--- title: General Site Settings description: >- Configure general site settings in Clear Ideas. Manage site name, visibility (public/private), display options, and understand when to make sites public. ogTitle: General Site Settings Guide ogDescription: >- Master general site settings in Clear Ideas. Configure site name, visibility, display options, and site management ogImage: /assets/images/og/guide-general-site-settings.webp navigation: icon: fasl fa-building --- # General Site Settings Configure the fundamental settings for your site, including its name, visibility, and display preferences. Access these settings through Site Settings > General for any site you administer. ## Site Name Your site name appears throughout Clear Ideas in: - Site lists and navigation - Email notifications sent to users - Site sharing contexts - Site statistics and analytics **Update Site Name**: Enter a descriptive name in the Site Name field. Choose a name that clearly identifies the site's purpose or content. **Best Practices:** - Use descriptive, professional names - Include project or client identifiers if applicable - Keep names concise but informative - Avoid special characters that may cause issues in emails or URLs ## Site Visibility Control who can see and access your site with visibility settings. ### Public Sites **Public Visibility**: When a site is set to public: - **Visible to All Users**: The site appears in site lists for all users in your organization or account - **Invitations Sent**: Pending user invitations are automatically sent when a site becomes public - **Easier Collaboration**: Users can discover and request access to public sites - **Requires Account**: Public sites require an authenticated account (not available in demo mode) **When to Use Public:** - After uploading and organizing all initial content - When ready to share with collaborators - For ongoing collaboration projects - When you want the site discoverable ### Private Sites **Private Visibility**: When a site is set to private: - **Administrators Only**: Only site administrators can see the site - **No Automatic Invitations**: Invitations are not automatically sent - **Controlled Access**: You manually manage who has access - **Preparation Mode**: Ideal for sites still being set up **When to Use Private:** - During initial content upload and organization - When preparing content before sharing - For sensitive projects requiring careful access control - When testing or staging content > **Tip: Start Private, Go Public Later**: Keep sites private while uploading and organizing content. Once everything is ready, make the site public to enable collaboration and send pending invitations. ### Changing Visibility To change site visibility: 1. Navigate to **Site Settings > General** 2. Select **Public** or **Private** from the visibility options 3. Click **Save Settings** **Important Notes:** - Changing from private to public automatically sends pending invitations - Public sites require an authenticated account - Demo/unauthenticated accounts cannot create public sites - Visibility changes take effect immediately ## Display Options Control how content is displayed in the file viewer. ### Code and Extracted Text Tabs **Show Edit Code and Extracted Text Tabs**: When enabled, the file viewer displays additional tabs: - **Edit Code Tab**: Allows viewing and editing file source code - **Extracted Text Tab**: Shows text extracted from documents (useful for PDFs and images) **When to Enable:** - For technical documentation sites - When users need to view source code - For sites with code samples or scripts - When extracted text review is important **When to Disable:** - For non-technical audiences - When focusing on document viewing only - To simplify the interface for end users - For presentation-focused sites Toggle this option based on your site's audience and content type. ## Q&A Q&A controls whether users can ask private questions and whether reviewers can publish controlled notes or announcements. When Q&A is enabled: - users can ask private questions about the site, content, files, PDF pages, or selected PDF text - reviewers can answer, assign, resolve, and export question threads - administrators can publish site announcements - administrators or reviewers can add file and content notes when permitted - Q&A notifications can alert reviewers and users about new activity Organization policy may also govern Q&A. If a capability is disabled by organization policy, the corresponding site setting is guarded. See [Site Q&A](/site-administrator-guide/site-q-a). ## Content Deletion Control how file and folder delete actions behave in a Site. This setting is focused on content deletion. Site-level deletion protection and read-only mode remain separate lifecycle controls. Available modes: **Allow Content Deletion**: Delete actions use Recently Deleted when the user has delete permission. **Archive Content**: Delete actions move files and folders into Archived Content so they are hidden from normal browsing but can be restored and governance references remain valid. **Block Content Deletion**: Delete and archive actions are hidden and blocked at the API level. **When to Archive or Block Deletion:** - For production or finalized content sites - When content should remain immutable - For compliance or regulatory requirements - When preventing accidental deletions is critical - For sites serving as a system of record **When to Allow Deletion:** - During content organization and cleanup - When regular content management is needed - For staging or test sites - When preparing to archive or remove content **Important Notes:** - Organization policy can require content archiving or block ordinary deletion - In non-strict organization policy mode, a Site can choose a less permissive option but cannot make deletion more permissive than the policy allows - When both archive and block behavior are enforced, blocking wins: content cannot be deleted or archived - The setting defaults to allowing deletion for backward compatibility unless organization policy or site configuration says otherwise > **Tip: Use Archive Content for Governed Sites**: Use Archive Content when source artifacts may need to keep resolving for governed evidence, but site administrators still need a way to remove stale material from normal view. ## Read-only Mode Read-only mode keeps a site visible to its normal audience while preventing new changes. **Enable Read-only Mode**: When enabled: - **Edits Blocked**: Content changes, new uploads, new versions, and structural edits are blocked - **Settings Locked**: Administrative site settings remain visible but cannot be changed - **Access Preserved**: Members and viewers keep normal visibility to the site - **Immediate Effect**: The lock takes effect as soon as the setting is saved **When to Enable:** - When a site should remain available for viewing but should not change further - During governance or review periods where content must remain stable - When administrators should be prevented from creating new document versions **When to Disable:** - When content updates need to resume - During active drafting or editing phases - When restructuring folders, metadata, or site settings **Important Notes:** - Read-only is different from archive: archive removes the site from normal circulation, while read-only keeps it visible - Read-only applies to administrators and editors, not only to standard users - Viewer or downloader roles already have limited write capability, so the read-only indicator is mainly shown to users who would otherwise expect editing access ## Site Statistics For site administrators, the General Settings page also displays site statistics: **Quick Overview**: See at a glance: - Total documents and folders - Site storage usage - Number of users - Indexed content metrics For detailed statistics, see [Site Statistics](/site-administrator-guide/site-statistics). ## Best Practices ### Site Naming **Be Descriptive**: Use names that clearly indicate the site's purpose or content. **Include Context**: For organizations, include project codes, client names, or department identifiers. **Consistency**: Follow a naming convention across your sites for easier management. ### Visibility Management **Start Private**: Begin with private visibility while setting up content. **Review Before Public**: Ensure content is organized and ready before making sites public. **Consider Audience**: Make sites public when you're ready for broader collaboration. **Monitor Access**: Regularly review who has access to public sites. ### Display Options **Match Audience**: Enable code/extracted text tabs for technical audiences, disable for general users. **Test User Experience**: Consider how display options affect your site's usability. ### Deletion Protection **Enable for Production**: Protect finalized content by enabling deletion protection on production sites. **Disable During Setup**: Keep protection disabled while organizing and managing content initially. **Consider Compliance**: Use deletion protection when regulatory or compliance requirements mandate content immutability. **Review Regularly**: Periodically review whether protection should remain enabled based on site lifecycle and content status. ## Impact of Settings Changes ### Immediate Effects - **Site Name**: Updates immediately across all contexts - **Visibility**: Changes access immediately; public sites send invitations - **Display Options**: Affect file viewer interface immediately - **Deletion Protection**: Takes effect immediately; delete options hidden and deletion requests blocked ### User Impact - **Name Changes**: Users see the new name in site lists and emails - **Visibility Changes**: Public sites become discoverable; private sites become hidden - **Display Options**: Affect how all users view files in the site - **Deletion Protection**: When enabled, all users lose access to delete options; when disabled, users with appropriate permissions can delete content ## Related Settings - [Site Statistics](/site-administrator-guide/site-statistics) - Detailed site metrics - [Managing Users](/site-administrator-guide/managing-users) - User access management - [Notifications](/guide/notifications) - Site notification preferences