername'' with the user name you choose for the MySQL user accessing Joomla!'s database, and replace ''yourpassword'' with your password of choice for the MySQL user.
<source lang="bash">
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, DROP, INDEX, ALTER, CREATE TEMPORARY TABLES, \
LOCK TABLES ON joomla.* TO 'yourusername'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourpassword';
</source>
Activate the settings and quit : [ there will be a mysql> prompt:
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
\q

After disconnecting from the database server, you should remove the login information of your just new created MySQL user by editing MySQL's history file.
vi ~/.mysql_history

You can use any editor of your choice such as '''nano''', '''vi''' or '''emacs''' that is installed on your system.

=== Get Joomla! source ===
Now it is time to download the Joomla! sources. Currently you will find download links on the [http://joomlacode.org/download.html joomlacode.org] download page. For version 1.5.11, you may do the following from command line, assuming your current working directory is your home folder '''/home/user''':
<source lang="bash">
$ wget http://joomlacode.org/gf/download/frsrelease/10209/40306/Joomla_1.5.11-Stable-Full_Package.tar.bz2
$ cd /var/www
$ su
# mkdir -m 0755 joomla
# cd joomla
# tar -xvjf /home/user/Joomla_1.5.11-Stable-Full_Package.tar.bz2
</source>

for 1.7 use this wget line:
wget http://joomlacode.org/gf/download/frsrelease/15278/66553/Joomla_1.7.0-Stable-Full_Package.tar.bz2
You may want to check http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/joomla/frs/ for an updated package.

Here is the first time we see this hash mark (#) shell prompt. We call '''su''' without any options, because we want to issue root commands more than only one time. Calling '''su''' that way will prompt us for the super user's password and then change the actual shell environment, repectively $UID and $EUID.

=== Set ownerships and permissions ===
If you want to allow writing in the entire joomla folder, simply do

<source lang="bash">
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/joomla
</source>

If you want a more restrictive approach, do this instead:
<pre>
chown -R root:root /var/www/joomla
cd /var/www/joomla
PLACES='
administrator/backups
administrator/components
administrator/modules
administrator/templates
cache
components
images
images/banners
images/stories
language
mambots
mambots/content
mambots/editors
mambots/editors-xtd
mambots/search
media
modules
templates
'
for i in $PLACES; do chown -R www-data:www-data $i; done
</pre>

Now set file and directory permissions:
<source lang="bash">
find /var/www/joomla -type f -exec chmod 0644 {} \;
find /var/www/joomla -type d -exec chmod 0755 {} \;
</source>

=== Configure Joomla! ===
Open your favourite web-browser, and point it to the page http://localhost/joomla. Replace ''localhost'' with your servers IP or domain name if it you are installing on a remote system.

You will be guided through the final steps of setting up Joomla!, have your MySQL user, password and database name available.

When you reach the final screen with congratulations on installing Joomla!, you should remove the installation directory. From root terminal:
<source lang="bash">
# rm -rf /var/www/joomla/installation/
# exit
$
</source>

And that's it! Now you can login into the admin interface of your fresh installed Joomla! 1.5.9.

== BitNami Joomla! stack ==

=== What is BitNami Joomla! Stack? ===
BitNami Joomla! Stack is an all-in-one installer that makes it easy to install Joomla on your computer. It is free, easy to use and self-contained. That means it bundles and automatically configures every piece of software (dependency) necessary to run Joomla for development or production purposes, including Apache, MySQL and PHP.
You can download the latest version of BitNami Joomla! stack for Windows, Linux and OS X at http://bitnami.org/stack/joomla.

=== Installing Joomla! Stack ===
Regardless of which operating system you are running (Windows / Linux / Mac), the install process is the same.

Download the latest version of Joomla! Stack from the [http://bitnami.org/stack/joomla BitNami website].

Find the installer you just downloaded (the filename will be similar to bitnami-joomla-VERSION-linux-installer.run. Double click on the icon to launch the installer.

Note: If you are using Linux you will have to give executable permissions to the file first, using this command:
chmod +x /path/to/bitnami-joomla-VERSION-linux-installer.run

[[File:Joomla_welcome.png]]

Click "Forward".

[[File:Joomla_components.png]]

Select the components you want to install. If you are not sure, leave the default components checked. Click "Forward" when you are done.

[[File:Joomla_directory.png]]

Now it will ask where do you want to install the program. Provide the location where you want to install the BitNami Joomla! stack and click "Forward" when you are done.

[[File:Joomla_userdata.png]]

The user and password you provide here will be used to create the admin account in Joomla! Click "Forward" when you are done.

[[File:Joomla_sitename.png]]

Type in the name you want to use for your Joomla site, and click "Forward".

[[File:JoomlaReadytoinstall.png]]

The installer is now ready to begin the installation process. Click "Forward".

[[File:JoomlaCopyingfiles.png]]

Wait a minute while the installer copies the files and configures your Joomla! installation.

[[File:Joomlafinalscreen.png]]

Joomla! is now set up and ready to be used. Click "Finish" to launch the application.

[[File:Joomlaapplicationscreen.png]]

You can now log in using the username and password you provided during the installation.
<noinclude>[[Category:Installation]]<noinclude>

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-19T13:14:18Z

Jbrice:

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

One solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and if this is used it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials are the same as those used when installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use for FTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to access the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in many web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6#Global_Configuration|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5 talk:Global configuration

2011-09-06T17:00:43Z

Jbrice:

I have some time on my hands so I hope no one will mind if pick up this article and move it on a bit. Global Config. is something that is central to so many areas of web site performance (security, speed, SEO, etc.) so I hope it proves useful to others as well as giving myself the opportunity to learn more about its mysteries.

--[[User:Jbrice|James B.]] 10:57, 22 August 2011 (CDT)

Major part of the update of this article added today. Please give me any comments or additional relevant content that could be added.

--[[User:Jbrice|James B.]] 06:16, 26 August 2011 (CDT)

Another major part of the update of this article added over the past 24 hours. Please give me any comments or additional relevant content that could be added.

--[[User:Jbrice|James B.]] 04:48, 31 August 2011 (CDT)

Last major part of the update of this article added. Please give me any comments or additional relevant content that could be added.
Just some minor bits and pieces now to be done.

--[[User:Jbrice|James B.]] 08:57, 31 August 2011 (CDT)

I haven't read it in detail, but it looks good. I think some of the content could usefully be added to the help screens (eg. [[Help17:Site Global Configuration]] for {{JVer|1.7}}). Reference 1 is to a forum post that refers to a feature request. Any relevant information from the forum post should be included in the page and the link removed. Reference 3 is to an external site that should be removed as linking to external sites (except a small number of approved sites) is not permitted (see [[JDOC:Wiki policy]])

[[User:Chris Davenport|Chris Davenport]] 17:12, 31 August 2011 (CDT)

Chris,
Thanks for the feedback on this. I have removed those two citations because - as you point out - they contravene the Wiki policy. In fact, I don't remember seeing that Wiki policy page before. Like a lot of the information for prospective documenters, it takes some perseverance to uncover.

-- [[User:Jbrice|James B.]] 12:00, 6 September 2011 (CDT)

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-06T16:53:06Z

Jbrice: /* “Server Settings” Group */

{{review}}{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

One solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and if this is used it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials are the same as those used when installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use for FTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to access the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in many web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6#Global_Configuration|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-06T16:52:13Z

Jbrice: /* “Cookie Settings” Group */

{{review}}{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

One solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and if this is used it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials are the same as those used when installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use for FTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to access the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in many web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6#Global_Configuration|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T13:41:40Z

Jbrice: /* The Permissions Tab Options */

{{review}}{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

One solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and if this is used it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials are the same as those used when installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use for FTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to access the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in many web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6#Global_Configuration|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T12:29:16Z

Jbrice:

{{review}}{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

One solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and if this is used it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials are the same as those used when installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use for FTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to access the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in many web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T10:16:44Z

Jbrice: /* “Mail Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

One solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and if this is used it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials are the same as those used when installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use for FTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to access the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in many web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T10:14:31Z

Jbrice: /* “Database Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

One solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and if this is used it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials are the same as those used when installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use for FTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to access the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T10:11:29Z

Jbrice: /* “FTP Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

One solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and if this is used it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials are the same as those used when installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use for FTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T10:07:48Z

Jbrice: /* “Location Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T10:07:17Z

Jbrice: /* “Location Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T10:06:16Z

Jbrice: /* “Location Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time | Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T10:05:33Z

Jbrice: /* “Location Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time| Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T10:05:09Z

Jbrice: /* “Location Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T10:04:14Z

Jbrice: /* “Server Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T09:57:59Z

Jbrice: /* “Session Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user, and which persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to temporarily lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T09:56:05Z

Jbrice: /* “Cache Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”. '''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage.<ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user and persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T09:54:06Z

Jbrice: /* “Debug Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every page, below the normal web page area. This information will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”.'''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage. <ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user and persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T09:51:46Z

Jbrice: /* “Media Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or approx. 10MB). '''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “fron-tend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types that will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alter this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every web page, below the normal page content. This will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”.'''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage. <ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user and persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T09:43:22Z

Jbrice: /* “User Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

'''Note:''' the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account. This process validates the email address given by the new user, and confirms that the user has access to it.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or 10MB).'''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “frontend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alster this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every web page, below the normal page content. This will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”.'''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage. <ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user and persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T09:38:33Z

Jbrice: /* The Site Tab Options */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between the different versions of Joomla.

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is frequently used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden for the content categories and individual content items.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and thus give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]. If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]. The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started]. '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html] or [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]. This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves any non-Latin characters in the alias text unchanged. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is the default setting.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or e-commerce) in sub-domains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any sub-domain of example.com<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>.
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

Note: the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or 10MB).'''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “frontend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alster this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every web page, below the normal page content. This will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”.'''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage. <ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user and persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T09:20:02Z

Jbrice: /* Overview */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the name implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also alter some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', which you will find in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left as their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file." will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between versions of Joomla

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is typically used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. . By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden at the content category and individual content item levels.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become:[http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started] '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html]or[http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves unchanged any non-Latin characters in the alias text. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is default.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or ecommerce) in subdomains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any subdomain of example.com.<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

Note: the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or 10MB).'''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “frontend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alster this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every web page, below the normal page content. This will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”.'''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage. <ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user and persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-05T09:16:52Z

Jbrice: /* Introduction to Global Configuration */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article expands on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “backend”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the title implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', found in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left in their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file" will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between versions of Joomla

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is typically used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. . By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden at the content category and individual content item levels.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become:[http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started] '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html]or[http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves unchanged any non-Latin characters in the alias text. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is default.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or ecommerce) in subdomains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any subdomain of example.com.<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

Note: the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or 10MB).'''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “frontend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alster this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every web page, below the normal page content. This will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”.'''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage. <ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user and persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]

J1.5:Global configuration

2011-09-02T13:48:38Z

Jbrice: /* “Site Settings” Group */

{{JVer|1.5}}{{JVer|1.6}}{{JVer|1.7}}
== Introduction to Global Configuration ==
This wiki article to expand on the information given about Global Configuration in the Joomla online Help, and also to provide hints and tips about use of the settings found in this part of the administrative interface. This article is written to support Joomla versions 1.5.x to 1.7.x.

The Global Configuration area is part of the administrative interface, accessed via [http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administratora http://example.com/pathtojoomla/administrator] (also referred to as the “back end”). This area is accessible only if you are logged-in as a member of a group having the attribute of being Super Administrators (by default the Super Users group only). Once logged in, to access the page, go to '''Site > Global Configuration''' or click the Global Configuration icon from the main control panel.

== Overview ==
As the title implies, Global Configuration is the area of the Joomla administrative interface where a user with Super Administrator attributes is able to make changes that globally affect the behaviour of the web site and also some default settings for the presentation of, and access to site content.

All the parameters under the Site, System and Server tabs in the Global Configuration are stored as values in the file ''configuration.php'', found in the root folder of Joomla installation. This file is set up automatically by the software installation process and thus many of the parameters appearing in the Global Configuration screens are best left in their initial settings. Should Joomla be unable to update ''configration.php'' a message such as "Could not save data. Error: Could not write to the configuration file" will be displayed, rather than the usual "Configuration successfully saved.". There are a number of ways of overcoming this problem, please refer to [[Cannot save Global Configuration changes]] for further information.

The parameters controlled by a third tab, Permissions, (present only with Joomla v1.6.x and later) differ from those controlled via the other tabs in that they are stored within the web site's database.

== The Toolbar ==
The Global Configuration toolbar consists of four buttons to enable the user to save changes, move away from the Global Configuration page and call up online Help pages. Toolbars differ between Joomla v1.5.x and the later versions., in respect of naming and order of buttons.

=== The Joomla 1.5.x Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Apply'''. As Save, but the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Close.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help.''' Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

=== The Joomla 1.6.x and Later Toolbar ===
* '''Save.''' Saves the any changes made under any tab and and the Global Configuration screen remains open so that editing or checking of global parameters can continue.
* '''Save & Close'''. As Save, but returns to the Administrator welcome screen.
* '''Cancel.''' Returns to the Administrator welcome screen without saving any changes to the Global Configuration.
* '''Help. '''Opens the Help Screen for Global Configuration.

== The Site Tab Options ==
'''Note: '''the order in which these items appear on the screen vary slightly between versions of Joomla

=== “Site Settings” Group ===
This group of options control a miscellaneous collection of parameters that broadly control the behaviour of the public web pages of the Joomla site.

* '''Site Name.''' The name of the web site. This text provides an single-point of update of the site name and is typically used by site templates as the header text of each web page.

* '''Site Offline.''' This setting provides a means of putting a site offline to general users by changing the default setting of “No” to “Yes”. When offline the public pages of the web site will be replaced by the Offline Message (see below) and a log-in form. Only Administrators are able to to log in the site when set to offline using this option. Once logged-in, Adminstrators are able to see the the web site and work on it as normal.
* '''Offline Message.''' The message that will be displayed on the site when the site is offline. It may be changed to provide something more helpful than the default message. This could be a date or time when the site will be back online, or the URL of an alternative web site that any visitors could use.
* '''Default Editor.''' The default text [http://help.joomla.org/proxy/index.php?option=com_help&view=help&keyref=Content_creators#Content_Editors editor] for use when creating or updating articles on the site. This may be “No editor” (edit raw HTML code only), one of editors pre-installed in Joomla, or an editor installed subsequently as an extension. The editor loaded when a registered site user starts editing text content may be overridden on a user-by-user basis, but in the absence of any such override it will be the Default Editor as set here.
* '''Default Access Level.''' (only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later) The access level given by default to new content items, menu entries, etc. By default this is “Public”, but could be changed to other levels if – for example – it was undesirable for newly created items to be visible to all site users. The access level for any items may be overridden when created, or changed at a later point by anyone logged-in with the appropriate permissions.
* '''Default List Limit.''' This sets the maximum number of items per page in lists displayed in various pages of the Joomla administrative interface, although this value may be overridden temporarily within the list pages themselves. . By default, this parameter is set to 20 but may be changed to any of a number of values ranging from 5 to 100. '''Tip:''' Use a larger value (50 or 100) than the default as it is usually easier to scroll up and down a list on a single page than to move between lots of short pages. Also if all items are on one page, it is much easier to carry out a global search, for example for text in an article title.
* '''Default Feed Limit.''' The number of content items to be shown in any RSS newsfeeds set up on the web site. By default, this is set to 10, although unless the site is very active a smaller number may be better.
* '''Feed Email.''' Atom and RSS newsfeeds generated from site content by the Joomla “Syndicate feeds” (“Syndication” in Joomla v1.5.x) site module may include an e-mail address as part of the author's identity. This parameter determines the source of that email address: the “Author Email” setting will use the email address held on the site for content author, “Site E-mail” will use the “From email” address set up under the Server tab (see below) for emails generated automatically by the web site. '''Tip:''' “Site E-mail” is usually the preferred setting if content syndication is being used on a web site. This is because the alternative will expose the content authors' email addresses to collection by spam lists.

=== “Metadata Settings” Group ===
This group of options control the presence or content of several of the metadata entries (i.e. code like ''<nowiki><meta name = …. \></nowiki>'') in the header of each page of the web site. Although not visible to the site user, metadata entries may be used in various ways by web search engines and their appropriate use can significantly aid the search rankings and visibility of a web site. Note that several of the following metadata parameters my be overridden at the content category and individual content item levels.

* '''Site Meta Description.''' Text added here appears in web page headers as the “description” metadata entry. Search engines often use this to provide descriptive text for your web pages in place some (possibly inappropriate) text from the content of the web page. A description of around 20 words is recommended. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Site Meta Keywords.''' Words and phrases (separated by commas) added here appear in web page headers as the “keywords” metadata entry. Search engines may use these words to refine their indexing of the site's web pages. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Content Rights.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Text added here appears in web page headers as the “rights” metadata entry. If appropriate, describe here what rights others have to use this content. This metadata entry is omitted from web pages if this entry is blank.
* '''Show Title Meta Tag.''' <nowiki>(Only present in Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x.) When this parameter is set to “Yes” a “title” metadata entry is added to the page header (in addition to the <title> … </title> header element). This only takes place for pages carrying individual content items and uses the title of the item as the metadata entry. Joomla v1.7.x and later do not have this option and do not generate a “title” metadata entry on any pages.</nowiki>
* '''Show Author Meta Tag.''' When this parameter is set to “Yes” an “author” metadata entry is added to the page header when appropriate, using the content item's author name as the metadata text.

=== “SEO Settings” Group ===
SEO is an abbreviation of ''Search Engine Optimization''. Settings in this group alter the format of URLs for pages in the web site, and this may have a significant effect of the search rankings of individual pages, as well as making URLs more human-friendly.

'''Tip:''' after making any changes to the settings in this group, refresh any of the web site's pages already open in your web browser (usually Ctrl+R will do this). Failure to so this will likely mean that the format of web links internal to the site no longer match that which Joomla is expecting and give the appearance of broken links.

'''Tip: '''Avoid if at all possible altering the SEO Settings once a web site is established. Changing any of the first three items below will mean that nearly all of a site's URLs will also change and result in broken links from other sites and perhaps a temporary drop in search engine rankings.

* '''Search Engine Friendly URLs.''' Joomla's internal representation of URLs tends to be lengthy and also difficult to interpret by humans and search engine spiders. This is a typical example of the internal URL for a page displaying a content item: [http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437 www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22&Itemid=437]If this Global Configuration option is set to “yes”, the URL is modified into a shorter and more meaningful form: [http://www.example.com/index.php/getting-started www.example.com/index.php/getting-started]The identifying text in the URL (in this case “getting_started”) is derived from the Alias text set up for each Category, content item, and Menu item. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Use Apache mod_rewrite. '''When this parameter is set to “Yes, Joomla will use the mod_rewrite function of Apache web servers to eliminate the ''index.php'' part of the URL. Thus when this is operating the “search engine friendly” URL shown above will become:[http://www.example.com/getting-started www.example.com/getting-started] '''Note:''' This parameter is set to “No” by default. It should not be set to “Yes” unless the web server uses Apache software and has been set up so that mod_rewrite is installed and will work with your web site (see [[How to check if mod rewrite is enabled on your server|here]] for how to check). Also for this function to work, the ''htaccess.txt ''file installed in the root directory of the web site (or preferably a copy of it) should be renamed to'' .htaccess''. As an incorrectly configured ''.htaccess'' file can easily cause major server errors, so do not modify the ''.htaccess'' file unless you understand how it works.
* '''Adds Suffix to URL.''' When set to “Yes”, Joomla will add ''.html ''to the end of the most site URLs thus simulating static file-based web content. The URLs shown above will then become: [http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/index.php/getting-started.html]or[http://www.example.com/getting-started.html www.example.com/getting-started.html]This setting is largely down to personal preference, but bearing in mind that it is easy to confuse ''.htm'' and .''html'' suffixes when typing URLs, the advantage my lie with having this feature switched off. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Unicode aliases. '''(Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Choose between “Transliteration” and “Unicode” aliases. When saving edited content, the former setting attempts to convert, where appropriate, any alias text into the corresponding Latin characters. The latter setting leaves unchanged any non-Latin characters in the alias text. Changing this parameter does not retrospectively change aliases, it just changes the behaviour of automatic alias generation for future content editing and creation. “Transliteration” is default.
* '''Add Site Name To Page Titles.''' (Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later.) Appends the site name to page titles in the ''<nowiki><title></nowiki>'' tag of each web page header. (This text usually appears in the top bar of the web browser window and/or on the browser tab.) Joomla v1.6.x introduced this feature as an option to either include the site name text before the page title (e.g. ''Site Name – Page Name'') or omit it. With Joomla v1.7.x the options also include inserting the site name after the page name (e.g. ''Page Name – Site Name'') as well as before.

=== “Cookie Settings” Group ===
Only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later, these settings allow the site cookies to be modified to suit certain circumstances. For the majority of web sites these entries may be left blank.

* '''Cookie Domain.''' Overrides the site's default cookie domain with .the domain added here. The most likely situation when this would be needed is when the Joomla sit is “bridged with other sites (e.g. forum or ecommerce) in subdomains of the Joomla site. The default cookie domain may be like [http://www.example.com/ www.example.com], but using [http://.example.com/ .example.com] (note the leading dot) here will deliver cookies valid for any subdomain of example.com.<ref>[http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?p=1383912| FEATURE REQ: Cookie settings in Global Configuration]</ref>
* '''Cookie Path.''' Overrides the site's default path for which the cookie is valid with the path added here.

== The System Tab Options ==
=== “System Settings” Group===
* '''Secret.''' ('''Secret Word''' in Joomla v1.5.x) This is a unique random alpha-numeric code automatically generated during Joomla installation. It is used within Joomla in the generation of hashes and encryption keys. The Secret is made available only so that a site Administrator has access to it. It cannot be edited here.
* '''Path to Log Folder.''' The full path to the folder on the server where any logs should be stored by Joomla or its extensions. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''Enable Web Services. '''(Joomla v1.5.x only) This feature enables Joomla to make RPC (Remote Procedure Calls) using HTTP as the transport medium and XML as the encoding language. It is used by some third party extensions (e.g. backup utilities and client-based content editors). The default setting is “Yes”.
* '''Help Server.''' Select the default source of the information presented when a Help button is clicked. The purpose of this choice is mainly to select the appropriate language variant of the Help service. The choice of Help service may be overridden for individual registered site users.

=== “User Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the User Manager screen (Users > User manager).

Note: the User Settings parameters are an exception in that they are not stored in the ''configuration.php'' file, but are held in the site database as parameters of the Users Component.

* '''Allow User Registration.''' If set to “Yes” enables new users to create an account and adds a “Create an account”link to the standard login form. As a security measure this should be set to “No” unless there is a need for self-registration of new users.
* '''New User Registration Type.''' The Access Level automatically allocated to users self-registering on the web site. The default is “Registered”.
* '''New User Account Activation.''' If set to “Yes”, new users will be emailed on registration with a link to a web page. They must then visit this web page before they are able to log in to the web site using their new account.
* '''Front-end User Parameters.''' If set to “Yes”, users will be able to access a form where they will be able to change change their preferences for site languages, content editor, time zone settings, and source of help pages. This is in addition to being able to change their name, email address and password, all available independently of this setting.

=== “Media Settings” Group===
This section of the interface is present here only in Joomla v1.5.x. In later versions of Joomla it is accessed through the Options button on the Media Manager screen (Content > Media manager).

'''Note: '''If changing the Path parameters in this section, refer to the warning in the Help text concerning not deleting the default folders.

* '''Legal Extensions (File Types).''' This is a comma-separated list of file name extensions that defines the types of files that users may upload. The default list includes all the common image and media file formats likely to be used on a web site.
* '''Maximum Size (in bytes). '''The maximum size of file in bytes that size users are allowed to upload to the web site. The default setting is “10000000” (or 10MB).'''Note:''' that you may also have to change some server parameters to enable the web site to upload large files, for example upload parameters in ''php.ini''.
* '''Path to Media Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where media files will be stored. The default is – confusingly – “images. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Path to Image Folder.''' This is the path, relative to the folder where the Joomla site is installed, where image files will be stored. The default is “images/stories”. '''Note: '''the path entry should not include leading and trailing forward slashes.
* '''Restrict Uploads.''' If set to “Yes” (the default and recommended setting) Joomla will restrict uploads to image file formats only. This restriction applies only to uploads by users with permission levels below Manager. The restriction only applies if the web server does not have installed either of the PHP modules ''Fileinfo'' or ''mime_magic''. These modules are used to detect the type of a file independently of its name extension. They are used in Joomla – if available – to enhance site security by confirming that any uploads are not a file format that could be used for malicious purposes.
* '''Minimum User Level for Media Manager.''' This sets the lowest level of user that is able to use the media upload function in the “frontend” content editor. The selected user level and any higher levels will be able to use this function.
* '''Check MIME Types. '''Check the type of contents in a file (the “MIME Type”) by examining the data rather than depending on the file name extension. (see ''Fileinfo'' and ''mime_magic ''under Restrict Uploads above''.'') This is a useful security feature so the default is “Yes”, but may be switched off if it causes an unacceptable level of error messages.
* '''Legal Image Extensions (File Types)'''. Defines the file types that may be uploaded as site images. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions denoting the acceptable file types.
* '''Ignored Extensions. '''Defines the file types will not be subjected to MIME Type checking. This is a comma-separated list of filename extensions for the ignored file types and is blank by default.
* '''Legal MIME Types'''. This sets the list of acceptable MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes the standard file types likely to be used. It is recommended that you do not alster this parameter unless you are familiar with MIME Types and their application.
* '''Illegal MIME Types.''' This sets the list of blocked MIME (file content) types for Media uploads. By default, this list includes just one item, ''text/html.'' If permitted, this data format could be used to embed malicious code in the site content.

=== “Debug Settings” Group===
* '''Debug System.''' If set to “Yes”, Joomla will add debug information on every web page, below the normal page content. This will include various forms of diagnostic information, including the full database queries used in generating the page. The default setting is “No”. The mix and format of diagnostic information presented by the debug function may be altered by editing the parameters of the Debug - System plug-in (Extensions > Plug-in Manager). '''Note:''' the debug information displayed with this parameter set to “Yes” is visible to all users and thus may be a security risk if used on a public web site. The debug information is visible even if Site Offline is set to “Yes”.
* '''Debug Language. '''<nowiki>If set to “Yes”, Joomla will activate features designed to help debug language translations for a Joomla site. This includes the addition of language translation information to page debug information (requires Debug System also set to “Yes”), and markers to show translated content within the web pages themselves. For further information, refer to</nowiki> [[Debugging a translation]].

=== “Cache Settings” Group===
'''Note: '''The order shown below is that used in Joomla V1.5.x. The positions of Cache Time and Cache Handler are reversed in later versions.

* '''Cache''' This setting controls whether or not site caching is enabled. When enabled, web pages are held for a period of time in cache storage and are retrieved from there rather than being re-created each time required. Caching is a strategy to reduce the loading presented by busy web sites to a web server. The default setting is “No”.'''Tip: '''When debugging a Joomla site, switch off the cache as it may hide changes to web pages. and thus mask the effect of modifications to web site code.
* '''Cache Time.''' This parameter defines the maximum time for which web pages are held in the cache storage before being updated with the current version. The default is 15 minutes.
* '''Cache Handler.''' This setting defines the mechanism used to manage the cache storage. <ref>[[Cache|Joomla! Cache Documentation]]</ref>

=== “Session Settings” Group===
The “session” is the data that identifies and relates to a specific web site user and persists as that user moves from page to page.

* '''Session Lifetime.''' This parameter determines how long a before user is automatically logged off for being inactive. The default setting is 15 minutes, although it can be useful to lengthen this parameter on development sites to avoid having to repeatedly log back in.
* '''Session Handler.''' Selects the mechanism used to hold session information between one page request and the next one from the same user. The options are “Database” (the default) and “None”. The former stores session information as entries in a table in the site's Joomla database, the latter uses the session handling mechanism built in to PHP.

== The Server Tab Options ==
=== “Server Settings” Group ===
* '''Path to Temp Folder.''' This is the full path to the folder on the server that Joomla and its extensions will use for temporary file storage. This folder location is set up on Joomla installation and should not normally be changed.
* '''GZIP Page Compression.''' If set to “Yes”, the web server will compress the content sent out from your Joomla site. This will speed-up page load times, especially for web site users who have a low-bandwidth connection. The default setting is “No”.
* '''Error Reporting. '''This parameter sets the level of error reporting to be used by PHP on the Joomla site. It has four options: System Default, None, Simple, and Maximum. System “Default” leaves the level of PHP error reporting to that set up in the server (usually in the ''php.ini ''file). “None” switches off PHP error reporting, and “Simple” and “Maximum” override the server setting to give a basic level of reporting and the reporting of all errors, respectively. '''Tip:''' Should your Joomla site fail to the extent that it is not possible to use the Administrator pages to activate error reporting, you can switch on full PHP error reporting by editing the ''configuration.php'' file. Changing the ''$error_reporting'' parameter in that file to a value of '6143' is the equivalent to setting Error Reporting to “Maximum”<ref>[http://www.technowise.in/2011/02/turning-on-error-reporting-in-joomla.html | Turning On Error Reporting in Joomla]</ref>.
* '''Force SSL.''' This parameter has three options: “None”, “Administrator Only”, and “Entire Site”. Using the appropriate setting, this parameter forces any web browser connections to the administrative “backend”, or to the complete Joomla site, to use the secure HTTP protocol (HTTPS). The “Entire Site” setting is appropriate where security of any web transaction (e.g. e-commerce) is important. Ideally there should also be an appropriate certificate in place to verify the identity of your web site. The “Administrator Only” setting is ideal for enhancing the security of other types of web site as it encrypts “backend” content and passwords that could be put to malicious use if intercepted. '''Note:''' before moving away from the default setting of “None”, it is essential that you check the server delivering your web site is capable of operating in HTTPS mode.

=== “Location Settings” Group ===
Appears as “Locale Settings” in v1.5.x

* '''Server Time Zone '''('''Time Zone'''<nowiki> in V1.5.x). Sets the time zone for use across the web site, based on a choice of capital cities. (default is “London”, UTC 00:00) Internally, Joomla stores the date and time of events as UTC</nowiki><ref>[[wikipedia:Coordinated_Universal_Time|Wikipedia - Coordinated Universal Time]]</ref>. <nowiki>It then uses “Server Time Zone” to set the appropriate offset to display time and date information on the web site in the server's local time zone. </nowiki>'''Note:''' that each user also has a time zone parameter that, by default, is the same as the Server Time Zone but which may be changed to reflect the preferred time zone of that user.

=== “FTP Settings” Group ===
A significant problem with running scripted programs – such as Joomla – on Linux and similar servers is that the files and folders making up the program are not owned by the same identity as the one used to execute the web server code. The files and folders making up the web site will usually be put in place on the server by means of FTP, and thus will be owned by the personal log-in identity used for FTP access. In contrast, the web server code will be executed by a generic identity used for automatic processes within the server.

Because the of this difference between the FTP upload and web server identities, automatic updates of the web site code (e.g. installing or updating extensions) will be blocked by the security features that prevent one user's files being altered by another user.

The solution to this problem is for Joomla to use FTP when installing or deleting files, and it is essential that the FTP log-on credentials used are the same as used in installing the Joomla web site.

The FTP option is generally only needed on shared servers using Linux and Unix-like operating systems. The problem does not arise with other operating systems, and on dedicated servers there is the alternative option of changing the ownership and/or permissions of the web site files so that they may be modified by the web server processes.

FTP is also not necessary when the Joomla site has been set up to operate under CGI or FastCGI as the web server process then generally operates under the same identity as the one used for FTP access.

* '''Enable FTP.''' Setting this to “Yes” will force Joomla to use FTP when adding, deleting, or updating web site files. This is in place of the PHP functions which would normally be used to do this. The default setting is “No”, and should not be changed unless FTP upload is necessary (see the detail above).
* '''FTP Host.''' The URL to be used for FTP access to the Joomla web site files.
* '''FTP Port. '''Generally “21”. You will be advised by your web hosting provider if a different port number needs to be used for FTP access to your site files.
* '''FTP Username.''' The user identity that Joomla will use forFTP access. This must be the same identity as used in setting up the web site.
* '''FTP Password. '''The password for the above user identity.
* '''FTP Root.''' This is the path from the FTP log-in location to the folder that holds the Joomla site.

=== “Database Settings” Group ===
These parameters identify the database location, the database and tables within that database that hold configuration and content information for your web site. It also includes the username required for accessing the database contents, but '''not''' the password associated with that username. Should you need to change the database password, edit the line defining the value of ''$password'' in the file ''configuration.php'', to be found in the Joomla installation folder.

* '''Database Type.'''<nowiki> This determines the type of the database being used by this Joomla installation and also the type of interface used to access the database. Current versions of Joomla only operate with MySQL databases, with v1.6.x and later versions offering a choice of “MySQL” and “MySQLi”. These are two different PHP interfaces to MySQL databases. The latter should be used if possible as it should work with all modern implementations of MySQL server, and offers a number of advantages over the MySQL interface.</nowiki><ref>[http://uk2.php.net/manual/en/mysqli.overview.php|PHP MySQLi Overview]</ref>
* '''Host '''('''Hostname''' in v1.5,x). The hostname of the database server to be used. In most web hosting situations, the database server is located in the same system as the web server and this parameter should then be set to “localhost”. Otherwise this setting should be the server name or IP address (e.g. “mysql.example.com”).
* '''Database Username''' ('''Username''' in v1.5.x). The username required to acccess the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Name''' ('''Database''' in v1.5.x). The name of the database carrying the Joomla site's data tables.
* '''Database Table Prefix. '''The prefix applied to the name of the database tables used by this Joomla installation. For Joomla v1.5.x and v1.6.x this is “jos_” by default, and should another Joomla site have to share the same database, the database tables would be kept separate by setting up this second site with a different prefix – e.g. “jos2_”. With Joomla v1.7.x the same result is achieved by using a prefix that is a randomly generated alphabetic code and underscore – e.g. “vduea_”.

=== “Mail Settings” Group ===
This group is used to set up the sending of automatically generated emails from the Joomla web site.

* '''Mailer.''' This sets the mechanism to be used when sending automatically generated emails. The choice is between “PHP Mail” (the PHP ''mail()'' function,) “Sendmail” (an email handling program available in some web servers), or “SMTP” (a separate email delivery server similar to those used by most email clients). The default setting is “PHP Mailer”.
* '''From email''' ('''Mail from''' in v1.5.x). The email address to be used as “from” address in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''From Name.''' This defines the “from” name in any outgoing emails generated by the Joomla site.
* '''Sendmail Path.''' The server path to the Sendmail program – if it is used. Generally this will be “/usr/sbin/sendmail”.

The remaining Mail Settings parameters need to be set up only if Mailer is set to “SMTP”.

* '''SMTP Authentication. '''Whether or not the external SMTP server requires authentication before accepting outgoing emails. The default is “No”.
* '''SMTP Security. '''The form of security required by the SMTP server. – “None”, “SSL” or “TLS”. The default is “None”.
* '''SMTP Port. '''The IP port to use when connecting to the SMTP server. This will usually be “25” for None, or “465” for SSL or TLS.
* '''SMTP Username. '''The username to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Password.''' The password to be used when connecting to the SMTP server in SSL or TLS mode. May be left blank if there is no SMTP authentication.
* '''SMTP Host. '''The hostname of the SMTP server (e.g. “smtp.example.com”).

== The Permissions Tab Options ==
This tab is only present in Joomla v1.6.x and later as it reflects the enhanced flexibility of access control introduced with V1.6. It provides the means to set up the default permissions for all of the groups of users in terms their ability to edit site content and other settings of the site, and to access administrative functions.

There are comprehensive descriptions of the use of the settings under this tab and the general principles of operation and set-up of permissions in Joomla V1.6 and later here: [[ACL_Tutorial_for_Joomla_1.6|ACL Tutorial for Joomla 1.6]].

==References==
<references>

[[Category:Joomla! 1.5]][[Category:Joomla! 1.6]][[Category:Joomla! 1.7]][[Category:Installation]][[Category:Security]][[Category:Global Configuration Management]][[Category:FAQ]]