Settings Reference
A complete map of the Settings menu — the 7 tabs that control Deskuss's behavior. Use this as a quick reference when configuring a new install or troubleshooting.
Overview
The Settings menu is at the top of the staff control panel, right after Departments. It contains 7 tabs, each focused on a different area of the system. Every tab is a long form — changes are saved individually.
The 7 Tabs
From Deskuss → Settings in the staff control panel, the tabs are:
| Tab | URL | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Company | /deskuss/admin/settings.php?t=company | Company name, website URL, logo, helpdesk title, default language |
| System | /deskuss/admin/settings.php?t=system | Default timezone, date/time format, session limits, log level, cron mode |
| Tickets | /deskuss/admin/settings.php?t=tickets | Default priority/status/SLA, ticket number format, attachment limits, CAPTCHA, auto-lock, client portal URL |
| Agents | Default department for new agents, password policy, session timeout, staff IP binding | |
| Users | Client registration toggle, password reset, session timeout, required fields on registration, captcha on client form | |
| Knowledgebase | Enable KB toggle, articles per page, comments toggle, search behavior, KB slug | |
| API Keys | Generate, label, and revoke API keys; toggle per-key permissions |
Company Tab
Basic identifying information used across the helpdesk — in the portal, in email headers, in the staff UI.
| Setting | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Company Name | (empty) | Shown in email footers and the staff UI title |
| Website URL | (site URL) | Used in email links back to the helpdesk |
| Helpdesk Title | "Support Center" | Heading on the client portal landing page |
| Default Language | en_US | System-wide default; per-user override available in profile |
| Logo | (none) | Replaces the default Deskuss logo in the portal header and staff UI |
System Tab
Site-wide behavior — time, sessions, logging, cron.
| Setting | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Default Timezone | UTC | Used for SLA calculations and timestamp display when no per-user timezone is set |
| Date Format | Y-m-d | How dates are shown in lists and ticket detail |
| Time Format | H:i | How times are shown |
| Staff Session Timeout | 8 hours | How long a staff member stays logged in |
| Client Session Timeout | 1 hour | How long a client stays logged in |
| Log Level | Warning | Minimum severity to record in the system log |
| Cron Mode | Auto | Auto = use WP-Cron; Manual = require a real cron job (see System Requirements) |
| Enable Daylight Saving | On | Adjusts the timezone offset during DST periods |
Tickets Tab
The most-configured tab on a busy install. Controls ticket defaults, numbering, attachments, and the client portal URL.
| Setting | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Default Priority | Normal | Pre-selected priority on new tickets |
| Default Status | Open | Status a new ticket starts in |
| Default SLA | (first SLA) | Assigned to every new ticket if the department doesn't override |
| Default Department | (first dept) | Pre-selected on the client form |
| Default Topic | (none) | Optional help-topic pre-selection |
| Ticket Number Format | #{n} | See Ticket Number Format below |
| Default Sequence | (default) | Which counter to use for the next number |
| Max Open Tickets (per user) | (unlimited) | Block users from opening more than N open tickets |
| Auto-Lock Minutes | 30 | How long a staff edit lock stays valid |
| Enable CAPTCHA | Off | Turn on CAPTCHA on the client form and registration |
| CAPTCHA Provider | (none) | reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, or built-in |
| Max File Size (MB) | 25 | Per-file upload limit on ticket attachments |
| Allowed File Types | png, jpg, pdf, doc, txt… | Comma-separated extension allow-list |
| Client Portal URL Slug | deskuss | The path segment after your domain (e.g., /deskuss/) |
Ticket Number Format
You can use placeholders in the ticket number format:
| Format | Sample outputs |
|---|---|
#{n} | #1001, #1002 |
{Y}-{n:6} | 2026-001042 |
{Y}{m}-{n:4} | 202606-0042 |
Placeholders: {n} = sequence number, {n:4} = 4-digit padded, {Y} = 4-digit year, {y} = 2-digit year, {m} = month, {d} = day.
Agents Tab
Defaults for the staff side.
| Setting | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Default Department for New Agents | (first dept) | Auto-assignment when adding an agent |
| Default Access Scope | Limited | New agents start with this scope (overridable per agent) |
| Password Reset Period (days) | 0 (never required) | Force agents to reset their password every N days |
| Staff IP Binding | Off | Kill staff sessions if the IP changes |
| Max Failed Logins | 5 | Lock the agent out after N consecutive failures |
| Lockout Duration (minutes) | 15 | How long the lockout lasts |
Users Tab
Defaults for the client side — registration, login, the new-ticket form.
| Setting | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Allow Client Registration | Off | Show the "Register" link on the portal |
| Require Email Confirmation | On | Send a confirmation link before accounts are active |
| Password Reset Period (days) | 0 | Force clients to reset every N days |
| Client Session Timeout | 1 hour | How long a client stays logged in |
| Default Client Timezone | UTC | Time zone for new client accounts |
| Max Failed Logins | 5 | Lock the client out after N failures |
| Lockout Duration | 15 min | — |
| Guest Ticket Access (Auth Tokens) | On | Allow non-registered customers to view their tickets via signed link |
| Auth Token Length (hex chars) | 64 | Length of the signed token |
Knowledgebase Tab
Controls the Knowledgebase module.
| Setting | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Knowledgebase | On | Master switch for the entire KB module |
| KB URL Slug | kb | The path segment for the KB home (e.g., /deskuss/kb/) |
| Articles Per Page | 20 | Pagination in the KB index |
| Enable Comments on Articles | Off | Let logged-in clients comment on articles |
| Search Behavior | Full-text | Full-text = MySQL FULLTEXT; Simple = LIKE matching |
| Reindex Search Index | (button) | Rebuilds the dk__search table — run after bulk imports |
API Keys Tab
Manage API keys for the REST API. See API & Integration for the full reference.
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Generate New Key | Creates a new key with the chosen permissions. The raw key is shown once — copy it then. |
| Label | Internal name for the key (e.g., "CRM Integration", "Monitoring") |
| Permissions | Ticket Creation and/or Cron Execution |
| Revoke | Immediately disables the key |
| View Last Used | Shows the date and IP of the last request with this key |
Saving Changes
Each tab is a separate form. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the tab you're editing. There's no global "save all" — this is by design so you can change one tab without accidentally touching the others.
If a save appears to do nothing, check for an inline validation error (red text under a field). The most common cause is a malformed value — e.g., a CAPTCHA key with whitespace, or a file-size limit smaller than the current PHP upload_max_filesize.
Settings Stored Elsewhere
A few settings live outside this menu:
- License — its own top-level menu, Deskuss → License
- Email addresses & SMTP — Deskuss → Emails
- Email templates — Deskuss → Emails → Templates
- Department settings — per-department form, accessed from Deskuss → Departments
- SLA plans — Deskuss → Departments → SLA Plans
- Forms & Lists — Deskuss → Departments → Forms and Lists
- Filters — Deskuss → Manage → Ticket Filters
- Site Pages — Deskuss → Manage → Pages