# Creating custom configurations

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Please note that creating custom configurations currently requires significant technical knowledge and will not be accessible to all users.
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### Overview of the process

There are several steps to creating a custom configuration that will require different skills and the involvement of different actors within a project. You should leave plenty of time prior to the intended start of data collection to allow for community consultation, testing, and iterations of your configuration. 

While data structures in Mapeo can be modified during the course of a project, many changes over time can result in messy data outputs. It is worthwhile to test and refine your configuration to the extent possible before putting it into use for data collection.

Once you have completed this process, you will have a Mapeo configuration file (`.mapeosettings`) that can be imported and used in Mapeo Mobile and Destop.

The pages that follow will walk you through the key steps for authoring a custom configuration:

* [Planning configuration & data structure](/complete-reference-guide/customization-options/custom-configurations/creating-custom-configurations/planning-configuration-and-data-structure.md)\
  This section will outline the key customizable elements in a configuration and some considerations when mapping out each area.\
  \***No technical knowledge is required.**<br>
* [Coding configuration](/complete-reference-guide/customization-options/custom-configurations/creating-custom-configurations/coding-configuration.md)\
  This section will guide you through translating the planned data structure into the required format and compiling the Mapeo configuration file. \
  \***Editing `JSON` files, generating `.svg` files and working with command line or GitHub is required.**

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For instructions on how to import a configuration file (`.mapeosettings`) into Mapeo, see:

[Importing configurations into Mapeo Mobile](/complete-reference-guide/mapeo-mobile-installation-setup/importing-configurations.md)

[Importing configurations to Mapeo Desktop](/complete-reference-guide/mapeo-desktop-installation-setup/importing-configurations.md)
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