Hi Paul, welcome to Silverstripe

The project directory gets set in the main _config file at the top:

global $project;
$project = 'mysite';

So this tells silverstripe to use the mysite directory as the first place to look for code/template/css/image/js files. If a theme is also set in the config (SSViewer::set_theme('themeName'), then this is the second place SS will look for template/css/image files.

It doesn't matter whether the _config file is in the mysite or tutorials directory, SS will still follow the directives contained within it. Generally SS will process any folder with a _config.php file and the relative folders (code/templates etc.) contained within it. this is how it knows to install modules that have just been copied into the root.

Hope that helps

Sorry that might have been a little confusing

There shouldn't be a _config.php in the root, SS will look through all the folders in the root to find the _config.php files. One of those files (usually in 'mysite') will set the $project variable and the theme, as well as the database connection values. SS will then use that project folder as it's first port of call for project files and the current themes folder (if set) as it's second.

Thanks guys. "It scans the root folders for _config.php" was unexpected behaviour!

The other post had reference this being to enable multisite setups with a single ss install. Is that right? What happens if there are two _config.phps to be found, or does it just go with the first one found?