Features

The key features of EasyConf are:

  1. Usage of easy to remember conventions to simplify configuring applications
  2. Component based configuration (for example for portlets and portals
  3. Support for multiple environments (development, integration, preproduction, production, etc)

Complete list of features:

  1. Two file formats supported:

    1. Properties configuration
    2. User-defined XML configuration

  2. Utils for J2EE applications

    1. Taglib to retrieve properties from JSPs
    2. Taglib to retrieve the configuration object
    3. Servlet and struts action to refresh the configuration (in progress, scheduled for v. 0.9)

  3. Features of properties configuration:

    1. Variables support
    2. Typed properties (automatic conversion to numbers, lists, boolean, etc)
    3. Property filters
    4. Access to system properties. It can also be viewed as being able to override property values through a system property
    5. Support for loading classes from a class name specified in a proprety
    6. Support for including property files
    7. Support for configuring multiple environments (devel, production, preproduction, etc)
    8. Special support for multicomponent environments (p.e. portlets and portals)

  4. Features of XML configuration:

    1. Converts XML configuration to JavaBeans
    2. All XML vocabularies supported
    3. The XML format is described using digester rules

  5. Design philosophy:

    1. Fail Fast: if a property is not found (and no default value has been given) an Exception is throws. If the property is found but is not of the expected type, an exception is also thrown. If the properties of a component is explicitly requested and its base properties file does not exist, an exception is throws. If the configuration object is explicitly requested and the XML file is not found an exception is thrown. All this exceptions explain clearly the reason of the error and allow developers and administrators to quickly detect the problem and find the cause. It is always up to the developer to catch this exceptions hidding the problem.
    2. Conventions over software and configuration: uses conventions instead of offering unnecesary flexibility through configuration. This makes EasyConf simpler and easier to use.
  6. Support for reloading of configuration (in progress, full support scheduled for v. 0.9)

For more information about this features check the Javadoc summary of EasyConf