ExpressionEngine Docs

# Messaging Settings

Control Panel Location: `Settings > Messaging Settings`

This section of the Control Panel allows you to define the messaging settings of your site.

## Settings

### Maximum characters

Specifies the maximum number of characters allowed in a Private Message to limit its total length.

### Formatting

This setting determines how raw HTML code within Private Messages is handled. There are three options:

1. Allow only safe HTML: This will allow “safe” HTML to be rendered: (<b>, <i>, <u>, <em>, <strike>, <strong>, <pre>, <code>, <blockquote>, <h2>, <h3>, <h4>, <h5>, <h6>). All other HTML is converted to character entities.
2. Convert HTML into character entities: This will convert the HTML tags to HTML character entities so that it will display as plain text when viewed. This is useful if you want to display example code.
3. Allow ALL HTML: This leaves the HTML code as written and the code will then be interpreted by the browser when the message is viewed.

### Convert URLs and Emails into links?

When this option is set to “Yes”, any full URLs or email addresses will be automatically formatted as a valid HTML link to the address. If the option is “No” then the URL or email address will be treated and displayed as plain text.

### Upload directory

The URL to your attachments folder. In most cases, this will be similar to:

- `https://example.com/images/pm_attachments/`
- `///example.com/images/pm_attachments/`
- `/images/pm_attachments/`

### Upload path

Here you set the server path (not the URL) to the Private Message attachment upload folder. By default, it is the pm_attachments folder inside the images folder.

The server path might look something like:

    /home/example.com/public\_html/images/pm\_attachments/

If you do not know what to use for your full server path, contact your Host or server admin. Remember that this upload folder must be be writable. See File Permission for details.

### Maximum attachments

Specifies the maximum number of file attachments that are allowed to be included with each Private Message.

### Maximum file size (kb)

Specifies the maximum size of the attachment for each Private Message.

### Maximum total file size (mb)

The maximum total storage space allowed for all Private Message attachments in the system. Once this limit is reached, no new Private Message attachments will be allowed.