Command Line Tools

Wheels get settings

Overview

The wheels get settings command displays the current Wheels application settings for your environment. It shows all configuration settings that are active, including defaults and any custom overrides from your configuration files. You can view all settings or filter to see specific ones.

Command Syntax

wheels get settings [settingName]

Parameters

Optional Parameters

settingName - Optional setting name or pattern to filter results. Can be a partial match.

Basic Usage Examples

Display All Settings

wheels get settings

Shows all active settings for the current environment

Filter Specific Setting

wheels get settings cacheQueries

Shows only the cacheQueries setting

Filter by Pattern

wheels get settings cache

Shows all settings containing “cache” in their name (e.g., cacheQueries, cachePages, cacheImages)

How It Works

Settings Resolution Order

The command resolves settings in the same order as Wheels:

Default Wheels Settings - Built-in framework defaults
Application Settings - From /config/settings.cfm
Environment Settings - From /config/[environment]/settings.cfm

Each level overrides the previous one, with environment-specific settings having the highest priority.

Environment Detection

The command automatically detects the current environment using the same logic as wheels get environment:

Checks .env file for WHEELS_ENV
Checks system environment variable
Checks server.json
Defaults to development

Settings Parsing

The command parses set() function calls in your settings files:

set(dataSourceName="myapp_db");
set(cacheQueries=true);
set(errorEmailAddress="admin@example.com");

Output Examples

All Settings Display

Wheels Settings (development environment):

allowConcurrentRequestScope:   false
cacheActions:                  false
cacheCullInterval:              5
cacheCullPercentage:            10
cacheDatabaseSchema:            false
cacheFileChecking:              false
cacheImages:                    false
cacheModelConfig:               false
cachePages:                     false
cachePartials:                  false
cacheQueries:                   false
cacheRoutes:                    false
dataSourceName:                 myapp_db
errorEmailAddress:              admin@example.com
showDebugInformation:           true
showErrorInformation:           true
URLRewriting:                   partial

Total settings: 17

Filtered Settings Display

wheels get settings cache

==================================================
    Wheels Settings (development environment)
==================================================


╔═══════════════════════╤═══════╗
║ Setting               │ Value ║
╠═══════════════════════╪═══════╣
║ cacheActions          │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheControllerConfig │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheCullInterval     │ true  ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheCullPercentage   │ true  ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheDatabaseSchema   │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheFileChecking     │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheImages           │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheModelConfig      │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cachePages            │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cachePartials         │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheQueries          │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheRoutes           │ false ║
╟───────────────────────┼───────╢
║ cacheViewConfig       │ false ║
╚═══════════════════════╧═══════╝
Total settings:           13

Single Setting Display

wheels get settings dataSourceName

==================================================
    Wheels Settings (development environment)
==================================================


╔════════════════╤══════════════╗
║ Setting        │ Value        ║
╠════════════════╪══════════════╣
║ dataSourceName │ wheelstestdb ║
╚════════════════╧══════════════╝

Total settings:           1

[INFO]: Settings loaded from:
  - config/settings.cfm (global defaults)
  - config/development/settings.cfm (environment overrides)

[INFO]: Filtered by: 'dataSourceName'
  - Showing 1 matching setting(s)

No Matches Found

wheels get settings nonexistent

[WARNING]: No settings found matching 'nonexistent'

Common Wheels Settings

Caching Settings

cacheActions - Cache action output
cacheQueries - Cache database query results
cachePages - Cache entire page output
cachePartials - Cache partial/template output
cacheImages - Cache generated images
cacheRoutes - Cache routing configuration
cacheModelConfig - Cache model configurations
cacheControllerConfig - Cache controller configurations
cacheViewConfig - Cache view configurations
cacheDatabaseSchema - Cache database schema information
cacheFileChecking - Check for file changes when caching

Database Settings

dataSourceName - Primary datasource name
useExpandedColumnAliases - Use expanded column aliases in queries
useTimestampsOnDeletedColumn - Add timestamps to soft-deleted records
migratorTableName - Table name for migration versions

Error Handling Settings

showDebugInformation - Display debug information
showErrorInformation - Display error details
sendEmailOnError - Send email notifications on errors
errorEmailAddress - Email address for error notifications
errorEmailServer - SMTP server for error emails
errorEmailSubject - Subject line for error emails
includeErrorInEmailSubject - Include error details in email subject

URL Settings

URLRewriting - URL rewriting mode (none, partial, full)

Plugin Settings

overwritePlugins - Allow plugin overwrites
deletePluginDirectories - Delete plugin directories on uninstall
loadIncompatiblePlugins - Load plugins with version mismatches

Common Use Cases

Development vs Production Comparison

# Check development settings
WHEELS_ENV=development wheels get settings cache

# Check production settings
WHEELS_ENV=production wheels get settings cache

Verify Database Configuration

wheels get settings dataSourceName

Check All Caching Settings

wheels get settings cache

Debugging Configuration Issues

# See all current settings
wheels get settings

# Check specific problematic setting
wheels get settings showDebugInformation

Pre-deployment Verification

# Verify production settings
WHEELS_ENV=production wheels get settings

Settings File Examples

Basic Application Settings

set(dataSourceName="myapp");
set(URLRewriting="partial");
set(errorEmailAddress="admin@myapp.com");

Environment-Specific Settings

set(cacheQueries=true);
set(cachePages=true);
set(cachePartials=true);
set(showDebugInformation=false);
set(showErrorInformation=false);
set(sendEmailOnError=true);

set(cacheQueries=false);
set(showDebugInformation=true);
set(showErrorInformation=true);
set(sendEmailOnError=false);

Data Type Support

The command correctly interprets different data types:

Boolean Values

set(cacheQueries=true);
set(showDebugInformation=false);

Numeric Values

set(cacheCullInterval=5);
set(cacheCullPercentage=10);

String Values

set(dataSourceName="myapp_db");
set(errorEmailAddress="admin@example.com");

Complex Values

Arrays and structs are displayed with summary information:

complexSetting:                 [array with 5 items]
structSetting:                  {3 items}

Error Handling

The command will show an error if:

Not run from a Wheels application directory
Settings files cannot be read
Settings files contain syntax errors

Not a Wheels Application

Error: This command must be run from a Wheels application directory

Read Error

Error reading settings: [specific error message]
Details: [additional error details if available]

Best Practices

Environment-Specific Configs - Keep environment-specific settings in separate files (/config/[environment]/settings.cfm)
Document Custom Settings - Comment your custom settings in the configuration files
Use Consistent Naming - Follow Wheels naming conventions for custom settings
Verify Before Deployment - Always check settings for the target environment before deploying
Sensitive Data - Keep sensitive settings (API keys, passwords) in environment variables or .env files

Integration with Other Commands

Works well with other Wheels CLI commands:

# Check environment, then settings
wheels get environment
wheels get settings

# Verify cache settings before clearing cache
wheels get settings cache
wheels clear cache

# Check database settings before running migrations
wheels get settings dataSourceName
wheels db migrate

Tips

Setting names are case-insensitive when filtering
The filter matches any part of the setting name
Settings are displayed in alphabetical order
Boolean values display as true or false
Complex values (arrays, structs) show a summary
The command shows which environment’s settings are being displayed

Troubleshooting

Settings Not Showing Expected Values

Check which environment is active: wheels get environment
Verify the settings file exists in the correct location
Check for syntax errors in your settings files
Ensure settings use the correct set() function syntax

Missing Settings

If expected settings are missing:

Verify they’re defined using set() function
Check file paths: /config/settings.cfm and /config/[environment]/settings.cfm
Ensure no syntax errors prevent parsing

Filter Not Working

Remember the filter is case-insensitive
The filter matches any part of the setting name
Use more specific terms for precise filtering

Limitations

The command parses settings files statically and may not capture all dynamic settings
Complex CFML expressions in settings may not be fully evaluated
Settings defined outside of set() function calls may not be detected
Runtime settings modifications are not reflected