Robust Web Application Initialization

When a web based application starts up, it should do so carefully to avoid a number of problems.  This post outlines the problems you might run into, and a list of coding preparations that can be made to avoid these problems.

Module Initialization

Given a module that is designed to be re-used across many applications, what is the correct way to initialize it, and why?

#27 Don’t Declare Variables at the Top

Somewhere long ago you attended a course that said that all variables should be declared at the top of the method.  Modern languages allow you to declare the variable at the point in the code that it is initialized and this is a significant advantage.  However, the outdated idea of declaring all variables at the top of the method persists.  This post explains why this is a bad idea.

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#27 A Proper Module does NOT need a Config File

It is common for a system or a program to have a config file: that is a file that holds a bunch of settings that can be adjusted by the administrator or user to get desired effect.  A code module, that is designed to be embedded into a running program and is designed to be reused in multiple programs, should NEVER require a configuration file.