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Overview

FacturaScripts uses a flexible settings system that allows you to configure various aspects of the application. Settings are stored in the database and accessed through the Settings model and Tools helper class.

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Settings Model

The Settings model is located at Core/Model/Settings.php and provides a key-value storage system grouped by setting names.

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Settings Structure

  • name: Identifier of the settings group (primary key)
  • properties: JSON-encoded set of configuration values

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Settings Properties

Settings are stored as JSON and accessed as object properties: 
$settings = new Settings();
$settings->load('default');
$warehouse = $settings->codalmacen; // Access property
$settings->codalmacen = 'ALG-001';  // Set property
$settings->save();

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Accessing Settings

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Using Tools::settings()

The recommended way to access settings is through the Tools helper: 
// Get a setting with optional default value
$warehouse = Tools::settings('default', 'codalmacen');
$companyId = Tools::settings('default', 'idempresa', 1);

// Check if setting exists
if (Tools::settings('default', 'enableupdatesbeta', false)) {
    // Beta updates are enabled
}
Parameters:
  1. group: Settings group name (e.g., ‘default’)
  2. key: Property name within the group
  3. default: Optional default value if setting doesn’t exist

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Direct Model Access

You can also work directly with the Settings model: 
$settings = new Settings();
$settings->load('default');

// Get property
$value = $settings->getProperty('codalmacen');

// Set property
$settings->setProperty('codalmacen', 'ALG-001');

// Remove property
$settings->removeProperty('old_setting');

// Get all properties
$allProps = $settings->getProperties();

// Set multiple properties
$settings->setProperties([
    'codalmacen' => 'ALG-001',
    'idempresa' => 1,
    'codrole' => 'EMPLOYEE'
]);

$settings->save();

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Default Settings Group

The ‘default’ settings group contains system-wide configuration. Here are common settings found in the source code:

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Company Settings

  • idempresa: Default company ID (used in User.php:192, Empresa.php:190)
  • codpais: Default country code (used in Empresa.php:113)
  • tipoidfiscal: Default fiscal ID type (used in Empresa.php:116)

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Warehouse Settings

  • codalmacen: Default warehouse code (used in User.php:189, User.php:476)

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User Settings

  • codrole: Default role assigned to new users (used in User.php:451)

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Plugin Settings

  • enableupdatesbeta: Enable beta plugin updates (used in Plugin.php:214)

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Configuration via config.php

Some settings are configured in the config.php file located in the root directory:

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Initial Setup Settings

These are used during installation:
  • initial_user: Default admin username (default: ‘admin’)
  • initial_pass: Default admin password (default: ‘admin’)
  • initial_email: Default admin email
  • initial_empresa: Default company name (default: ‘E-’ + random number)
  • initial_codpais: Default country code (default: ‘ESP’)
  • lang: Default language code
Example from User.php:284: 
$nick = Tools::config('initial_user', 'admin');
$pass = Tools::config('initial_pass', 'admin');
$email = Tools::config('initial_email', '');
$lang = Tools::config('lang');

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Plugin Control Settings

  • disable_add_plugins: Disable plugin installation (checked in Plugins.php:39)
  • disable_rm_plugins: Disable plugin removal (checked in Plugins.php:312)
  • hidden_plugins: Comma-separated list of plugins to hide (checked in Plugin.php:305)

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Database Settings

  • db_host: Database server hostname
  • db_port: Database server port
  • db_name: Database name
  • db_user: Database username
  • db_pass: Database password
  • db_type: Database type (mysql, postgresql)

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Settings Validation

The Settings model includes automatic HTML sanitization (Settings.php:99): 
public function getProperties(): array
{
    $data = json_decode($this->properties ?? '', true);
    if (!is_array($data)) {
        return [];
    }

    foreach ($data as $property => $value) {
        // If contains HTML, clean it
        if (is_string($value) && strpos($value, '<') !== false) {
            $data[$property] = Tools::noHtml($value);
        }
    }

    return $data;
}
The test() method also sanitizes the name: 
public function test(): bool
{
    // Escape HTML
    $this->name = Tools::noHtml($this->name);

    return parent::test();
}

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Cache Management

Settings are cached for performance. Clear the cache when updating settings: 
public function clearCache(): void
{
    parent::clearCache();
    Tools::settingsClear(); // Clears the settings cache
}
This ensures all parts of the application receive updated settings immediately.

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Magic Methods

The Settings model implements magic methods for convenient property access:

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__get()

Access properties directly: 
$settings = new Settings();
$settings->load('default');
$warehouse = $settings->codalmacen; // Calls __get('codalmacen')
Implementation (Settings.php:50): 
public function __get(string $key)
{
    $properties = $this->getProperties();
    if (array_key_exists($key, $properties)) {
        return $properties[$key];
    }

    return parent::__get($key);
}

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__set()

Set properties directly: 
$settings->codalmacen = 'ALG-001'; // Calls __set('codalmacen', 'ALG-001')
Implementation (Settings.php:81): 
public function __set(string $key, $value): void
{
    $this->setProperty($key, $value);
}

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__isset()

Check if property exists: 
if (isset($settings->codalmacen)) {
    // Property exists
}

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__unset()

Remove a property: 
unset($settings->old_setting); // Calls __unset('old_setting')

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JSON Storage Format

Settings properties are stored as JSON with flags (Settings.php:132): 
public function setProperties(array $properties): void
{
    $this->properties = json_encode($properties, 
        JSON_UNESCAPED_UNICODE | JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES);
}
This ensures:
  • Unicode characters are stored properly
  • Slashes are not escaped
  • Human-readable format in database

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Creating Custom Settings Groups

You can create your own settings groups for plugin or module configuration: 
// Create a new settings group
$mySettings = new Settings();
$mySettings->name = 'myplugin';
$mySettings->api_key = 'abc123';
$mySettings->api_endpoint = 'https://api.example.com';
$mySettings->enabled = true;
$mySettings->save();

// Later, retrieve the settings
$apiKey = Tools::settings('myplugin', 'api_key');
$endpoint = Tools::settings('myplugin', 'api_endpoint');

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Common Configuration Tasks

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Change Default Warehouse

$settings = new Settings();
$settings->load('default');
$settings->codalmacen = 'MAD-001';
$settings->save();

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Change Default Company

$settings = new Settings();
$settings->load('default');
$settings->idempresa = 2;
$settings->save();

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Enable Beta Updates

$settings = new Settings();
$settings->load('default');
$settings->enableupdatesbeta = true;
$settings->save();

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Set Default Role for New Users

$settings = new Settings();
$settings->load('default');
$settings->codrole = 'EMPLOYEE';
$settings->save();

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Settings vs Config

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When to Use Settings (Database)

  • User-configurable options
  • Options that change during runtime
  • Multi-company or multi-environment values
  • Options that need UI for modification

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When to Use Config (config.php)

  • Installation/deployment settings
  • Database connection details
  • Security tokens and keys
  • Environment-specific values
  • Settings that shouldn’t change after deployment

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Best Practices

  1. Group Related Settings: Use descriptive group names for organization
  2. Provide Defaults: Always provide sensible default values when accessing settings
  3. Clear Cache: Always clear cache after updating settings
  4. Validate Input: Validate and sanitize all setting values before saving
  5. Document Custom Settings: Document any custom settings groups you create
  6. Use Consistent Types: Keep property types consistent (don’t mix string/int/bool)
  7. Don’t Store Secrets: Avoid storing sensitive data in settings (use secure vaults)

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Settings URL

The Settings model includes a custom URL method (Settings.php:159): 
public function url(string $type = 'auto', string $list = 'Edit'): string
{
    return parent::url($type, $list);
}
This allows generating URLs to edit settings, typically linking to the Edit controller.
  • Settings Model: /Core/Model/Settings.php
  • Tools Helper: /Core/Tools.php
  • Configuration File: /config.php (root directory)
  • User Model: /Core/Model/User.php (uses settings)
  • Company Model: /Core/Model/Empresa.php (uses settings)
  • Plugin Class: /Core/Internal/Plugin.php (uses settings)