Micro Focus Enterprise Server for .NET 3.0 > Role-based Contents - Introduction > Administrator Role > General Administration > Defining Program and Data Locations > Defining Program and Data Locations in the Region Startup File > Creating a Properties File

Creating a Properties File

A properties file defines pseudo-variables to specify artifact locations. The region startup process reads the properties file set for the region and creates a pseudo-variable for each item in the file that defines a path.

You can use pseudo-variables to define artifact locations, or parts of an artifact location, in the region startup file. For example, $MYVAR/subdir where MYVAR is the pseudo-variable created from the properties file definition.

Use the following procedure to create a properties file.

Create a region startup properties file, and configure pseudo-variables to define the paths to use. Use the Properties File editor to do this.
In the user interface, configure the properties file to use when the region starts. You can also use the seestart command with -properties to specify the properties file.

The format of the region startup properties file that the editor creates is a follows:

<?xml version ="1.0"?>
<configuration>
  <configSections>
    <section name="properties" type="System.Configuration.NameValueSectionHandler" />
  </configSections>

  <properties>
      <add key="VAR1" value="c:\mydir\maps" />
      <add key="VAR2" value="c:\mydir\programs" />
  </properties>
</configuration>

With a region startup using the above properties file:

Occurrences of the VAR1 pseudo-variable are replaced with the path c:\mydir\maps.
Occurrences of the VAR2 pseudo-variable are replaced with the path c:\mydir\:\mydir\programs.