---
title: "Site settings"
manual: "TYPO3 Explained"
version: "13.4"
permalink: "https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:sitehandling-settings@13.4"
source: "ApiOverview/SiteHandling/SiteSettings.rst"
rendered: "2026-10-04T08:50:54+00:00"
---

# Site settings {#sitehandling-settings}

**Table of contents**

-   [Adding site settings](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:adding-site-settings@13.4)
-   [Accessing site settings](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:accessing-site-settings@13.4)

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Site settings can receive a type, a default value and some documentation in
site settings definitions. It is
recommended to always define a site setting before using it, as only this way
you can ensure proper types and default values.

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The settings in settings.yaml are stored as map instead of tree.Important: #106894 - Site settings.yaml is now stored as a map

Site settings can be used to provide settings for a site. They can be accessed
via

-   the [\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Site\\Entity\\Site](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:sitehandling-site-object@13.4)
    object in frontend and backend context using PHP
-   the [siteSettings](https://docs.typo3.org/m/typo3/reference-typoscript/13.4/en-us/Functions/Data.html#data-type-sitesettings) key of the
    [data](https://docs.typo3.org/m/typo3/reference-typoscript/13.4/en-us/Functions/Data.html#data-type-gettext) function in
    [TypoScript](https://docs.typo3.org/m/typo3/reference-typoscript/13.4/en-us/Index.html#start)
-   constants in [TypoScript](https://docs.typo3.org/m/typo3/reference-typoscript/13.4/en-us/Index.html#start) or [page TSconfig](https://docs.typo3.org/m/typo3/reference-typoscript/13.4/en-us/PageTsconfig/Index.html#pagetsconfig)
-   as variables (for example, `{site.configuration.settings.mySettingKey}`) in Fluid templates
    using the `SiteProcessor data processor`, see [Using site configuration in TypoScript and Fluid templates](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:sitehandling-intyposcript@13.4).

For instance, settings can be used in custom frontend code to deliver features
which might vary per site for extensions. An example may be to configure
storage page IDs.

All changes made in the site settings editor are stored in the `settings.yaml`
file located in `config/sites/<my_site>/`. If this file does not exist, TYPO3
will create it automatically.

> [!NOTE]
> You *can* use `imports` in `settings.yaml`. However, as soon as you save
> changes in the site settings editor, TYPO3 rewrites the file and all
> `imports` will be removed.

To store values independently of the site settings editor, use the
`settings.yaml` file in the folder `Configuration/Sets/<my_site>/` of your
site package. This file itself remains untouched, but its values are
overwritten by values from the `settings.yaml` in `config/sites/<my_site>/`.

> [!NOTE]
> As this file is not modified by the site settings editor, you can safely
> use `imports` here if needed. Absolute paths, relative paths and the
> `EXT:` syntax are supported.

## Adding site settings {#sitehandling-settings-add}

Add settings to the [`settings.yaml`](../../ExtensionArchitecture/FileStructure/Configuration/Sets/Index.md#file-set-settings-yaml):

**config/sites/\<my_site>/settings.yaml | typo3conf/sites/\<my_site>/settings.yaml**

```yaml
categoryPid: 658
styles.content.loginform.pid: 23

```

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The settings in settings.yaml are stored as map instead of tree.Important: #106894 - Site settings.yaml is now stored as a map

> [!NOTE]
> This example shows how to fill a constant of
> [EXT:felogin](https://docs.typo3.org/c/typo3/cms-felogin/13.4/en-us/Index.html) via site settings
> (`styles.content.loginform.pid`) and configures a custom
> `categoryPid`.

## Accessing site settings {#sitehandling-settings-access}

In PHP you can access the `\TYPO3\CMS\Core\Site\Entity\SiteSettings`
from the `\TYPO3\CMS\Core\Site\Entity\Site` object via
`getSettings()`. (See
[Accessing the current site object](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:sitehandling-php-api-access@13.4)).

### Site settings in Extbase Fluid plugins {#sitehandling-settings-access-extbase-fluid}

At the time of writing site settings are not available in Extbase controllers or
plugins unless they have been passed on to the plugin settings via TypoScript
or made available in the controller.

To make the site settings available to all templates in your controller
you can override method `AbstractController::initializeView()` and assign
the site to the view:

**EXT:myvendor/my-extension/Classes/Controller/ExampleController**

```php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Psr\Http\Message\ResponseInterface;
use TYPO3\CMS\Extbase\Mvc\Controller\ActionController;

class ExampleController extends ActionController
{
  public function initializeView(): void
  {
    $this->view->assignMultiple([
      'site' => $this->request->getAttribute('site'),
    ]);
  }
  public function indexAction(): ResponseInterface
  {
    // Variable '{site}' is automatically available
    return $this->htmlResponse();
  }
}

```

You can then use the variable `{site.settings}` to access the site settings:

**EXT:myvendor/my-extension/Resources/Private/Templates/Example/Index.html**

```html
<f:debug>{site.settings.mywebsite.example}</f:debug>

```

### Accessing site settings in page TSconfig or TypoScript {#sitehandling-settings-access-typoscript}

**EXT:my_extension/Configuration/page.tsconfig**

```typoscript
// store tx_ext_data records on the given storage page by default (e.g. through IRRE)
TCAdefaults.tx_ext_data.pid = {$categoryPid}

// load category selection for plugin from out dedicated storage page
TCEFORM.tt_content.pi_flexform.ext_pi1.sDEF.categories.PAGE_TSCONFIG_ID = {$categoryPid}
```

> [!NOTE]
> The TypoScript constants are evaluated in this order:
>
> 1.  Configuration from
>     [$GLOBALS\['TYPO3_CONF_VARS'\]\['FE'\]\['defaultTypoScript_constants'\]](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:typo3confvars-fe-defaulttyposcript-constants@13.4)
> 1.  Site specific settings from the site configuration
> 1.  Constants from `sys_template` database records