Configuration values should be properly initialized and stay updated throughout their lifecycle. Follow these guidelines:

  1. Initialize configuration values immediately upon service creation, not just in change handlers: ```ts class ConfigurationAwareService { private _configValue: number;

constructor(@IConfigurationService configService: IConfigurationService) { // Initialize immediately this._configValue = configService.getValue(‘myConfig’);

// Listen for changes
this._register(configService.onDidChangeConfiguration(e => {
  if (e.affectsConfiguration('myConfig')) {
    this._configValue = configService.getValue('myConfig');
  }
}));   } } ```
  1. For frequently accessed configurations, cache the value and update via change events rather than querying on each use: ```ts // AVOID: Querying on each use getConfig() { return this.configService.getValue(‘myConfig’); }

// BETTER: Cache and update on changes private _cachedConfig = this.configService.getValue(‘myConfig’); getConfig() { return this._cachedConfig; } ```

  1. When handling configuration changes, use affectsConfiguration() to efficiently check if your configuration was modified before updating cached values.

  2. For services that depend on initial configuration state, ensure values are available before service initialization or handle the undefined case appropriately.