diff --git a/README.txt b/README.txt
index 9d07bac..4e0fc62 100644
--- a/README.txt
+++ b/README.txt
@@ -19,7 +19,9 @@ the number.
 
 Furthermore, it enables other mods to add their own custom bars to the HUD, this mod will place them accordingly.
 
-You can create a “hudbars.conf” file to customize the positions of the health and breath bars. Take a look at “hudbars.conf.example” to get more infos.
+You can create a “hudbars.conf” file to customize the positions of the health and breath bars. Take a look at “hudbars.conf.example”
+to get more infos. The lines starting with “--” are comments, remove the two dashes to activate a setting. Settings which are not
+set will use a default value instead.
 
 
 IMPORTANT:
diff --git a/hudbars.conf.example b/hudbars.conf.example
index 663329c..9ca9451 100644
--- a/hudbars.conf.example
+++ b/hudbars.conf.example
@@ -1,20 +1,24 @@
---##HUD bars example config file##
-------------------------------------
--- This example moves the health bar in the top left corner and the hunger bar in the top right corner
+-- HUD bars example config file
+-------------------------------
+-- Currently you can customize the starting position of the first bottom two HUD bars
+-- and the vertical margin. That's all.
+-- Remove the two dashes to activate a setting. Lua syntax is used.
+-- The examples are all equal to the mod defaults
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
---!NOTICE!--
--- >>if damage is disabled neither health bar nor breath bar is shown
+-- Vertical space between two HUD bars
+-- hb.settings.vmargin = 24
 
---
--- health bar
---
-HUD_HEALTH_POS = {x=0,y=0}			--min 0, max 1
-HUD_HEALTH_OFFSET = {x=5,y=30}		--offset in pixel
+-- Pos of the first HUD bar the the left (“pos”, as in hud definition of hud_add of Minetest Lua API)
+-- hb.settings.pos_left = { x=0.5, y=1 }
 
---
--- breath bar
---
-HUD_AIR_POS = {x=0.5,y=1}		--min 0, max 1
-HUD_AIR_OFFSET = {x=15,y=-75}	--offset in pixel
+-- Pos of the first HUD bar the the right
+-- hb.settings.pos_right= { x = 0.5, y = 1 }
+
+-- Offset of the first HUD bar to the left (“offset”, as in HUD definition)
+-- hb.settings.start_offset_left = { x = -175, y = -70 }
+
+-- Offset of the first HUD bar to the right
+-- hb.settings_start_offset_right = { x = 15, y = -70 }
 
diff --git a/init.lua b/init.lua
index acb07bd..5fda612 100644
--- a/init.lua
+++ b/init.lua
@@ -5,23 +5,25 @@ hb.hudtables = {}
 -- number of registered HUD bars
 hb.hudbars_count = 0
 
+hb.settings = {}
+
 -- default settings
-HUD_BARLENGTH = 160
+hb.settings.max_bar_length = 160
 
 -- statbar positions
-HUD_START_OFFSET_LEFT = { x = -175, y = -70 }
-HUD_START_OFFSET_RIGHT = { x = 15, y = -70 }
-HUD_POS_LEFT = { x=0.5, y=1 }
-HUD_POS_RIGHT = { x = 0.5, y = 1 }
+hb.settings.pos_left = { x=0.5, y=1 }
+hb.settings.pos_right= { x = 0.5, y = 1 }
+hb.settings.start_offset_left = { x = -175, y = -70 }
+hb.settings.start_offset_right = { x = 15, y = -70 }
 
-HUD_VMARGIN = 24
-HUD_TICK = 0.1
+hb.settings.vmargin = 24
+hb.settings.tick = 0.1
 
 function hb.value_to_barlength(value, max)
 	if max == 0 then
 		return 0
 	else
-		return math.ceil((value/max) * HUD_BARLENGTH)
+		return math.ceil((value/max) * hb.settings.max_bar_length)
 	end
 end
 
@@ -33,16 +35,16 @@ function hb.register_hudbar(identifier, text_color, label, textures, default_sta
 	local hudtable = {}
 	local pos, offset
 	if hb.hudbars_count % 2 == 0 then
-		pos = HUD_POS_LEFT
+		pos = hb.settings.pos_left
 		offset = {
-			x = HUD_START_OFFSET_LEFT.x,
-			y = HUD_START_OFFSET_LEFT.y - HUD_VMARGIN * math.floor(hb.hudbars_count/2)
+			x = hb.settings.start_offset_left.x,
+			y = hb.settings.start_offset_left.y - hb.settings.vmargin * math.floor(hb.hudbars_count/2)
 		}
 	else
-		pos = HUD_POS_RIGHT
+		pos = hb.settings.pos_right
 		offset = {
-			x = HUD_START_OFFSET_RIGHT.x,
-			y = HUD_START_OFFSET_RIGHT.y - HUD_VMARGIN * math.floor((hb.hudbars_count-1)/2)
+			x = hb.settings.start_offset_right.x,
+			y = hb.settings.start_offset_right.y - hb.settings.vmargin * math.floor((hb.hudbars_count-1)/2)
 		}
 	end
 	if format_string == nil then
@@ -308,8 +310,8 @@ minetest.after(2.5, function()
 	 main_timer = main_timer + dtime
 	 timer = timer + dtime
 	 timer2 = timer2 + dtime
-		if main_timer > HUD_TICK or timer > 4 then
-		 if main_timer > HUD_TICK then main_timer = 0 end
+		if main_timer > hb.settings.tick or timer > 4 then
+		 if main_timer > hb.settings.tick then main_timer = 0 end
 		 for _,player in ipairs(minetest.get_connected_players()) do
 			-- only proceed if damage is enabled
 			if minetest.setting_getbool("enable_damage") then