# Custom application settings **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** perspective\ **Created:** [March 18, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/custom-application-settings/114551 "2026-03-18T12:20:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 3
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/custom-application-settings/114551/3 "2026-03-18T15:21:39Z")
Another approach, if you don't want to do the file reading/writing yourself (and only have simple string keys to store) You could use the technique Kevin outlines in this post: > [@Disable devices in Gateway Startup Script (v8.3.0)](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/disable-devices-in-gateway-startup-script-v8-3-0/111599/6): > > Setting the deployment mode via an environment variable is not yet supported, you've got to supply the Java system property via a JVM argument, -Dignition.config.mode=yourdeploymentmode. As @paul-griffith mentions, we're going to be doing additional refinements in this area. However, I've got some guidance that might be useful in the meantime. Currently, at time of writing w/ 8.3.0, if you add the deployment mode arg explicitly to your data/ignition.conf, it will be within any gateway backup … To set up arbitrary system properties (they can have whatever name you want) and then retrieve them in scripting via [`system.util.getProperty`](https://www.docs.inductiveautomation.com/docs/8.3/appendix/scripting-functions/system-util/system-util-getProperty). I'd use Phil's approach if you need to store anything more complex than a handful of top-level variables that are strings or can be easily type-coerced from string, like booleans/integers. --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/custom-application-settings/114551)._