System Administrator's Handbook
Opera has unique options for configuration and customization, making it adaptable for a wide variety of usings in very different environments. This document helps you maximize your control of Opera's setup and adapt it to the environment you are working in.
This document was last updated for Opera 8.0. It relates primarily to the desktop versions for Windows and Linux.
Table of Contents
Related documentation
Super setup file and preferences
The current implementation uses three different preference settings files. One is a user file, and the other two are system files. The three files use the same format, and there are no special lines that need to be entered. Anything that can exist in your local opera6.ini file, can be added to the two others.
User file
This file is called "opera6.ini" and resides in the user's profile directory. This is where all the changes made using Opera's graphical user interface are stored. The file is either specified on the command line or searched for by Opera in the profile directory. Find out more about this file in the document Opera6.ini settings explained.
System fixed file
The system fixed file is allows the system administrator to define settings that cannot be overridden by the individual user, such as proxy settings. On Linux the path to this file is /etc/opera6rc.fixed. On Windows, it is called "opera6.ini" and is located in the system directory. The system directory varies between system versions, but normally the placement would be \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 on Windows XP, and \WINDOWS\SYSTEM on Windows 9x.
Note that the system fixed file overrides anything that is specified in the "opera6.ini" user file.
This means, for example, that if you set:
[User Prefs] Home URL=http://www.opera.com/
in the system fixed file, then it is not possible to set another global home page in Opera. While these options remain visible to the user, they cannot be changed if specified in the system fixed file.
System defaults
The system defaults file is a fall-back file. Here, the system administrator can store default values that the users are able to override. This file has the lowest priority, and will thus only be used if a setting is not defined in the system fixed file nor in the user's opera6.ini file. If the same setting is used in the user file, then the user file always has precedence. The system defaults file on the Windows platform should be called "operadef6.ini" and placed in the Opera install directory. On Linux it should have the path /etc/operarc6.
Note
The user settings file can have any name with an .ini extension, and this will be used at startup if specified in the command line. See the sections on Alternative and multiple user configuration and Command line options for more info.
Micro-configuration
The settings file opera6.ini holds an extensive array of options for micro-configuration, and its documentation is highly recommended reading for those who want the utmost control of their browser.
See the document Opera6.ini Settings Explained for the exact entries used in the settings files. Take careful note of the large [USER PREFS] section in particular.
File locations
By default, Opera is installed into a program directory, while user data and configuration files are placed in a separate directory.
- On Windows, you can choose between a multi-user install or a single-user install, where the single user install will make /profile a sub-directory of the program directory. Multi-user installs will typically place user data in the "Documents and Settings" tree in Windows XP.
- On Linux, the user data directory is called /.opera and will be placed in the user's home directory.
You can set the locations of almost all of Opera's files. Move them all, or choose to relocate only selected files to any local drive, network drive, or even removable media. For example, you can choose to locate all user data on a removable storage device, while leaving program files on the hard drive.
Customizable files and directories are specified below.
Locations that can be specified in opera6.ini
[USER PREFS]
| Entry: | Description: | Configure from UI: |
|---|---|---|
| Opera Directory= | Main Opera profile directory. | Only during install |
| Windows Storage File= | Session save file, example: C:\Program files\Opera\Opera.win | |
| Hotlist File Ver2= | Full path to Opera's bookmarks file, uses the .adr extension. Default name is opera6.adr | "Open" button on the toolbar of |
| BUTTON SET= | Path to current skin description file. Part of the currently used skin, default is /skin/standard_skin.zip | Not available |
| Help Directory= | Full path to Opera help directory, by default a URL relative to your version of Opera decided on by the installer. Changing this is not recommended. | Not available |
| Local CSS File= | User CSS file. Opera by default creates an empty CSS file in /styles/user.css | |
| Download Directory | Directory files are downloaded to in Opera. Windows default: "My documents". Linux default: /.opera/download/. Specify full path | |
| Plugin Path= | Delimit multiple paths by semicolon. Default is opera\program\plugins |
|
| Direct History File= | History of typed URLs. Full path must be specified. | Not available |
| Global History File= | Opera global history is stored in this file. Specify the full path. global.dat | Not available |
| Cache Directory4= | Full path to cache directory. | Not available |
| Home URL= | URL to desired home page. Specify complete URL for Web site or full path for local file. | |
| Source Viewer= | Opera gets default document source viewer from Windows, xedit is default for Linux. Specify full path to use alternate. | |
| Language File= | Full path to current language file used | |
| Wand Storage File | Full path to (encrypted) password storage file. Defaults to [profile directory]/wand.dat | Not available |
| [Various CSS files used by Opera] | Examples: Browser CSS file, IM CSS file (for chat), MIME CSS file (includes e-mail). Located in the /styles/ folder. | Not available |
Additional sections that contain specific path identifiers that may be useful:
- [JAVA]
- [SOUNDS]
- [Saved Settings]
[Mail]
| Entry: | Description: | Configure from UI: |
|---|---|---|
| Mail Root Directory= | Full path to root directory for e-mail | Not available |
| External Application= | Alternate application to use for e-mail links. Specify full path, may include additional parameters |
[MailBox]
| Entry: | Description: |
|---|---|
| AddressFile= | Full path to Contact storage file, by default named contacts.adr |
| NotesFile= | Full path to Notes storage file, by default named notes.adr |
[Adv User Prefs]
| Entry: | Description: | Configure from UI: |
|---|---|---|
| Telnet App= | Path to Telnet client, gets default from system | |
| Plugin Ignore File | By default located in the installation folder, named plugin-ignore.ini, specifies plug-ins that Opera should not attempt to use. Specify full path. | Not available |
| URL filter= | Primarily useful for browsers run in kiosk mode, specifies which URLs and/or domains and file types should be accessible. | Not available |
Command Line Options
You can run Opera from the command line using any combination of URLs and switches.
Documents
One or more documents can be loaded at startup by adding their URLs to the command line. Type the path to the Opera executable plus the full path of the document or documents, each separated by a space.
This may be typed at the command line prompt, or in "Run" in Windows, but you can also add URLs permanently to the "target" line of any Windows shortcut properties.
For example:
C:\program files\opera\opera.exe http://www.opera.com http://my.opera.com
Or
C:\program files\opera\opera.exe S:/docs/whitepapers/
Note that Opera will recognize characters in either upper or lower case, and it will also accept either back or forward slashes in URLs at the command line. Other command line switches, however, must be preceeded by a forward slash only.
Switches
One or more command line switches can be applied at startup via the command line. Type the path to the Opera executable, then the commanding switch or switches, each separated by a space.
Examples:
- C:\program files\opera\opera.exe /nowin
- C:\program files\opera\opera.exe /k /nowin
- C:\program files\opera\opera.exe /k http://www.opera.com
- C:\program files\opera\opera.exe http://www.opera.com /k /noexit
On Windows, to launch Opera with a different settings file, type C:\program files\opera\opera.exe /settings D:\operaprofile\opera6.ini
Note:
- Command line switches on Windows must always be preceded only by a forward slash.
- UNIX switches are case sensitive, Windows switches are not.
See the document Opera's Command Line Switches for a complete overview.
Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee that the instructions in these documents will work on any computer and platform. Please inform us if you run into difficulties.
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