# Configuration properties

DITA-OT uses .properties files and internal properties that store configuration settings for the toolkit and its plug-ins. Configuration properties are available to both Ant and Java processes, but unlike argument properties, they cannot be set at run time.

When DITA-OT starts the Ant process, it looks for property values in the following order and locations:

1. Any property passed to Ant from the command line with -Dproperty or --property=value
2. A custom property file passed with --propertyfile
3. A .ditaotrc configuration file in the current directory or any ancestor directory, in the user’s home directory, or in the root directory of the DITA-OT installation
4. A local.properties file in the root directory of the DITA-OT installation
5. The lib/org.dita.dost.platform/plugin.properties file
6. The configuration.properties file

If a given property is set in multiple places, the first value “wins” and subsequent entries for the same property are ignored.

You can use this mechanism to override DITA-OT default settings for your environment by passing parameters to the dita command with --property=value, or using entries in runtime configurations or .properties files.