Suggestion of API to make loading settings for GWM work well.

loading_settings.py

import os
import random
import string
from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured


def random_secret(n=20):
    "Create randomly selected character sequence."
    return "".join(random.sample(string.digits + string.printable, n))


def load_setting_env(envname):
    """Load specific envvar.  Raise ImproperlyConfigured if no such envvar is
    found."""
    try:
        return os.environ[envname]
    except KeyError:
        raise ImproperlyConfigured


def load_setting_file(filename, create=False):
    """Load specific file contents as a string.  Create first, in case it
    doesn't exists (and populate with random characters)."""
    if create:
        try:
            with open(filename, "w") as f:
                f.write(random_secret(20))
        except IOError:
            raise ImproperlyConfigured

    # read from file (contents get stripped)
    try:
        contents = ""
        with open(filename, "r") as f:
            contents = f.read()
        return contents.strip()
    except IOError:
        raise ImproperlyConfigured