Ok, I think i mis stated this. I know how to load a properties files, I know about including defaults in the get methods, this is a specific query as to something that is bugging me. I'm sure I have used in the past a file, dumped in cwd or somewhere in the classpath, that no matter what code I ran, and with no adjustments to it, would automatically get loaded. Usefull for sticking in system properties for debugging/logging information that you don't have the code for, when you can be bothered to type -D on the command line in a startup script of some sort.
It's not about solving a problem, it's about remembering something I used to do. It's bugging me that I can't remember, even though i'm not going to use it. Like trying to remeber how to write text to the screen in pascal, i'm *never* going to need to use it again, but the other day it was bugging me as to how I used to do it.
Hope thats clearer, although english is my first language, i'm still crap at it

Endolf