# Description of Changes
**What was changed:**
- **Configuration Updates:**
Replaced all calls to `GeneralUtils.saveKeyToConfig` with the new
`GeneralUtils.saveKeyToSettings` method across multiple classes (e.g.,
`LicenseKeyChecker`, `InitialSetup`, `SettingsController`, etc.). This
update ensures consistent management of configuration settings.
- **File Path and Exception Handling:**
Updated file path handling in `SPDFApplication` by creating `Path`
objects from string paths and logging these paths for clarity. Also
refined exception handling by catching more specific exceptions (e.g.,
using `IOException` instead of a generic `Exception`).
- **Analytics Flag and Rate Limiting:**
Changed the analytics flag in the application properties from a `String`
to a `Boolean`, and updated related logic in `AppConfig` and
`PostHogService`. The rate-limiting property retrieval in `AppConfig`
was also refined for clarity.
- **YAML Configuration Management:**
Replaced the previous manual, line-based YAML merging logic in
`ConfigInitializer` with a new `YamlHelper` class. This helper leverages
the SnakeYAML engine to load, update, and save YAML configurations more
robustly while preserving comments and formatting.
**Why the change was made:**
- **Improved Maintainability:**
Consolidating configuration update logic into a single utility method
(`saveKeyToSettings`) reduces code duplication and simplifies future
maintenance.
- **Enhanced Robustness:**
The new `YamlHelper` class ensures that configuration files are merged
accurately and safely, minimizing risks of data loss or format
corruption.
- **Better Type Safety and Exception Handling:**
Switching the analytics flag to a Boolean and refining exception
handling improves code robustness and debugging efficiency.
- **Clarity and Consistency:**
Standardizing file path handling and logging practices enhances code
readability across the project.
**Challenges encountered:**
- **YAML Merging Complexity:**
Integrating the new `YamlHelper` required careful handling to preserve
existing settings, comments, and formatting during merges.
- **Type Conversion and Backward Compatibility:**
Updating the analytics flag from a string to a Boolean required
extensive testing to ensure backward compatibility and proper
functionality.
- **Exception Granularity:**
Refactoring exception handling from a generic to a more specific
approach involved a detailed review to cover all edge cases.
Closes #<issue_number>
---
## Checklist
- [x] I have read the [Contribution
Guidelines](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)
- [ ] I have read the [Stirling-PDF Developer
Guide](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/DeveloperGuide.md)
(if applicable)
- [ ] I have read the [How to add new languages to
Stirling-PDF](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/HowToAddNewLanguage.md)
(if applicable)
- [x] I have performed a self-review of my own code
- [x] My changes generate no new warnings
### Documentation
- [ ] I have updated relevant docs on [Stirling-PDF's doc
repo](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-Tools.github.io/blob/main/docs/)
(if functionality has heavily changed)
- [ ] I have read the section [Add New Translation
Tags](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/HowToAddNewLanguage.md#add-new-translation-tags)
(for new translation tags only)
### UI Changes (if applicable)
- [ ] Screenshots or videos demonstrating the UI changes are attached
(e.g., as comments or direct attachments in the PR)
### Testing (if applicable)
- [x] I have tested my changes locally. Refer to the [Testing
Guide](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/DeveloperGuide.md#6-testing)
for more details.
---------
Co-authored-by: Anthony Stirling <77850077+Frooodle@users.noreply.github.com>
