Config.php Vs config_extended.php files

ℹ️ Support
1

What is the difference between the two files and which does phpList use?

Firstly, phpList only uses config.php so if you change any settings, please do so in this file.

Why is there an “extended” file then?

config_extended.php is there as that has pretty much every setting you can change stored within it.

Ok, so how do I use it then?

If you wish to use the full configuration file, then rename config.php to config.old.php and then rename config_extended.php to config.php and use this file to make your changes.

Why have two files then?

Simple, config.php is there as basically “a quick start” file, this contains the minimum settings you need to set phpList up and if a setting is not set, phpList uses a predefined value that “fits most”.

If your setup needs more tweaking, or you have specialised needs, then either (a) use the extended file, renaming as described above, or (b) copy and paste the relevant settings into the smaller config.php file

2 Likes
3

The config_basic.php and config_extended.php give you two examples of the features you can use in your config.php file. Choose the style that will provide you the tools you need and copy it to config.php (but make sure you have all the settings you changed copied or backed up). Now, add in all the necessary options and phpList will now use your new config.php when it next runs. Yes, you can make changes to config.php and save them and they will appear next to you log into or run phpList. The extended config includes options for debugging and using external SMTP sources.

Hope that cleared it up … Doug

1 Like
4

To settle some of the confusion on two different files, why not use one file with everything in it and comment out those items not needed to get the system up and running… then as a new user wants to use additional sections in the file they can uncomment and set as needed in their operation. No copy or paste needed and going from one file to another. Leave the basic setup at the front and separate the extended items with comments.

It would also be nice if in every upgrade to be notified if the config file needed changes… it is a time consuming ordeal to check the config file (extended one) just to see if changes were made in the upgrade.

1 Like
5

Why would changes be required? Default config changes are just about always optional, as I recall.

6

Don’t remember saying changes were required, just that it would be nice to know when additions, or deletions within the config file were introduced.

8

if you use
$bounce_mailbox_port = ‘110/pop3/notls’;
do you activate
define(“PHPMAILER_SECURE”,‘tls’);

9

Hello,

In my PHPList installation, the config.php and config_extended.php are EXACTLY THE SAME!

10

That means whoever created your system used the config_extended to take advantage of the extended options available. In the original download, the extended is larger. You have to replace the config.php with the extended and set those options for it to work correctly. (if you download the current version and look at the config.php there, you will see the basic setup) Hope that helps explain it.

Doug

11

Hi Johntrot, et all:

I just joined, with new AC. with phpListt

I am not a programmer, hoping I can follow such instructions to be able to take advantage of the full capacity offered. One are that concerns me is that when the list (s) is sent to, any error emails are immediately deleted from the list to prevent future errors. This of course is a good protocol, but not the administrator!!!

Because as the Admin, I want to know which emails have bounced, so I can always update my personal manual list (s). So how to address this area on this open source program ?

Thank you very much.

Bella De Soto

12

This discussion is about the config.php and config_extended.php files, but you are asking about bounce management.

I recommend that you read the manual page for bounce management, and then start a new discussion here if you have questions that are not answered in the manual.

That manual page is here: Bounce Management | phpList manual

13

Regarding the config_extended.php file, I think a lot of confusion and FAQs could be avoided by renaming it. I would recommend something like config_full-example.php to immediately suggest that it is an example, not an actively-used file. Alternatively, config_available-options.php would suggest that the configuration items listed in it are available to optionally add to the config.php file.