IBuySpy Portal Question

[Sgt.Biz]

While looking through the IBuySpy portal code, I notice that they are putting the portalSettings into the context on each page request. I was just curious why they would do that. Maybe I just don't have the right idea of what the context is. Is the context something like an application variable? So, if I wanted to put some application settings for my app so that they are app vars, then I would use context? That is what I was thinking, but please correct me if I am wrong. I am getting ready to right my first real .net app, and I am making it so that it will need some functionality that is like a portal. Where each site/portal can have it's own colors etc... I was thinking that I would do it with the IBUY portal as a guide. So, I was gonna store each portals settings in the context. But I was only going to set the context on start, and when the portal settings are updated with the web admin pages. Anyone point me in any directions. Am I thinking about this in a good way, etc...?<BR><BR>Thanks.the context is, like you said, pretty much a way of storing application-wide data in the server's memory. so things like, background colors and the name of the site, etc. are probably okay to put into the context. i have no idea about performance hits but i'm sure they're pretty minimal. <BR><BR>to load data into the context when the application starts, i'd look at using global.asax and the Application_Start routine. <BR><BR>good luck!<BR><BR>../n1ck/