This article introduces a mechanism for organizing application configuration parameters despite the number of runtime environments. This configuration mechanism is designed to systematize the arrangement and access of Java application configuration parameters. It is composed of interconnecting parts: configuration folder schema, configuration parameter reader, and launch command outline. After detailing each part of the configuration mechanism, author Paulo Caroli uses a comprehensive and illustrative Hello World application to demonstrate the mechanism. (2,000 words; November 8, 2004)
Like a classic plot retold in a new setting, software applications have extended lifetimes when decoupled from their contextual details. This article exposes how traditional configuration files, XML-based properties, and cryptography help keep such details out of code. The result: software whose stories are told again and again, transcending even the original author's intentions. (2,500 words)
