The tool repair_settings.php can be used to repair some of the most crucial settings on your forum, such as database information, file paths, and URLs. The tool can be used to repair an SMF installation sufficiently enough so that an admin can then login and fix any other problems.

Backup first! - Using this tool should not cause any problems, but it is always better to make a backup, just in case.

You can download repair_settings.php from the Tools section of the SMF Downloads center: repair_settings.php.

How to use repair_settings.php

Upload the file with FTP to the root directory of your forum (where Settings.php can be found). Navigate with your browser to your usual forum URL, but instead of yoursitename/index.php, direct your browser to yoursitename/repair_settings.php. For example, if your forum is in the root directory of your site, and your site is at www.example.com you need to go to: http://www.example.com/repair_settings.php. If it is located in a sub-directory named, for example forum, you need to go to: http://www.example.com/forum/repair_settings.php.

ATTENTION: The repair_settings.php tool displays sensitive information about your server setup, namely the database user and password. Make sure that you delete it once you have finished the maintenance!

Repairable Settings

In most cases, SMF can detect the correct value for each of the fields and settings listed below. The tool will display a link under each item with a recommended value; clicking these links will update the corresponding text box fields with the recommended value. Be careful though, because SMF will not always guess correctly if the server is configured unusually.

Critical Settings

• Maintenance Mode - You can choose to turn maintenance mode on or off for your forum, and it is also possible to make your forum completely unusable (inaccessible even to administrators).
• Language File - This changes the language of your forum.
• Cookie Name - This changes the name of the cookie that your forum creates for the user's browser.
• Queryless URLs - Turns the use of queries in the forum's urls on and off (../index.php/topic,1.0.html compared to ../index.php?topic=1.0).
• Output Compression - Turns output compression on and off.
• Database driven sessions - Sets whether sessions are managed by the database.
• Set SMF default theme as overall forum default for all users - This will override the theme preference in the profiles of all users.

Database Settings

This section includes all of the typical settings that are needed to connect to the MySQL database of your forum:

• Server
• Database name
• Username
• Password
• SSI Username (optional)
• SSI Password (optional)
• Table prefix
• Connection Type (Standard or Persistent)

If you are unsure about any of the above settings, please contact your host.

Paths & URLs

In this section, you can check that the directory paths and URLs are set correctly for your forum:

• Forum URL
• Forum Directory
• Sources Directory
• Cache Directory
• Attachment Directory
• Avatar URL
• Avatar Directory
• Smileys URL
• Smileys Directory

For more information on each of the settings above, please see Server settings.

Paths & URLs for Themes

This section enables you to check that the directory paths and URLs for your installed themes are correct:

• SMF Default Theme - Curve URL
• SMF Default Theme - Curve Images URL
• SMF Default Theme - Curve Directory
• Core Theme URL
• Core Theme Images URL
• Core Theme Directory

Options

The following options appear at the bottom of the page when using the Repair Settings Tool:

• Restore all settings - This changes all the settings to the recommended values, which saves you the effort of clicking on each individual link for the recommended values (as found below each setting). As mentioned above, there is no guarantee that the tool will detect all of the correct settings, so you should use this button with caution.

• Remove all hooks - If mods have installed hooks and a clean install is desired, clicking Remove all hooks will ensure that all mods have all elements removed/disabled. Do not use this button unless you know what you are doing.

• Remove this file. Careful, it may not work in all servers! - If you click this button, the tool will attempt to delete the file repair_settings.php in the root directory of your SMF installation. This is for security reasons. You might have to delete the file manually with your FTP client, though.
• Save Settings - Don't forget to click on this button in order to save the changes that you have made.

Important Note

If you have moved your forum or are trying to set up a secondary or test forum using a different set of database details, you will first have to save any changes to the database, base forum URL and the directory paths. After you have saved these edits, re-run repair_settings.php to adjust the theme settings, the avatar settings, and the attachment settings. This group of settings is stored in the database and if you attempt to change these before you have reset your forum to use the new database, you would in fact be making changes to the old forum/location.