Configuration is an arrangement of functional units according to their nature, number, and chief characteristics.
2
votes
2answers
139 views
Specifying options “hard coded”, in an interpreted language
In a language like Python or JavaScript (NodeJS), is there anything wrong with defining "the configuration file" as a file which essentially hard-codes the configuration settings? For example:
...
1
vote
3answers
107 views
What is the best way to store configurations of shell/script code to execute later?
I am working on a tool (Python, may or may not be important) that will allow a user to maintain a configuration file containing arbitrary shell and/or language code to be executed on particular events ...
0
votes
1answer
42 views
Resources for learning how to properly set up and manage a web application on a VPS?
I feel uncomfortable trusting in Heroku magic without actually knowing what it takes to serve and maintain an application.
I don't know exactly what to look for. It's easy to find docs specific to ...
1
vote
2answers
104 views
What values in an application should be configurable?
What values in an application should be configurable, or otherwise not hard coded? Does this differ based on application type (batch vs UI) and are there any published standards or guidance on this ...
1
vote
2answers
118 views
How to make big chunk of hardcoded menuitems in a programmable way
So in the javascript app, we have a lot of repeated chunk of menu items with the specific settings: URL, Name, Title, etc etc (these settings sometimes can be optional). Here is the gist of the ...
0
votes
0answers
20 views
ASP.Net Web.config design [duplicate]
I'm working on an asp.net project that has oAuth keys and other keys I'd like to keep private and I'm looking for ideas on the best way to accomplish this.
My thinking is that in the web.config I ...
1
vote
1answer
198 views
Multi-user Configuration Settings design
I am designing a flexible and extensible way to store configuration settings for users.
Database Table Design:
╔═════════════════════════════╗
║ ConfigurationItemDefinition ║
...
2
votes
1answer
155 views
LGPL, .lib, .dll, and linking
I am trying to build a project which uses an unmodified copy of libconfig (http://www.hyperrealm.com/libconfig/). libconfig is LGPL, but I don't want to open source any of my code. By my ...
3
votes
4answers
670 views
Configuration file that can be modified by user in C#
I want to create a configuration file (text file preferred) that can be modified by user. A windows service will read from that file and behave accordingly. Can you recommend a file format for this ...
3
votes
5answers
136 views
How many different configurations are used for software tests?
This article shows that for Android apps, software developers use between 30 and 50 different devices for compatibility tests.
I tried to find information about tests of applications on "classic" ...
1
vote
5answers
366 views
Is it plausible to use a filesystem-based configuration format rather than an INI file?
After having had endless issues with INI-style configuration files and parsing them correctly (let along getting binary data right), a crazy idea crossed my mind recently:
What if an INI file like
# ...
4
votes
3answers
317 views
Should I use a config file or database for storing business rules?
I have recently been reading The Pragmatic Programmer which states that:
Details mess up our pristine code—especially if they change frequently. Every time we have to go in and change the code to ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
Grouping classes by subject or dependencies?
Our project consists of user application and server application. The server application prepares data files that the user application consumes. Because the data is huge, it is stored in custom format. ...
1
vote
1answer
67 views
How to sell logistical procedures that require less time to perform but more finesse?
I am working with a group where part of the responsibilities is managing a certain set of configuration files which, of course, have the same skeleton/structure across different environments but ...
1
vote
2answers
89 views
Is it appropriate to run a complex enterprise-system configuration and migration project in a similar way to a Scrum development project?
I'm just starting out on the implementation of a large enterprise-wide system, which has complex requirements and many stakeholders.
The company has been through high-level evaluation and tender ...
6
votes
6answers
483 views
Is using something other than XML advisable for my configuration file?
I have a small tool I'm designing which would require a configuration file of some sort. The configuration file in my case is really more of a database, but it needs to be lightweight, and if needed ...
7
votes
5answers
1k views
Configuration data: single-row table vs. name-value-pair table
Let's say you write an application that can be configured by the user. For storing this "configuration data" into a database, two patterns are commonly used.
The single-row table
CompanyName | ...
3
votes
2answers
245 views
Where Should I Put Configuration Files?
I'm creating a project that I want to be able to distribute across platforms. I'm writing in Java and AWT which already gives me a pretty large range of devices, but I'm mostly interested in Windows ...
8
votes
3answers
961 views
User Configuration of a Shell Script. Best practices?
I am writing a shell script with a few variables that should be configured by the user. There will be an installer for downloading and configuring the script, possibly by asking a series of question. ...
4
votes
2answers
313 views
Web services and business rules engines
We have a web service that takes in input different types of messages. The function of the webservice is to merely write in a database the content of the messages. There is about one table (with ...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
Designing configuration for subobjects
I have the following situation: I have a class (let's call it Main) encapsulating a complex process. This class in turn orchestrates a sequence of subalgorithms (AlgoA, AlgoB), each one represented by ...
1
vote
3answers
281 views
Just getting started in Spring and my preference is XML config over annotations. Correct or not?
After having read through some of the Spring docs my inclination is towards using a XML config file rather than annotations on the classes themselves. My reasoning is that by doing so you avoid tying ...
2
votes
2answers
182 views
Should program behavior be modified using a config file or environmental variables?
I'm referring to *nix command line applications primarily, where you want to permanently modify the behavior from defaults.
Environmental variables are easily understood and implemented, usually ...
4
votes
6answers
138 views
How to log configuration or code behaviour changes in non-disruptive way
We've probably all been in the situation where you'd like to alert your team members to some change ("I changed X, so now it's running every hour instead of every day"). But the change is non-urgent, ...
1
vote
2answers
197 views
How can I manage changes between a local config file and a remote config file in a mobile application?
I have an application with a configuration file that is stored in the application bundle. This config file stores the names of images on a remote server. Whenever the application is started, I ...
7
votes
4answers
620 views
Why don't public web applications use ini files for configuration
Almost every public CMS out there uses a .php configuration file for the database settings and so on. For example WordPress automatically creates a .php config file when you install it.
Why don't ...
3
votes
2answers
174 views
In the context of semantic versioning, does a change in the default configuration warrant a new major version?
My module is enabled by default (i.e. when you add the module). There's also a configuration you can optionally use, which supports an enabled="true|false" setting. This way the module can be disabled ...
8
votes
9answers
1k views
Should I pass an object into a constructor, or instantiate in class?
Consider these two examples:
Passing an object to a constructor
class ExampleA
{
private $config;
public function __construct($config)
{
$this->config = $config;
}
}
$config = new ...
2
votes
4answers
215 views
What is the “architecture” that provides functionality to application-level URI interfaces, like chrome:// and Firefox's about:config, etc?
According to Wikipedia,
about is an internal URI scheme (also known as a "URL scheme" or, erroneously, "protocol") in various web browsers to display certain built-in functions. It is not an ...
2
votes
3answers
214 views
File system layout for multiple build targets
I am seeking some ideas for how to build and install software with some parameters. These including target OS, target platform CPU details, debugging variant, etc.
Some parts of the install are ...
7
votes
6answers
590 views
When to use Constants vs. Config Files to maintain Configuration
I often fight with myself on whether to put certain keys in my web.config or in a Constants.cs class or something like this.
For example if I wanted to store application specific keys for whatever ...
1
vote
2answers
153 views
Suggestion for setting web application parameters
I'm creating a web application on GWT. I'm using MVP pattern with activities and places. I have a xml config file containing some parameters to be used by the application. Content of this xml file is ...
2
votes
5answers
343 views
Config Class/Struct: Pattern or Anti-Pattern? Alternatives?
If you add new configuration options to a program, it can often have tons of ripple effects in terms of getting the options to where they need to be acted upon. There are three basic ways to deal ...
24
votes
8answers
5k views
Should a development machine be inside a VM?
This post by Rob Conery (note the slug) says that development environment should be run inside a virtual machine. I see what he's saying and tend to agree, but still feel a little uneasy. Now that ...
0
votes
2answers
156 views
Where should I look to know which technology is used in a web app?
Let's say, I have one or more web app I find interesting, and as I want to do something similar, I would like to know on which technology they are based (programming language, database, web server, ...
9
votes
7answers
496 views
Bogarting the Data Access Layer
Situation: The dba is an offsite contractor who keeps the entire DAL code checked out in TFS. It would be nice as the front end developer to be able to add columns, and tweak procs and whatnot, ...
1
vote
1answer
192 views
Store build server configuration in same repository as source code?
Some co-workers and myself are tasked with a "rewrite" of an ancient, unmaintainable application and to shape it into something workable.
I am setting up a continuous integration server, and since we ...
6
votes
4answers
582 views
Managing large number of app.config files
We have many windows services and web apps which all rely on a lot of common settings. Currently we use just appSettings as needed and they are referenced by key. Some of the settings are app ...
4
votes
6answers
238 views
Company sends debug versions of software to clients
Hey, I'm a Junior Programmer working at a company.
I just found out that they've been releasing a debug build of their product to clients for the past four years because the release version is broken ...
5
votes
5answers
507 views
How to decide between storage formats and what are example use cases for some of them?
We have different ways to store program data (save files in games, employee databases, program configuration etc.):
Plain text (think .ini and .conf)
XML
Databases (MySQL, SQLite...)
.zip and ...
2
votes
2answers
263 views
How to separate development process and configuration management aspects of SVN?
I am looking into an alternative for the combined utilities of SVN, as both a development tool and configuration management tool. Instead, I would like to investigate the approach of having a ...
5
votes
4answers
733 views
Is using SVN for development and CM a bad practice?
I have a bit of experience with SVN as a pure programmer/developer. Within my company, however, we use SVN as our Configuration Management (CM) tool. I thought using SVN for development at the same ...
18
votes
8answers
2k views
Is a single config object a bad idea?
In most of my applications, I have a singleton or static "config" object, in charge of reading various settings from disk. Almost all classes use it, for various purposes. Essentially it's just a hash ...
7
votes
7answers
313 views
Is there a formal name for gradually activating software changes?
At times when we develop new features or functionality, we gradually "turn it on" to ensure a smooth transition and minimal impact for users. Instead of one big sudden change, we are able to control ...
0
votes
2answers
132 views
Design of input files reading when it comes to defaults/transformations
Suppose you have an application that reads an input file, on a language that does not support the concept of None. The input is read, parsed, and the contents are stored on a structure for later use.
...
4
votes
2answers
122 views
How much configurability to give to users regarding concurrency?
This question is a narrowing-down of these related questions:
How much effort should we spend to programming for multiple cores?
Concurrency: How do you approach the design and debug the ...
10
votes
3answers
395 views
What is Configuration Management?
In all projects that I have been involved with that have had input from an outside consultant the question has been asked about what sort of Configuration Management we were using. In none of these ...
-2
votes
3answers
635 views
What's your best Ubuntu and Eclipse setup for Java development?
What're the best versions and configuration tricks for building a happy Java development environment with Eclipse on Ubuntu?
I'm at Ubuntu 8.10 and Eclipse Ganymede 3.4.2, so I'm behind on both ...
