Locate and edit vBulletin configuration files

Updated on Dec 10, 2015

When you install vBulletin on your server, it is important to know how to manage it. This includes some knowledge on the main configuration files of the script and how to locate them. 

 

Even if you are not a developer, this step is quite important, as it will allow you to edit a lot of options on your website instantly, without even accessing the admin area. Also, one of the configuration files of vBulletin will provide information on the database settings for your website. If you wish to create or restore a backup, you will need this information to complete the process successfully.

 

As stated already, vBulletin has two main configuration files:

 

Presentation configuration file

The presentation config.php file is located directly in the ROOT directory of your website. For example, if vBulletin is installed within the public_html/ directory of your account, you will find the presentation config.php file there as well. You do not have to edit that file in any way and it is used for support only.

 

Core configuration file

The core config.php file is located within the core/includes/ folder of your website. For example, if you have installed vBulletin within the public_html/ directory of your account, the full path to it would be public_html/core/includes/config.php. There is a number of important options that you can edit through the core configuration file of your website. The most important one of them is the data for the database you are using for your website. The actual fields that contain this information are:

 

Variable Name

Description

$config['Database']['dbtype'] The database type that you wish to use. This can be safely set to MySQLi.
$config['Database']['dbname'] The name of the database you are using for your website.
$config['Database'][technicalemail'] The email address used for MySQL error messages.
$config['MasterServer']['servername'] The hostname of your MySQL server. If the database is on the same server as your website, this will be set to 'localhost'.
$config['MasterServer']['username'] The username set to the database of your website.
$config['MasterServer']['password'] The password set for the user to your database.

 

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