Config settings | Kartris User Guide

3.4. Config settings

The config settings should not be confused with the web.config, which is a file on the site holding basic configuration for the site including the database connection. Config settings control all kinds of things relating to the functioning of your store, from the sizes of various images to the availability of certain features to users.

Values are stored in the database (in the tblKartrisConfig table); this has a number of advantages over setting values in the web.config.

Keeps the web.config relatively uncluttered
Works even when there is no 'write' access to the root (where the web.config is located)
Does not force the application to restart (which editing the web.config does)
Helps config settings to persist when you upgrade Kartris to a newer version
Config settings can be searched easily from the main back end search box, or from their own dedicated search box within the config settings section.

Some important config settings are set during the setup routine; most of the others are less critical and can be tweaked later once you have Kartris running and your site under development.

3.4.1. Finding config settings

Config settings can be located most easily from any back end page using the general search box. Just enter a part of the name of the config setting, and the system will find any matching records (up to 15 maximum can be displayed). Since config settings are named fairly logically, you can generally find relevant ones by entering a single word search such as 'images' or 'SSL'.

If you are less familiar with the config settings, you will find it easier to navigation to the config settings page (Configuration > Config Settings). From here you can navigate a hierarchical dynamic menu of the config settings. Hovering over either 'frontend', 'backend' or 'general' links will open out the menu – new sections will fold out as you hover over certain entries. This can be a good way to explore and find new settings relevant to particular features.

3.4.2. Changing config settings

Once you have located a config setting, you can click to edit it. Be extremely careful to ensure that you do not set config settings to an invalid value. This can cause errors in the operation of Kartris. Great care should be taken to double check values being changed before you click to submit any changes.

It is also possible to change config setting values directly in the tblKartrisConfig table of the database. However, the new setting will only take effect after the site is restarted (this is because the actual config setting values that Kartris uses are stored as application variables which are built when the application starts from the database values - updating config settings through the Kartris back end also triggers a rebuild of these values).

3.4.3. Useful config settings

There are a huge number of config settings and we won't include them all. But there are some important and useful ones which are worth highlighting.

3.4.3.1. General site settings

general.tax.pricesinctax - this determines whether the prices for items you enter in the back end are inclusive of tax or not. In the US, prices would typically be entered exclusive of tax, and this setting would be 'n'. In Europe, it is more common that prices would be inclusive of tax (though business-to-business oriented sites may use ex-tax pricing).

3.4.3.2. Security & access

frontend.users.access - this provides control over the level of access to the site that the public has.

'No' = full site viewable
'Yes' = must login to view site
'Partial' = prices & add buttons hidden until login
'Browse' = full site viewable, must login to checkout

3.4.3.3. Images

frontend.display.images.large.linktype - this determines whether large views of images are launched in a new browser window [n] or within an ajax popup [a]. The latter is generally preferred these days as it's virtually instant and also avoids some of the issues with popup blockers that may interfer with launching new windows depending on browser settings.