Appearance

General Settings ​

General Settings allow you to configure basic application information, branding, and core functionality. This guide covers all general settings options.

Table of Contents ​

  1. Accessing General Settings
  2. App Information
  3. Branding
  4. Logo Configuration
  5. Language Settings
  6. Timezone Configuration
  7. Date and Time Formats
  8. Saving Changes

Accessing General Settings ​

From Admin Panel ​

  1. Log in to your admin panel
  2. Navigate to Settings → General
  3. Or go directly to: /admin/settings/general

Permissions Required ​

  • Manage Settings: manage-settings permission

App Information ​

App Name ​

Purpose: Your application/site name displayed throughout the system

Location: General Settings → App Name

Usage:

  • Email notifications
  • System messages
  • Page titles
  • Admin panel header

Example:

My Company Website

Best Practices:

  • Use your company/brand name
  • Keep it concise
  • Make it recognizable

App URL ​

Purpose: Your website's base URL

Location: General Settings → App URL

Format:

  • Include protocol: https:// or http://
  • No trailing slash
  • Use full domain

Examples:

  • ✅ https://yourdomain.com
  • ✅ http://yourdomain.com
  • ❌ yourdomain.com (missing protocol)
  • ❌ https://yourdomain.com/ (trailing slash)

Important:

  • Must match your actual domain
  • Used for email links
  • Used for API endpoints
  • Affects asset URLs

Branding ​

Purpose: Your main logo displayed in header and emails

Location: General Settings → Logo

  1. Click Upload Logo button
  2. Select image file:
    • Formats: PNG, JPG, SVG
    • Recommended: PNG with transparent background
  3. Recommended Sizes:
    • Header logo: 200x50px
    • Email logo: 300x75px
    • Retina displays: 2x size (400x100px)

Logo Requirements ​

  • Format: PNG (recommended), JPG, or SVG
  • Size: Max 2MB
  • Dimensions: Flexible, but maintain aspect ratio
  • Background: Transparent (PNG) or solid color

Logo Display Locations ​

Your logo appears in:

  • Website header
  • Admin panel header
  • Email templates
  • PDF documents
  • Print pages

Favicon ​

Purpose: Small icon displayed in browser tabs

Location: General Settings → Favicon

Uploading Favicon ​

  1. Click Upload Favicon
  2. Select favicon file:
    • Format: ICO or PNG
    • Size: 16x16px or 32x32px
    • Recommended: 32x32px PNG

Favicon Formats ​

  • ICO: Traditional format, supports multiple sizes
  • PNG: Modern format, single size
  • SVG: Scalable, modern browsers

Best Practices:

  • Use simple, recognizable icon
  • High contrast for visibility
  • Test in different browsers

Language Settings ​

Default Language ​

Purpose: Set the default language for your application

Location: General Settings → Default Language

Available Languages ​

Languages available depend on your installation. Common options:

  • English (en)
  • Spanish (es)
  • French (fr)
  • German (de)
  • And more...

Setting Default Language ​

  1. Select language from dropdown
  2. Click Save
  3. Default language applies to:
    • Admin panel
    • Frontend (if no user preference)
    • Email templates
    • System messages

Multi-Language Support ​

If multiple languages are installed:

  • Users can switch languages
  • Content can be translated
  • Admin panel supports language switching

Note: Additional languages may need to be installed separately.

Timezone Configuration ​

Setting Timezone ​

Purpose: Ensure all dates and times display correctly

Location: General Settings → Timezone

Selecting Timezone ​

  1. Select your timezone from dropdown
  2. Options organized by region:
    • Americas
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania

Common Timezones ​

  • UTC: Coordinated Universal Time
  • EST: Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5)
  • PST: Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
  • GMT: Greenwich Mean Time
  • CET: Central European Time (UTC+1)

Why Timezone Matters ​

Timezone affects:

  • Scheduled posts
  • Appointment times
  • Event dates
  • Order timestamps
  • User activity logs
  • Email send times

Best Practice: Use your server's timezone or your business location's timezone.

Date and Time Formats ​

Date Format ​

Purpose: How dates are displayed throughout the application

Location: General Settings → Date Format

Common Formats ​

  • MM/DD/YYYY: 12/25/2024 (US format)
  • DD/MM/YYYY: 25/12/2024 (European format)
  • YYYY-MM-DD: 2024-12-25 (ISO format)
  • Month DD, YYYY: December 25, 2024 (Long format)

Setting Date Format ​

  1. Select format from dropdown
  2. Preview shows example
  3. Click Save

Usage:

  • Blog post dates
  • Order dates
  • User registration dates
  • Event dates

Time Format ​

Purpose: How times are displayed

Location: General Settings → Time Format

Format Options ​

  • 12-hour: 3:45 PM (with AM/PM)
  • 24-hour: 15:45 (military time)

Setting Time Format ​

  1. Select format
  2. Preview shows example
  3. Click Save

Usage:

  • Appointment times
  • Event times
  • Timestamps
  • Activity logs

Additional Settings ​

Copyright Text ​

Purpose: Copyright notice displayed in footer

Location: General Settings → Copyright

Example:

© 2024 Your Company Name. All rights reserved.

Formatting:

  • Supports HTML
  • Can include links
  • Appears in site footer

Contact Information ​

Purpose: Default contact details

Location: General Settings → Contact

Fields:

  • Phone: Contact phone number
  • Email: Contact email address
  • Address: Physical address

Usage:

  • Contact page
  • Footer
  • Email templates
  • Business information

Saving Changes ​

Save Process ​

  1. Make your changes
  2. Review all settings
  3. Click Save or Update button
  4. Wait for confirmation message
  5. Changes are applied immediately

Change Confirmation ​

After saving:

  • Success message appears
  • Settings are updated
  • Cache is cleared automatically
  • Changes reflect immediately

Reverting Changes ​

If you need to revert:

  1. Change settings back
  2. Click Save
  3. Or restore from backup

Note: Some changes may require cache clearing. The system does this automatically.

Best Practices ​

Logo Guidelines ​

  1. Use High-Quality Images:

    • Vector format (SVG) when possible
    • High resolution for retina displays
    • Optimized file sizes

  2. Maintain Consistency:

    • Use same logo across all platforms
    • Consistent sizing
    • Proper spacing

  3. Test Display:

    • Check on different devices
    • Verify in email templates
    • Test in dark/light themes

Timezone Best Practices ​

  1. Use Server Timezone:

    • Match server timezone for consistency
    • Easier troubleshooting
    • Aligns with server logs

  2. Consider Your Audience:

    • If global audience, use UTC
    • If local business, use local timezone
    • Display timezone in user-facing times

Language Settings ​

  1. Set Primary Language:

    • Choose your main language
    • Ensure all content is available
    • Test translations

  2. Multi-Language Sites:

    • Install language packs
    • Translate content
    • Test language switching

Troubleshooting ​

Logo Not Displaying ​

Solutions:

  1. Check file format (PNG, JPG, SVG)
  2. Verify file size (under 2MB)
  3. Check file permissions
  4. Clear browser cache
  5. Verify file uploaded successfully

Timezone Issues ​

Symptoms: Times showing incorrectly

Solutions:

  1. Verify timezone setting
  2. Check server timezone
  3. Clear cache
  4. Verify date/time format settings

Language Not Changing ​

Solutions:

  1. Verify language is installed
  2. Check language files exist
  3. Clear cache
  4. Check user language preference

Changes Not Saving ​

Solutions:

  1. Check permissions
  2. Verify you have "manage-settings" permission
  3. Check for error messages
  4. Try saving again
  5. Clear browser cache

Next Steps ​

After configuring general settings:

  1. Configure Header & Footer Settings
  2. Set up Email Settings
  3. Configure Payment Gateways
  4. Review Module Settings

Last Updated: [Date will be updated during final review]

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