# Where to store Application parameters

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-to-store-application-parameters/80974>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [January 2, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-to-store-application-parameters/80974 "2007-01-02T18:05:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tuka)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-to-store-application-parameters/80974/1 "2007-01-02T18:05:22Z")

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Hi,

I am considering where to place app parameters for a ROR app I am  
building.

I need, with very little frquency, to be able to edit the parameters  
from the app. i dont want to hard code anything in file.

What would you recomend as a best practise?

Here are the options I consider:

1. The database where a row will have fields for all the app param (with  
possible versioning to record changes). Con - a slow db access each time

2. read/write to file: Slow and would like to avoid writing to directory  
tree. i.e. giving write permission.

3. Keeping in memory as a global variable - possibly read from db once  
and only changes when updated. - A question that comes to mind is would  
it be possible to keep an object in a global variable ?

TIA,  
tuka

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tuka)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-to-store-application-parameters/80974/2 "2007-01-02T18:15:00Z")

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The in-memory solution would be the easiest I suppose, but if  
volatility is a problem then I wouldn’t suggest it.

How about serializing a settings object to the database using YAML?  
Keep the object in memory and then drop it to the database when saved.  
Just use the rows to hold revisions of that object. Of course, with  
ActiveRecord, that’s arbitrary…you could/should just create a model  
and do it that way probably.

The best solution is probably to use environment.rb, but since you  
don’t want to hardcode anything, I think maybe the DB is the way to  
go.

–Jeremy

On 1/2/07, Tuka O. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> it be possible to keep an object in a global variable ?
> 
> TIA,  
> tuka
> 
> –  
> Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/).
> 
> >

–  
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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tuka)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-to-store-application-parameters/80974/3 "2007-01-02T18:45:10Z")

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Also, if you install memcached and cached\_model, then you can use your  
parameters as a cached object - it will stay in RAM most of the time and  
you’ll only have slow DB calls every once in a while. Other than that it  
works exactly the same as normal Active Record.  
Jason

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tuka)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 5:43am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-to-store-application-parameters/80974/4 "2007-01-03T05:43:11Z")

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Checkout the Settings and AppConfig plugins at the plugin directory  
site. They probably have all the code you need.

[http://agilewebdevelopment.com/plugins/search?search=settings](http://agilewebdevelopment.com/plugins/search?search=settings)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@tuka](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tuka)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 1:10am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/where-to-store-application-parameters/80974/5 "2007-01-03T01:10:50Z")

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Hi,

Thanks guys, your ideas are helpful

I think i will start off with a database access to the parameters and  
later refactor to one ofthe alternate solutions for more performace.

Tuka