getting value from struts.properties in action class

[Windy Hung]

Hi
 I set 
"struts.multipart.saveDir=c:\\test-tmp" in my struts.properties. The setting is 
for file uploading.
And I would like to check if the directory exists during file loading in my 
action class.

Is there any easy way to get value out from struts.properties instead of using 
getClass().getResourceAsStream("struts.properties");

And when is the best time to check if the directory exits? Do I do the checking 
in Interceptor instead of execute() in action class?

Thanks

Windy Hung