# Changing .properties file

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/changing-properties-file/12218>\
**Category:** Module Development\
**Created:** [October 10, 2016, 11:36am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/changing-properties-file/12218 "2016-10-10T11:36:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mmacerl](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/mmacerl/32/4024_2.png) [@Mmacerl](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Mmacerl)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2016, 11:36am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/changing-properties-file/12218/1 "2016-10-10T11:36:27Z")

</div>

Can someone tell me why whenever I change String to display in .properties file it does not change on the gateway? It stays the same as it was before.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/changing-properties-file/12218/2 "2016-10-10T12:53:15Z")

</div>

BundleUtil loads property files. For the bundles you manually load during setup and unload during shutdown, you can control the lifetime. However, some property files are loaded on demand when a class loads and you have no control over the lifetime. After you change those, you have to restart Ignition itself.  
Also, strings loaded into a wicket session can remain serialized with the old values until the session expires. I believe there’s a way to expire wicket’s strings early, but I don’t recall.