General Settings

Overview

The General Settings module provides centralized configuration for your website's core settings, including site information, maintenance mode, API configuration, and cache management. This is the primary location for managing system-wide preferences that affect how your website operates.

Accessing General Settings

Navigation path: Dashboard > System Settings > General Settings
Required permission: system.settings

Key Features

• Site Information Management: Configure site name, description, logo, and favicon
• Maintenance Mode: Enable/disable maintenance mode for site updates
• API Configuration: Manage API access, rate limiting, and authentication keys
• Cache Management: Clear system caches to apply configuration changes
• Dynamic Settings Groups: Settings organized by category for easy management
• File Upload Support: Upload and manage site assets like logos and favicons

Main Interface

Settings Overview

The General Settings page displays all configuration options organized into logical groups. Each group contains related settings presented in a clean, card-based layout with clear labels and descriptions.

Settings Groups

Settings are automatically grouped by category:

• Site Settings: Basic site information and branding
• System Settings: Core system configuration options
• API Settings: API access and rate limiting configuration
• Additional Groups: Custom setting groups as configured in your system

Display Format

Each setting is displayed in a card with:

• Label: Clear description of what the setting controls
• Input Field: Appropriate input type (text, textarea, checkbox, file upload, JSON)
• Current Value: Pre-filled with existing configuration
• Help Text: Additional guidance where applicable
• File Preview: Visual preview for uploaded images

Common Tasks

Task 1: Update Site Information

1. Navigate to Dashboard > System Settings > General Settings
2. Locate the Site Settings group
3. Update the following fields as needed:
   • Site Name: Enter your website's name (displayed in browser tabs and emails)
   • Site Description: Brief description of your website
   • Site Logo: Upload a new logo image (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP supported, max 5MB)
   • Site Favicon: Upload a favicon (.ico, .png supported, max 5MB)
4. Click Save All Settings at the bottom of the page
5. Verify changes by refreshing your website's homepage

Task 2: Enable Maintenance Mode

1. Navigate to Dashboard > System Settings > General Settings
2. Find the Maintenance Mode setting
3. Check the Enable this setting checkbox
4. Click Save All Settings
5. Your site will now display a maintenance page to visitors (admins can still access the admin panel)
6. To disable, uncheck the box and save again

Task 3: Configure API Access

1. Scroll to the API Settings section
2. Configure the following options:
   • API Status: Check Enable API Access to allow API requests
   • Rate Limit: Set maximum requests per minute (1-1000, default: 60)
3. Click Update API Settings in the API section
4. API access will be immediately updated

Task 4: Generate API Key

1. Scroll to the API Key Management section
2. Click Generate API Key (or Regenerate API Key if one exists)
3. Confirm the action in the popup dialog
4. The new API key will be displayed in the input field
5. Click the Copy button to copy the key to your clipboard
6. Store the API key securely - it won't be shown again

Warning: Regenerating an API key will invalidate the previous key and may break existing integrations.

Task 5: Upload Site Logo

1. Find the Site Logo setting in the Site Settings group
2. Click Choose File and select your logo image
3. Preview the image to ensure it looks correct
4. If you need to remove the current logo, click Delete File
5. Click Save All Settings to upload the new logo
6. The logo will appear in your site's header and other branded areas

Task 6: Clear System Cache

1. Navigate to Dashboard > System Settings > General Settings
2. Look for cache-related settings or buttons
3. Click the cache clear button or option
4. Wait for confirmation that the cache has been cleared
5. Refresh your browser to see updated settings take effect

Settings and Options

Site Name

• Type: Text
• Required: Yes
• Description: The name of your website, displayed in browser tabs, emails, and throughout the site
• Example: "My Awesome Website"

Site Description

• Type: Textarea
• Required: No
• Description: A brief description of your website for SEO and general information
• Example: "A comprehensive platform for managing your business online"

Site Logo

• Type: Image Upload
• Required: No
• Description: Your website's logo, displayed in the header and other branded areas
• Supported Formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP
• Maximum Size: 5MB
• Recommended Dimensions: 200x60 pixels (or proportional)

Site Favicon

• Type: Image Upload
• Required: No
• Description: Small icon displayed in browser tabs and bookmarks
• Supported Formats: ICO, PNG
• Maximum Size: 5MB
• Recommended Dimensions: 32x32 or 16x16 pixels

Maintenance Mode

• Type: Boolean (Checkbox)
• Required: No
• Description: When enabled, displays a maintenance page to non-admin visitors
• Default: Disabled

API Enabled

• Type: Boolean (Checkbox)
• Required: No
• Description: Controls whether API requests are accepted
• Default: Disabled
• Note: When disabled, all API requests will be rejected with a 403 error

API Rate Limit

• Type: Number
• Required: Yes (when API is enabled)
• Description: Maximum number of API requests allowed per minute per user
• Range: 1-1000
• Default: 60
• Note: Higher values allow more requests but may impact server performance

API Key

• Type: Generated String
• Required: Yes (for API authentication)
• Description: Unique authentication key for API access
• Format: 64-character random string
• Security: Keep this key secure and never share it publicly

Permissions

Access to General Settings is controlled by the following permissions:

• system.settings: Required to view and modify all general settings
• system.maintenance: May be required for maintenance mode operations (check your role configuration)

Tips and Best Practices

• Backup Before Changes: Always backup your current settings before making major changes
• Test Maintenance Mode: Test maintenance mode on a staging environment before enabling on production
• Logo Optimization: Optimize logo images for web use to improve page load times
• API Rate Limiting: Set appropriate rate limits based on your expected API usage and server capacity
• Secure API Keys: Store API keys in environment variables or secure vaults, never in code repositories
• Regular Cache Clearing: Clear cache after changing settings to ensure changes take effect immediately
• Descriptive Site Information: Use clear, descriptive text for site name and description to improve SEO

Troubleshooting

Problem: Changes Not Appearing on Website

Solution:

• Clear your browser cache (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
• Clear the system cache if available
• Check if caching is enabled in your hosting environment
• Wait a few minutes for CDN caches to expire if using a CDN

Problem: Cannot Upload Logo or Favicon

Solution:

• Verify the file size is under 5MB
• Ensure the file format is supported (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP for logos; ICO, PNG for favicons)
• Check that the uploads directory has write permissions
• Try a different image file to rule out file corruption
• Check PHP upload limits in your server configuration

Problem: API Key Not Working

Solution:

• Verify API access is enabled in API Settings
• Ensure you're using the most recently generated API key
• Check that the API key is being sent correctly in request headers
• Verify rate limits haven't been exceeded
• Check server logs for specific API error messages

Problem: Maintenance Mode Not Activating

Solution:

• Verify you have the system.settings permission
• Clear all caches after enabling maintenance mode
• Check that you're not logged in as an admin (admins bypass maintenance mode)
• Verify the maintenance mode setting was saved successfully
• Check for conflicting plugins or custom code

Problem: Settings Not Saving

Solution:

• Check that you have the system.settings permission
• Verify there are no validation errors displayed on the form
• Check browser console for JavaScript errors
• Ensure your session hasn't expired (try refreshing and logging in again)
• Check server logs for PHP errors or database connection issues

Problem: Permission Denied Error

Solution:

• Verify you have the system.settings permission assigned to your role
• Contact a Super Admin to grant you the necessary permissions
• Check if your account is active and not suspended
• Try logging out and logging back in to refresh permissions

Related Modules

• Mail Configuration: Configure email delivery settings
• Cookie Consent: Manage cookie consent preferences
• Security Settings: Configure security-related options
• Roles: Manage role permissions including system.settings