Global Configuration Manager

Purpose:

The Global Configuration Manager allows you to control a number of variables that affect your site as a whole. Changes made on this screen will update the configuration.php file; accordingly, this file must be writable. When your site is configured, it is a good idea to make configuration.php unwritable for security reasons.

Site Tab

- Site Offline - Takes the front end of your website on or offline. Use this option if you are updating the site and do not wish to have your visitors view the site until you are finished.
- Offline Message - When the Site Offline switch is in the Yes position, this field sets the default message that displays for your site visitors.
- System Error Message - This message will display if the initial database connection fails. You can type anything you like in this box.
- Site Name - Sets the name of the site. This will display in the Title Bar of the visitors' browsers and will also show in system-generated emails.
- ShowUnauthorised Links - With this option turned on, visitors will see all links, including those to Content Items to which the visitor may not have access, (that is, content given an Access Level of 'Registered' or 'Special'). With this option off, they will only see links to content with an Access Level of 'Public'.
- Allow User Registration - This option allows you to set whether visitors can register for a user account. If the "Yes" radio button is chosen, the Login Form will include the prompt “No account yet? Create one". If the "No" radio button is chosen, they will not be presented with an option to register.
- Use New Account Activation - If the "Yes" radio button is chosen, an activation link will be sent to user's e-mail address. A new user can not login until he has clicked on the activation link. If the "No" radio button is chosen, Users will be able to login right away without activation.
- Email New User Password - With this option set to 'Yes', the new user will receive an email with a password generated by Mambo. If it is set to 'No', new Users will select their own password.
- Require Unique Email - Select whether you want to prevent registration with duplicate e-mail addresses. In combination with user activation this option prevents users from signing up more than once using the same e-mail address.
- Use Captcha Authentication - Select whether users are required to enter verification details from a security image before submitting forms. This stops automatic form submissions such as spam.
- Debug Site - This option allows you to view the error messages that are created by your site's php installation. It can be a handy tool for debugging if you are having problems and for reporting errors to your System Administrator or Web host.
- WYSIWYG Editor - Choose which of the installed Text Editors you want to use to edit Content Items.
- List Length - Choose a default length for lists in the Admin system.
- Favourites Site Icon - This sets the icon that appears in some browsers next to the name and/or address of your site. By default this is the Mambo flower. If you want another icon to show up, you must upload another icon to replace the Mambo flower.

Locale Tab

- Language: Choose the default language used on your site. Note that you may have to install a language pack if you wish to use a language other than that deployed with the system.
- Time Offset: This option sets the time offset in hours between your server location and GMT (Greenwich Mean Time - UK).
- Debugging:
- Use gettext:
- Country Locale: Type the location of your Web site. For instance en_GB would be the setting for the UK.

Content Tab

- Linked Titles: Select 'Yes', if you want the title of a Content Item to function as a hyper-link leading to the Content Item.
- Read More Link: Hide / display the text "Read more" at the end of your "Intro Text" of your Content Items.
- Item Rating / Voting: This option allows users to vote on / rate Content Items. Choose 'Yes', and a 'Star Bar' will be shown on each Content Item, as well as a form for submitting ratings.
- Author Names: Show /Hide the Author's name when a Content Item is displayed.
- Created Date and Time: Show /Hide the creation date and time when a Content Item is displayed
- .Modified Date and Time: Show /Hide the last modified date and time when a Content Item is displayed.
- Hits: Show /Hide the number of times an article/content has been viewed.
- PDF Icon: Show /Hide the PDF maker icon on Content Items.
- Print Icon: Show /Hide the Printer Friendly Version icon on Content Items.
- Email Icon: Show /Hide the Email Page to Friend icon on Content Items.
- Icons: Choose the radio button "Show", when you want the hidden links to Email/Print/PDF to be icons rather than text.
- Table of Contents on multi-page items: Choose the radio button "Show", to show the Table of Content navigation index boxes for multi-page Content Items.
- Back Button: Show /Hide navigational back buttons on each page to make it easier for users to navigate your site.
- Content Item Navigation: Choose the radio button "Show", to publish 'Next' and 'Previous' links when viewing Content Items in a category or to change pages within the same article.

Database Tab

Warning These are very important settings. If your Mambo web site has been installed on your behalf do not alter these settings.

- Hostname: Your Host name - typically "localhost."
- MySQL Username: The username to access your Mambo database.
- MySQL Password: The password to access your Mambo database.
- MySQL Database: The name of the database your Mambo installation uses.
- MySQL Database Prefix: The prefix used for records in your Mambo database. Typically “mos_" by default. Very Important! DO NOT CHANGE UNLESS YOU HAVE A DATABASE BUILT USING TABLES WITH THE PREFIX YOU ARE SETTING!!

Server Tab

The following two items are predefined during the installation and are not configurable through this tab. The only way to change them is by manually editing the configuration.php file.

- Absolute Path: This is the directory information used by Mambo on the server that orientates it to it's surrounding system.
- Live Site: This is the absolute URL (web address) for your installation of Mambo. Typical value is http://www.mysite.com.

The following items are editable on the screen.

- GZIP Page Compression: Choose the radio button "Yes", to allow your web server to send compressed data, if supported by the server, to the client web browser.
- Login Session Lifetime: Type the number of seconds the Administration session should be allowed to stay live before automatic logout occurs. After automatic logout, the Administrator will be required to login again using the correct username and password.
- Error Reporting: If this option is enabled under the Site tab, then using the drop down box, select the level or reporting required. Options are System Default, None, Simple and Maximum.

- System Default - This turns Error reporting to the system default according to php.ini on the server.
- None - This turns off error reporting.
- Simple - This turns error reporting to simple options.
- Maximum - This turns error reporting to the Maximum level.

- Register Globals Emulation: By default set to "ON." Setting this to "OFF" may cause problems with some components.
- Help Server: Set the URL for the system to use to access the live help site data. Leave blank to disable this feature.
- File Creation: By default, files created by the installation of components, modules and mambots inherit the server default permissions. By choosing "CHMOD new files", you can override the server permissions.
- Directory Creation: As with files, new directories will by default inherit the server default permissions. Choose "CHMOD new directories" to override the server permissions.

Metadata Tab

These settings, affect the way search engines index your site.

- Global Site Meta Description: Type a description of your web site used to assist Search Engines. Make sure that the most important part of your description is in the first 20 words.
- Global Site Meta Keywords: Appears in the keywords field of your site's metadata. Can append metadata to this list for individual Content Items, but the appended text will always come after what is input here.
- Show Title Meta Tag: Includes the item / component title name in the Title meta tag field in the source code.
- Show Author Meta Tag: Includes the Author meta tag field in the source code when viewing content.

Mail Tab

- Mailer: Choose which mailer you wish to use: PHP mail function, Sendmail or SMTP Server.
- Mail From: Choose which email address will show as the sender of system-generated emails.
- From Name: Choose what name will show as the sender of system-generated emails.
- Sendmail Path: This is the directory of the Mail server. Under Linux installations is normally /usr/sbin/sendmail. Not applicable on Windows installations.If you have chosen the SMTP Server as the Mailer, then you have to set the following settings. Ignore otherwise.
- SMTP Auth: Choose "Yes" if SMTP Authentication is required by your host.
- SMTP User: If authentication is required and set above, type your username.
- SMTP Pass: If authentication is required and set above, type your password.
- SMTP Host: This is usually set as "localhost," but you may need to check this with your host.

Cache Tab

- Caching: Choose "Yes" to allow for caching of certain elements within Mambo. This will generally improve the performance of your site.
- Cache Folder: This is the folder or directory to store the cache files. This must be writable for this caching to be successfully implemented. Contact your Web Master if you have any difficulties.
- Cache Time: Edit the maximum length of time, in seconds, for a cache file to be stored before it is refreshed.

Statistics Tab

- Statistics: Choose 'Yes', to allow the browser and visitor domain statistics to be collected on the basis of settings in the Content Tab. You can then access the statistics, from Site -> Statistics.
- Log Content Hits by Date: Choose "Yes" to enable logging of the hits on Content Items, on a daily basis. Warning: This will tend to collect masses of data over time. Be sure that your server space has the space to to store this information.
- Log Search Strings: Choose "Yes" to enable logging of the search text, entered by a user. Such logging facilitates the 'tuning' of your web site, giving you an insight into how your visitors are trying to find the information they seek. Analysis reporting is provided under Site->Statistics->Search Text.

SEO Tab

- Search Engine Friendly URLs: This changes the way site links are presented and optimises them so that search engines can access more of your site. This option is ONLY available to sites hosted on Apache servers. Choose 'Yes' to enable Mambo to output friendly URLs rather than normal database generated URLs. If you use this option you must rename your htaccess.txt file to .htaccess.
- Dynamic Page Titles: Choose "Yes" to set the page titles (that appear at the top of a viewers browser) to be the same as the page title they are viewing. Again this helps search engines.NOTE:

Usage: | n/a
Default State: | n/a

Parameters:

- Make unwritable after saving Checking this box will change the file permissions of configuration.php to unwritable once you have applied your changes.

Toolbar Icons:

- Save: Save your changes.
- Apply: Apply your changes to the site without saving.
- Cancel: Cancel the present operation without saving.