Working with apache commons configuration

This week, i have explored the apache commons-configuration third part jar. It sounds more interesting to read the configuration details from multiple properties files in our project at once.

Sample Configuration file:

configuration.xml – File to configure the list of properties file to be loaded from your application.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<configuration>

  <system />

  <properties fileName="logging.properties" />

  <properties fileName="appConfig.properties" />

  <properties fileName="webserviceEndPoints.properties" />

  <properties fileName="message.properties" />

  <properties fileName="com/x/y/z/a.properties"/>

  <properties fileName="com/x/y/z/b.properties"/>

</configuration>

/**

* This class is to read values from the properties files listed in central configuration file. Need to define the *all configuration/properties file in the configuation.xml

*/

public final class ConfigurationManager {

    private static final String CONFIG_FILE = "configuration.xml";

    private static Configuration configuration;

    private ConfigurationManager() {

     final URL configFileURL = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader().getResource(CONFIG_FILE);

     final DefaultConfigurationBuilder builder = new DefaultConfigurationBuilder(configFileURL);

     configuration = builder.getConfiguration(true);

    }

Now, how do we get the value from property file using key?

Each method returns an object by looking up in the property file associated with the key if the corresponding key is missing it will return defaultValue which is the argument.

    configuration.getInteger(Key)

    configuration.getInteger(Key, defaultValue) - If not present in prop file

                        .getString

                        .getBoolean

                        .getDouble

                        .getStringArray

                        .getList etc.

   You can have to explore for additional methods.

Reference:

commons-configuration-1.5.jar. Please refer the features here for configuration (http://commons.apache.org/configuration)