code: public static byte getPropertyAsByte(final String name, final byte defaultValue) {
          if (PropertiesManager.props == null) loadProps();
          byte returnValue = defaultValue;
          try {
              returnValue = getPropertyAsByte(name);
          } catch (Throwable t) {
              log.error(
                      "Could not retrieve or parse as byte property ["
                              + name
                              + "], defaulting to ["
                              + defaultValue
                              + "]",
                      t);
          }
          return returnValue;
      }
docs: Get the value of the given property as a byte, specifying a fallback default value. If for
  any reason we are unable to lookup the desired property, this method returns the supplied
  default value. This error handling behavior makes this method suitable for calling from
  static initializers.
  
  @param name - the name of the property to be accessed
  @param defaultValue - the default value that will be returned in the event of any error
  @return the looked up property value, or the defaultValue if any problem.
  @since 2.4