Global attributes (Admin Tools > Settings > Global Attributes) are the basic configuration settings that are used to customize Rock. Each has a default value that you can override. Many of these are set up during the installation process. Below is a list of some of the core settings and descriptions. SettingDescription Organization NameThe name of the organization that's running Rock. This was set for you during the install, but you can modify it at any time. Organization AbbreviationThere will be times when you want to refer to your organization in a less formal manner. Enter an Organization Abbreviation to provide this value. Organization AddressThe primary address of the organization. If you're a multi-site organization, this should be the address of your central team location. Each of your campuses will have its own address elsewhere. Organization EmailThe default email bucket for the organization. This will be the default address used in the From field of bulk emails. This is commonly info@organizationdomain.com Organization PhoneThe primary phone number for the organization. Organization WebsiteThe primary website for the organization. Public Application RootMany times, this will be the address of your external website, if it's hosted on Rock. It's the address that will be used in links that are sent out to the public, such as www.organizationname.com. If your organization's primary website isn't hosted on Rock, it's important that this setting remain the public address of the Rock server (not your organization's primary website) as this setting is used for providing linkbacks for things like images and webhooks. Internal Application RootSimilar to the Public Application Root setting above, this is the address of the internal Rock website. It will be used to construct links on the internal site. Many organizations configure their DNS to be rock.organizationdomain.com. Update Server URLThis is the address that Rock uses to look for updates. It should not be changed. Google API KeyRock uses Google Maps for many of its features. This requires what's known as an API key to use the maps. While there was a setup step in the post-install checklist, you can change this key at any time. See below for details on setting up this key. Google Maps IdThis relates to how your maps in Rock are styled. We discuss this field in greater detail in the Google Map Styles section below. Google ReCaptcha Site KeyThis is one of the two API keys needed to use ReCaptcha in Rock. To obtain this key, go to https://www.google.com/recaptcha/about/ and click “v3 Admin Console” near the top of the page. You’ll need to log in with a Google account. Select reCAPTCHA v2 as the reCAPTCHA Type and complete the rest of the form. Upon submission, you’ll be provided with your Site Key and Secret Key. Google ReCaptcha Secret KeyThis is one of the two API keys needed to use ReCaptcha in Rock. See the above entry for directions on obtaining this key. Email Exceptions List"Exceptions" is a technical term for errors. This setting is a list of email addresses that should receive an email when these errors occur. Keep in mind that errors do happen, and don’t worry if you get a notification email occasionally. Rock also keeps a list of every exception in the database, so you don’t need to keep these emails. Just think of them as an FYI. Email Exceptions FilterOftentimes exceptions will occur when search indexes (like Google or Bing) scan your site and reference pages incorrectly. While these exceptions will always get logged, you can use this setting to prevent a notification email from being sent for these (and any other) types of exceptions. When any exception occurs, Rock will evaluate the client's HTTP Server variables for any variable you specify in the Key. If that server variable exists, and its value contains what you entered in the Value, the notification won't be sent. In addition to server variable names, if you use a key of 'Type', 'Source', 'Message' or 'StackTrace', Rock will check to see if the current exception's values for those keys contain what you entered for the value and if so, the notification won't be sent. Grade Transition DateThe date your organization uses to promote kids to the next grade level. Grades are calculated in Rock based on the future graduation date from the 12th grade. This date is used to update the grade each year. While the default date of 6/1 will probably work for most organizations, you can modify it to match the needs of your community. Email Header / Email FooterThe HTML that makes up the header and footer for emails that are sent from Rock. These settings are only used for system communications. You can create multiple different email templates to use in Rock. See the Communicating With Rock guide for more information on best practices in email templates. Email Header LogoThis is the logo that should be used in the email header. If the logo displays as a broken link, be sure to check that your Public Application Root setting is correct since this is used to help generate the link to the logo. Password Regular ExpressionA secure password means different things to different people. By default, all passwords in Rock need to be at least six characters long and can only contain letters and/or numbers. If you like to require passwords to include special characters and/or mixed case letters, you can provide a regular expression that all passwords are required to match. Password Rules Friendly DescriptionWhen you change the regular expression required for passwords, you’ll want to change the description of the password requirements that people see on the website. Use this setting to describe what a valid password must contain. Job PulseThis isn't really a setting; it continuously displays the date and time that jobs last ran. You can use this to confirm that jobs are running correctly. Log 404s As ExceptionsThis tells Rock whether File Not Found errors (404s) should be treated as exceptions. For the most part, you'll want to leave this off. You can enable it if you’d like to find all of the broken links on your website. Preferred Email Link TypeThis setting is used to configure the type of email links you'd like Rock to use. 'New Communication' will cause Rock to link to the New Communication page, while 'Mailto' will configure Rock to use a mailto tag which will take the individual to their configured mail client. Lava Support LevelThis setting allows you to choose your support level for old Lava syntax. In short, you can either allow legacy Lava or not. Generally, and especially for organizations new to Rock, this should be set to "NoLegacy". Editing A Global Attribute You can click the row to edit the attribute's value. This is the standard way to, for example, change your organization’s phone number or enable auditing. You’ll also notice a ti ti-pencil icon for each row. While clicking the row will let you edit the attribute’s value, clicking ti ti-edit allows you to update the attribute itself. Typically, there won’t be any reason to do this. Google Maps API Creating a Google Maps API Key Let’s take a moment to look more closely at the “Google API Key” global attribute. We’re giving this particular attribute a lot of attention because there are several steps involved with setting it up correctly. Rock's Group Viewer can display a static map showing a group's location, but to do so it requires you to set up a Google Maps API Key and activate the Google Maps JavaScript and Static APIs. Below are the steps you’ll need to get started. NoteGoogle provides a large number of free credits each month, so you shouldn’t be charged for using maps in Rock. Go to the Google Maps Platform welcome page then click Get Started. You'll need to log in with a Google account.If prompted, provide the requested account information: 4. If prompted, provide the requested payment information. Your card will not be charged unless you manually upgrade to a paid account. 5. Answer the provided questions according to your organization. 6. Click the copy button next to the API key to copy it to your clipboard. 7. In Rock, on the Global Attributes page (Admin Tools > Settings > Global Attributes) click the "Google API Key" row to edit and add the key value. NoteProtect Your API KeyAfter obtaining your key, you may optionally choose to implement a restriction type, to limit where the API key works. For instance, you might choose HTTP referrers and provide your website as yourdomain.com/* to limit its use to only your website. If you're not sure what to choose we recommend consulting with your IT department. Back in Google, navigate to the "dashboard" on the API manager and click on the button labeled "ENABLE API". This brings you to a page listing all the available API's. Under the Google Maps API click on the JavaScript API. Then you'll choose your project, and once that's loaded, you'll select the "ENABLE" button near the top center of the page. You'll also need to enable the Static API for static maps used by blocks like Group Finder. Google Map Styles Maps in Rock serve many purposes—from locating your church to guiding small groups and service projects. Rock’s built-in map themes offer customization, but what if you have a unique vision? If the default templates don’t fit your style, or you want to showcase your design skills, try Google Map Styles to create a look that’s truly yours. Check out this bright orange map above. Google's Map Styles makes it easy to change how land, road, and water are themed, or whether they are even visible. Customizing Your Map Style When you're ready to create a custom map, access the Google Maps Platform . Once there, you can start dreaming in the Map Styles tab. Now edit and edit to your heart's desire. When your map is ready, go to the Map Management tab. Here you'll find Google's tool to create your Map ID. This string of characters tells other systems how you want your Google maps to look. To get the key to your custom map, start by generating a Map ID and selecting "JavaScript" as the Map Type. After saving, navigate to the Map Styles section and click "Change Style." Choose your custom design, then save once more to apply your changes. Now that you have your Map ID handy, go back to Rock, (Admin Tools > Settings > Defined Types). In Map Styles, many pre-configured options exist. Now, it's time to add a new one. Update the Google Map ID attribute, save, and you have a fresh look to use on any map you desire. Update the block settings for any map block, and you can select your new theme. Map Style Lava Shortcode Maps in Rock aren't confined to specific blocks. The Google Map shortcode lets you drop a map onto any page, giving you complete creative freedom. Here's how it works: If you've set a Google Maps ID in the "Map Types" Defined Type, that styling automatically applies to any shortcode map you create. But let's say you want a particular map to have its own unique look. You can use the 'mapid' parameter in your shortcode to override the global setting. This allows you to fine-tune maps for special use cases without affecting the rest of your system. Map Lava Shortcode Rock's Lava shortcode is also pretty smart. It checks for a 'mapid' parameter in your shortcode first. If it finds one, that style is applied. If not, it falls back to the Defined Type. And if you've skipped both, you can still provide local styling directly in Lava.