Title:

com_config

Access:

menu=>Site=>

or

Quick Icons=>Global Configuration

User Level:

Super Administrator

Screenshot:

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The Global Configuration screens.

Description:

The Global Configuration panel controls Joomla!'s operational settings. Changes made on this screen will update the configuration.php file. This file needs to be writable in order for the configuration to be editable. For security it is advisable to make this file unwritable on a "Live" web site on the Internet once the configuration is set up as required.

Toolbar:

Save: Click Save to save any changes made during the current editing session and return to the Control Panel screen.

Apply: Click Apply to save any changes made so far in the current editing session, but remain in the Global Configuration screen to continue editing. Once the editing session is complete click Save as above.

Cancel: Clicking Cancel at any point ends the current editing session and returns the display to the Control Panel screen. Any changes made since the session commenced, or since the last time Apply was clicked, will be lost.

Help: Click Help at any point opens this Help Screen page.

Make Global Configuration Unwritable / Writable:

When entering the Global Configuration panel for the first time the write status message “configuration.php is: writable” will be visible on the top line of the panel.

To the right of the write status is a check box labelled "Make unwritable after saving". Checking this box will change the file permissions of configuration.php to unwritable once the changes have been applied or saved. When configuration of the site has been completed, it is a good idea to make configuration.php Unwritable for security reasons. This will also prevent accidental changes being made as well! It will be noted that the write status has changed to “configuration.php is: Unwritable”

If there is a need to alter any of the Global Configuration settings thereafter it is possible to temporarily activate the write permissions by checking the check-box now labelled “Override write protection while saving” and upon clicking either the Apply or Save icons the current changes will be written to the configuration.php file before the setting automatically returns to Unwritable again.

To make a more permanent change, to make the file Writable, requires direct manual editing of the file permissions settings of configuration.php file using FTP software, or direct access to the file through the server control panel, or operating system. Just remember to switch it back to Unwritable again afterwards.

WARNING: On some hosted servers after the configuration.php Unwritable check box is checked, the check box will no longer be available to allow access to the " Override write protection while saving" option and it will be necessary to manually reset the write permissions of the configuration.php in the joomla_root/ directory. If there is no access permitted to files by an FTP program or Control Panel, it will be necessary to contact the host to get them to do it.