Global Constants: Centralized Configuration

This article explains how we use centralized constants to ensure consistency across all pages and templates.

The Problem: Scattered Configuration

Without centralization, configuration appears in multiple places:

  • Company name hardcoded in 50+ templates

  • Phone numbers duplicated across pages

  • Email addresses scattered in code

  • Addresses repeated in multiple formats

Problems:

  • Inconsistency (different phone numbers on different pages)

  • Hard to update (change in 50 places)

  • Errors (typos, outdated info)

The Solution: Single Source of Truth

All configuration defined in app/shared/config.py:

COMPANY_NAME = "Thinvent Technologies Private Limited"
COMPANY_PHONE = "+91-11-430-77467"
COMPANY_WHATSAPP = "919990344251"
SALES_EMAIL = "sales@thinvent.in"

Company Information

Names

Full name: Thinvent Technologies Private Limited

Short name: Thinvent Technologies

Tiny name: Thinvent

Usage: Full name in legal documents, short name in emails, tiny name in UI

Addresses

Two office locations stored as structured data:

Goa office:

  • Address, city, state, pincode

  • Phone number

  • GSTIN (tax ID)

  • Google Maps URL

Gurgaon office:

  • Same structure as Goa

Benefit: Consistent formatting across invoices, emails, website

Contact Numbers

Sales phone: +91-11-430-77467

Support phone: +91-11-411-71494

Sales WhatsApp: +91-99903-44251

Support WhatsApp: +91-99903-44247

Storage format: Two versions (raw for API, display for UI)

Email Addresses

Sales: sales@thinvent.in

Support: support@thinvent.in

Info: info@thinvent.in

Accounts: accounts@thinvent.in

Legal Information

CIN: U72300DL2007PTC171292 (Company Identification Number)

Registered address: Delhi office address

Support hours: Monday-Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm

Template Injection

Constants automatically available in all templates:

@web.context_processor
def utility_processor():
    return {
        "COMPANY_NAME": COMPANY_NAME,
        "COMPANY_PHONE": COMPANY_PHONE,
        "COMPANY_WHATSAPP": COMPANY_WHATSAPP,
        # ... all constants
    }

Usage in templates:

<p>{{ COMPANY_NAME }}</p>
<a href="tel:{{ COMPANY_PHONE }}">{{ COMPANY_PHONE }}</a>

Currency Symbols

Symbols for all supported currencies:

CURRENCY_SYMBOLS = {
    "INR": "₹",
    "USD": "$",
    "EUR": "€",
    "GBP": "£",
    # ... 10 currencies
}

Usage: Display prices with correct symbol

Supported Languages

20 languages with names and codes:

SUPPORTED_LANGUAGES = {
    "hi": "हिन्दी",
    "bn": "বাংলা",
    "ta": "தமிழ்",
    # ... 20 languages
}

Usage: Language selector dropdown

AWS Configuration

Region: ap-south-1 (Mumbai)

S3 buckets: Static files, analytics, backups

DynamoDB tables: All table names

Kinesis streams: Analytics ingestion

Benefit: Change region in one place, affects entire app

Email Configuration

SMTP server: Postfix on manage server

From addresses: Per module (sales, support, info)

Reply-to: Configured per email type

Benefit: Consistent email branding

File Paths

All file paths centralized:

Static files: /home/ubuntu/web-static/

Uploads: /home/ubuntu/uploads/

Logs: /var/log/gunicorn/

Benefit: Easy to change storage location

API Keys

Google Ads: API credentials

Google Search Console: Service account

Razorpay: Payment gateway keys

DeepSeek: AI API key

Storage: Loaded from JSON config file (not in code)

Benefit: Secure, environment-specific

Feature Flags

Modules enabled: ["manage", "RMM"] or ["web"]

Debug mode: True/False

Maintenance mode: True/False

Benefit: Toggle features without code changes

Timeouts and Limits

Session timeout: 30 days

Cookie max age: 30 days

Rate limits: Per endpoint

File upload limits: Per file type

Benefit: Consistent behavior across app

Benefits of Centralization

Consistency

Same info everywhere: Phone number same on all pages

No conflicts: Single source of truth

Brand consistency: Company name always formatted correctly

Maintainability

Update once: Change in one place

No search-replace: No hunting through code

Version control: Track changes in git

Testability

Mock easily: Override constants in tests

Environment-specific: Different values per environment

Validation: Validate once at startup

Security

No hardcoded secrets: API keys in config file

Environment variables: Sensitive data from env

Audit trail: Changes tracked in git

References

Technical Concepts

Related Articles

Summary

Global constants ensure consistency and maintainability:

Company info:

  • ✅ Names (full, short, tiny)

  • ✅ Addresses (Goa, Gurgaon)

  • ✅ Contact numbers (sales, support)

  • ✅ Email addresses (sales, support, info)

  • ✅ Legal info (CIN, registered address)

Configuration:

  • ✅ Currency symbols (10 currencies)

  • ✅ Supported languages (20 languages)

  • ✅ AWS resources (region, buckets, tables)

  • ✅ File paths (static, uploads, logs)

  • ✅ API keys (secure storage)

Benefits:

  • ✅ Consistency (same info everywhere)

  • ✅ Maintainability (update once)

  • ✅ Security (no hardcoded secrets)

  • ✅ Testability (easy mocking)

This centralized approach eliminates duplication and ensures consistency across the entire application.

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