---
title: "Extension configuration"
manual: "External Import"
version: "main"
permalink: "https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/cobweb/external_import:configuration@main"
source: "Installation/Configuration/Index.rst"
rendered: "2026-10-17T19:10:20+00:00"
---

<a id="installation-configuration"></a>

# Extension configuration {#configuration}

The extension has the following configuration options:

-   **Storage PID**

    Defines a general page where all the imported records
    are stored. This can be overridden specifically for each table (see
    Administration below).

-   **Log storage PID**

    Defines a page where log entries will be stored. The default
    is `0` (root page).

-   **Force time limit**

    Sets a maximum execution time (in seconds) for
    the manual import processes (i.e. imports launched from the BE
    module). This time limit affects both PHP (where the default value is
    defined by `max_execution_time`) and the AJAX calls triggered by the
    BE module (where the default limit is 30 seconds). This is necessary
    if you want to run large imports. Setting this value to -1 preserves
    the default time limit.

-   **Email for reporting**

    If an email address is entered here, a detailed
    report will be sent to this address after every automated
    synchronization. Multiple email adresses may be defined, separated by commas.

    Mails are not sent after manual synchronizations started
    from the BE module. The mail address used for sending the report is
    (`$GLOBALS['TYPO3_CONF_VARS']['MAIL']['defaultMailFromAddress']`).
    If it is not defined, the report will not be sent and
    an error will will be logged.

-   **Subject of email report**

    A label that will be prepended to the subject of the reporting mail.
    It may be convenient – for example – to use the server's name, in case
    you have several servers running the same imports.

-   **Debug**

    Check to enable the extension to log some data during import runs.
    This may have an effect depending on the call context (e.g. in verbose mode
    on the command line, debug output will be sent to standard output).
    Debug output is routed using the Core Logger API.
    Hence if you wish to see more details, you may want to add specific
    configuration for the `\Cobweb\ExternalImport\Importer` class which centralizes logging.
    Example:

    ```php
    $GLOBALS['TYPO3_CONF_VARS']['LOG']['Cobweb']['ExternalImport']['Importer']['writerConfiguration'] = [
        // configuration for ERROR level log entries
        \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Log\LogLevel::DEBUG => [
            // add a FileWriter
            \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Log\Writer\FileWriter::class => [
                // configuration for the writer
                'logFile' => 'typo3temp/logs/typo3_import.log'
            ]
        ]
    ];
    ```

-   **Disable logging**

    Disables logging by the TYPO3 Core Engine. By default
    an entry will be written in the System > Log for each record
    touched by the import process. This may create quite a lot of log
    entries on large imports. Checking this box disables logging for
    **all** tables. It can be overridden at table-level by the
    [disableLog](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/cobweb/external_import:administration-general-tca-properties-disablelog@main).

    > [!WARNING]
    > There is one big drawback to this method however.
    > If core logging is disabled, errors are not tracked at all.
    > This means that the import will run happily all the time and
    > never report errors. You will unfortunately have to choose
    > between errors not being reported and your log being flooded.