Where to store config info for spring mvc 3.x - spring

Question

Where is a good place to store custom config info in spring mvc 3.x and how would I access that info globally via any controller?
Is there a built in config manager?

Answer 1

I assume 'custom config' means a configuration file the code reads / you / your operations team can update?
One easy solution is to use spring beans xml configuration file and deploy your war in exploded fashion.
Create a configuration java class:
// File: MyConfig.java ------------------------------------
public class MyConfig {
private String supportEmail;
private String websiteName;
// getters & setters..
}
Configure the class as a Spring bean and set its properties on your spring beans xml file (can also create a new file and use <import resource="..."/>):
// File: root-context.xml ----------------------------------------
<beans ...>
...
<bean class="com.mycompany.MyConfig">
<property name="supportEmail" value="support#mycompany.com"/>
<property name="websiteName" value="Hello Site"/>
</bean>
...
</beans>
Inject your configuration class (eg: in a controller)
// File: HelloController.java ------------------------------------
#Controller
#RequestMapping("/hello")
public class HelloController {
#Autowired MyConfig config;
// ...
}
However updates to the configuration would require re-deploy / server restarts

Answer 2

You can also use <context:property-placeholder>.
It looks like this.
myapp.properties:
foo=bar
spring beans xml:
<context:property-placeholder location="classpath:myapp.properties"/>
Or
<context:property-placeholder location="file:///path/to/myapp.properties"/>
Controller:
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
...
#Controller
public class Controller {
#Value("${foo}")
private String foo;
If you want to get properties programmatically, you can use Environment with #PropertySource.
Configuration:
#Configuration
#PropertySource("classpath:myapp.properties")
public class AppConfig {
#Bean
public PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer propertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer() {
return new PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer();
}
Controller:
#Controller
public class Controller {
#Value("${foo}")
private String foo;
#Autowired
private Environment env;
#RequestMapping(value = "dosomething")
public String doSomething() {
env.getProperty("foo");
...
}
Hope this helps.