# Settings

**Settings**, at the bottom of the sidebar, holds Studio's own settings. The sidebar then lists six sections: **General**, **PHP and tools**, **Database server**, **Server**, **Editor** and **Project folders**. **Back to projects** returns to your projects. Studio saves each change at once.

## General

- **Language**: English, Arabic (العربية), Central Kurdish (کوردی) or **System**, which follows the computer's language. It changes right away. Arabic and Kurdish turn the whole window right to left.
- **Theme**: **Light**, **Dark** or **System**. System follows the computer's dark mode.

Command output, log lines and FloCMS's own messages stay in English and read left to right in every language.

## PHP and tools

- **PHP to use**: every PHP Studio found, each marked **downloaded by Studio**, **found on this computer** or **chosen by you**. Choose one, or **Choose another…** to pick a PHP program.
- **Composer**: the Composer Studio uses. **Choose…** picks another one (`composer`, `composer.phar` or `composer.bat`); **Use the one found** goes back to the one Studio found.
- **Search again** looks for the tools again.
- **Download PHP, Composer or MariaDB…** opens the downloads dialog. See [Your first project](first-project.md#download-the-tools).

The section also shows the folder downloads go into, for your user only.

Studio looks for tools on your `PATH`, then (on macOS and Linux) your login shell's `PATH`, then the usual install folders of Homebrew, Herd, XAMPP, Laragon and Composer-Setup, then its own downloads. Studio needs PHP 8.1 or newer; an older one shows as too old in the sidebar.

## Database server

- **Server new projects use**: **Studio's MariaDB**, the server found on this computer (XAMPP, Laragon or another), or **Another server** with its **Host**, **Port** and **User**. "Existing projects keep the server in their `.env`."
- **Studio's MariaDB**, once you have one: **Start** / **Stop**, **Open log**, **Version** (when you have more than one), **Databases folder** with **Open folder**, **Port**, the password of **User `root`** (**Show**, **Copy**), **Start the server when Studio opens**, **Delete its databases…** and **Remove MariaDB…**.

See [The server and the database](server-and-database.md#studios-mariadb).

## Server

- **First port to try**: the port `php flo serve` tries first, 8000 by default (1024 to 65535). It takes the next free port when this one is in use. New projects also get this port in `APP_URL`.
- **Let other devices on the network open the site (phones for testing)**: the site listens on `0.0.0.0`. Only do this on networks you trust.

## Editor

**Editor command** is how **Open in editor** starts your editor. `{folder}` becomes the project's folder; quotes group words. Without `{folder}`, Studio adds the folder at the end. The default is:

```text
code "{folder}"
```

For PhpStorm, for example: `phpstorm {folder}`. Studio also opens a project's `.env` with this command (**Edit in `.env`** in the **Database** tab).

## Project folders

Studio lists every FloCMS project inside these folders. **Add a folder…** adds one; **Remove** takes one out of the list (the projects stay on disk). The first folder is where new projects go.

## The settings file

Studio keeps its settings in `settings.json`, in your user's settings folder for FloCMS Studio. Passwords are never in it: they are in the system's secure store.

- A value Studio doesn't accept becomes the default.
- A file that isn't valid JSON is kept aside as `settings.broken-<date-time>.json`, and Studio starts with the defaults.
- Keys a newer Studio wrote are kept when an older Studio saves.