### 3.3 Understanding where project settings come from

When you set up a new conversion project, the DITA2Go Project Manager copies a new output-type-specific starting configuration file into your project directory. This file is populated with the settings you specify at set-up time. DITA2Go gets this file from a repository of configuration templates located in your DITA2Go distribution; see §39.1.1 Understanding how templates are organized. Each configuration template already contains values for basic settings specific to the output type for your project.

Default configuration values

Configuration values present in DITA2Go configuration files at set-up time are not always the same as the internal default values for configuration settings:

Set-up value: | The value people usually want (or expect) for a new project for a given output type.
Internal default: | The value DITA2Go applies when the setting is missing entirely from the configuration files for your project.

Often, the internal default value produces the effect you would have experienced before a feature was added to DITA2Go; this is to maintain backward compatibility with existing configuration files. The effect is almost always equivalent to turning the feature “Off”. However, if the feature corrects a defect, the corresponding configuration value might default to “On”, with the setting provided to support users who had already put a workaround in place and wanted its functionality left alone.

Referenced configuration values

Your project configuration file includes references to:

- an optional document-specific configuration file created when you set up this or a previous project
- a required chain of configuration templates located in your DITA2Go distribution.

Your project incorporates by reference any settings those files contain, unless the settings are overridden in your project configuration file. If you intend to work with many conversion projects, you might want to inspect and possibly modify the local editions of some of these templates. See §39.1 Working with configuration templates.

Previous Topic: 3.2.11 Specifying a final value

Next Topic: 3.4 Understanding the rules for configuration settings

Parent Topic: 3. Editing configuration files

Sibling Topics:

3.1 Working with DITA2Go configuration files

3.2 Editing files with the Configuration Manager

3.4 Understanding the rules for configuration settings

3.5 Specifying file paths in configuration settings

3.6 Using wildcards in configuration settings

3.7 Commenting out configuration sections

3.8 Ending a configuration file

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