A 4D database has many settings that are configurable. With a project mode database, the settings are stored in a xml formatted text file named "settings.4DSettings" located in the project's "Sources" directory.
When the project is built into an application, the files are compressed into a compiled structure (.4DZ). Because of the compression, the "settings.4DSettings" cannot be written to. This can prevent the settings from being modified.

To allow the settings to be modified, prior to building, the database should have the "Enable User Settings" settings under the Database Settings > Security section. This will allow two additional optional locations for the settings to be used and stored at with levels of priority applied. The highest priority will be the location containing the active datafile. The second priority will be a Settings directory next to the Project directory. This leaves the original file at the original location as the lowest priority.

The two optional locations are not compressed with a built applicaiton allowing them to be opened and written to allowing the settings to be modified.