Chapter 3: Initial Configuration

This chapter covers all the essential configuration settings needed to get your School Management System up and running properly.

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3.1 Accessing Settings

Navigating to Settings

Click on Settings in the sidebar menu

You'll see various configuration options

Settings Overview

The Settings page is divided into several sections:

General Settings

Academic Settings

Fee Settings

Attendance Settings

Examination Settings

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3.2 General Settings

School Information

#### Step 1: Access General Settings Navigate to: Settings → General Settings

#### Step 2: Configure Basic Information

Field	Description	Example
-------	-------------	---------
School Name	Official school name	Sunshine International School
School Tagline	Short motto	Excellence in Education
Email	Official email	admin@school.edu
Phone	Contact number	+1 234 567 890
Fax	Fax number (optional)	+1 234 567 891
Address	Full postal address	123 Education Lane, City

#### Step 3: Upload School Logo

Click "Choose File" or drag and drop

Select your school logo (recommended: 200x200px, PNG/JPG)

Click "Upload"

Tip: Use a transparent PNG logo for best results on all backgrounds.

#### Step 4: Configure Regional Settings

Setting	Options	Description
---------	----------	-------------
Currency	USD, EUR, KHR, etc.	Default currency for fees
Currency Symbol	$, €, ៛	Symbol to display
Currency Position	Left/Right	Where symbol appears
Date Format	DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY	Date display format
Time Format	12-hour, 24-hour	Time display format
Timezone	Various	Server timezone

#### Step 5: Save Settings Click Save Changes button at the bottom of the page.

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3.3 Academic Settings

Configuring Academic Year

#### Step 1: Access Academic Years Navigate to: Academics → Academic Years

#### Step 2: Create New Academic Year

Click Add Academic Year button

Fill in the details:

Field	Description	Example
-------	-------------	---------
Year	Academic year label	2025-2026
Start Date	When year begins	January 1, 2025
End Date	When year ends	December 31, 2025
Is Current	Active year	Yes (check)

Click Save

#### Step 3: Set Current Year To set a year as current:

Find the academic year in the list

Click Set as Current button

Confirm the action

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3.4 Fee Settings

Configuring Fee Parameters

#### Step 1: Access Fee Settings Navigate to: Fees → Settings

#### Step 2: Configure Late Payment Rules

Setting	Description	Example
---------	-------------	---------
Enable Late Fee	Turn on/off late fees	Enabled
Late Fee Type	Fixed or Percentage	Fixed Amount
Late Fee Amount	Late fee value	$5.00
Grace Period (Days)	Days before late fee	10 days
Late Fee Frequency	Once, Monthly	Once

#### Step 3: Configure Payment Methods

Available payment methods:

Cash: Physical cash payments

Cheque: Cheque payments

Bank Transfer: Direct bank transfers

Card: Credit/debit card payments

Online: Payment gateway

Other: Miscellaneous

To enable a payment method:

Toggle the switch to enable

Add any required details (account numbers, etc.)

Save settings

#### Step 4: Configure Other Fee Options

Option	Description
--------	-------------
Invoice Prefix	Prefix for invoice numbers (e.g., INV-)
Minimum Due	Minimum amount due for partial payments
Allow Partial Payment	Enable/disable partial payments
Auto Invoice	Generate invoices automatically

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3.5 Attendance Settings

Configuring Attendance Rules

#### Step 1: Access Attendance Settings Navigate to: Attendance → Settings

#### Step 2: Configure Rules

Setting	Description	Example
---------	-------------	---------
Enable Late Arrival	Track late arrivals	Enabled
Late Threshold (minutes)	Minutes before considered late	30 min
Attendance Code	Short code for reports	A, P, L
Weekend Attendance	Allow weekend marking	Disabled

#### Step 3: Configure Session Times

Define your school periods:

Period	Start Time	End Time
--------	------------	----------
Period 1	07:30	08:15
Period 2	08:15	09:00
Break	09:00	09:15
Period 3	09:15	10:00

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3.6 Examination Settings

Configuring Exam Parameters

#### Step 1: Access Exam Settings Navigate to: Exams → Settings

#### Step 2: Configure Grade System

Field	Description
-------	-------------
Grade Name	Letter grade (A, B, C)
Grade Point	Point value (4.0, 3.0)
Minimum Marks	Starting marks for grade
Maximum Marks	Ending marks for grade
Description	Grade description (Excellent, Good)

#### Step 3: Set Pass Marks

Set minimum pass percentage (usually 35-40%)

Configure grade point calculations

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3.7 User Roles & Permissions

Configuring Roles

#### Step 1: Access Roles Navigate to: Settings → Roles

#### Step 2: Default Roles

Role	Description	Default Permissions
------	-------------	---------------------
Admin	Full access	All
Teacher	Teaching staff	Limited
Accountant	Finance staff	Fees, Payroll
Librarian	Library staff	Library
Driver	Transport staff	Transport
Parent	Student parents	View only
Student	Students	View own

#### Step 3: Customizing Permissions

Click on a role to edit

Toggle permissions on/off

Save changes

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3.8 Email & Notification Settings

Configuring Email

#### Step 1: Email Configuration Navigate to: Settings → Email Settings

#### Step 2: Configure SMTP

Setting	Description	Example
---------	-------------	---------
Mail Driver	SMTP, Sendmail, etc.	SMTP
Mail Host	SMTP server	smtp.gmail.com
Mail Port	Server port	587
Mail Username	Your email	school@gmail.com
Mail Password	App password	**
Mail Encryption	TLS/SSL	TLS
From Address	Sender email	noreply@school.edu
From Name	Sender name	School Management

#### Step 3: Test Email

Enter a test email address

Click "Send Test Email"

Verify receipt

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3.9 Telegram Integration

Setting Up Telegram Bot

#### Step 1: Create Telegram Bot

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather

Start a chat and send /newbot

Follow instructions to create bot

Copy the bot token

#### Step 2: Configure in System Navigate to: Settings → Telegram Settings

Setting	Description
---------	-------------
Bot Token	Your Telegram bot token
Bot Username	Username of your bot
Enable Notifications	Turn on/off alerts

#### Step 3: Get Chat ID

Start a chat with your bot

Send /start command

Use @userinfobot to get your chat ID

Enter chat ID in settings

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3.10 Theme & Branding

Customizing Appearance

#### Step 1: Access Theme Settings Navigate to: Settings → Theme

#### Step 2: Color Scheme

Color	Purpose	Recommended
-------	---------	-------------
Primary Color	Main brand color	#2563EB (Blue)
Secondary Color	Accent color	#7C3AED (Purple)
Sidebar Color	Menu background	#1F2937 (Dark)
Header Color	Top bar color	#FFFFFF (White)

#### Step 3: Customize Colors

Enter hex color codes

Preview changes in real-time

Save when satisfied

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3.11 Data Management

Backup Settings

#### Step 1: Configure Backup Navigate to: Settings → Backup

#### Step 2: Set Backup Schedule

Option	Description
--------	-------------
Auto Backup	Enable automatic backups
Frequency	Daily, Weekly, Monthly
Retention	How many backups to keep
Storage Location	Where to store backups

#### Step 3: Manual Backup Click Backup Now to create an immediate backup.

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3.12 Testing Your Configuration

Verification Checklist

After configuration, verify:

[ ] School information displays correctly

[ ] Currency and date formats work

[ ] Academic year is set as current

[ ] Fee late rules calculate correctly

[ ] Attendance rules apply properly

[ ] Grade system calculates grades

[ ] Email notifications send successfully

[ ] Telegram integration works

[ ] Theme colors apply correctly

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3.13 Configuration Complete

Next Steps

Your system is now configured! Continue to:

Chapter 4: User Roles & Permissions

Chapter 6: Academic Years

Chapter 7: Classes & Sections

Tips

Test thoroughly: Test each setting before going live

Document changes: Keep a log of configuration changes

Regular reviews: Periodically review and update settings

Backup before changes: Always backup before major config changes

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Quick Reference

Settings Locations

Setting	Menu Path
---------	-----------
General	Settings → General
Academic	Settings → Academic Years
Fees	Fees → Settings
Attendance	Attendance → Settings
Exams	Exams → Settings
Email	Settings → Email
Telegram	Settings → Telegram
Theme	Settings → Theme
Roles	Settings → Roles
Backup	Settings → Backup

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Table of Contents

Initial Configuration