Introduction

About this document

This document describes TSconfig and its options: A TypoScript a-like configuration syntax to configure details of the backend for backend users based on a user, group and page level.

This document can be seen as detail below the main TYPO3 Explained documentation. It is too huge to be integrated into TYPO3 Explained directly.

First parts of this document explain the concepts of TSconfig, the different places it can be found in the system, how it can be diagnosed, and goes a bit into the PHP API if developers need to access data from TSconfig. The rest of the document is a reference: A document to look-up and find properties on a daily basis.

This document is especially important for integrators who want to make life as easy as possible for their dear backend users.

About TSconfig

TSconfig is used in TYPO3 to configure and customize the backend on a page and a user or group basis. The syntax to do this is based on TypoScript that is also used to configure frontend output of the web site.

The whole point of TSconfig is that it allows configuration of backend details by integrators, without asking developers for writing PHP code. Thus, some areas of TSconfig are rather powerful and offer vast possibilities of customizing the TYPO3 backend.

TSconfig is divided into configuration for pages ("Page TSconfig") and configuration for users and groups ("User TSconfig"). Each variant is further detailed in this document.

The general "dotted notation" of TypoScript is re-used for Page TSconfig and User TSconfig, it is possible to reference values, use conditions, and so on. For a general look at the syntax, please read the according section of TYPO3 Explained.

Other than the basic syntax, TSconfig and frontend TypoScript have nothing in common. Properties outlined in the TypoScript Reference can never be used in TSconfig and vice versa. Frontend TypoScript and TSconfig are different things: TypoScript is used to steer the rendering of the frontend web site, TSconfig is used to configure what is displayed to a logged in backend user.

While this might be confusing in the first place, it becomes clear as soon as integrators start using TSconfig and looking at the available options: It is all about setting values to configure if a backend users sees or does not see this-and-that, give a user additional editing options, or removing them. As a last note to complete this picture: TSconfig is also used to configure the "Admin panel" in the frontend. While this might look funny in the first place, thinking about that makes clear on why admin panel configuration options are bound to TSconfig and not to frontend TypoScript: The admin panel is basically a view to parts of the backend that is shown in the frontend, it is entirely bound to backend users. So, the admin panel is a backend thing, even if displayed in frontend, it is for backend users. This is why the admin panel is configured via TSconfig.