Adds configuration file reader utility

Introduces a function to read and parse configuration settings from a JSON file. Handles errors gracefully with exception handling to ensure reliability.

Facilitates centralized management of configuration settings.

configuration.py

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+
+import json
+import os
+
+def read_configurations():
+    """
+    Reads the configuration settings from a JSON file named 'pyvtt.settings.json' 
+    located in the same directory as the script.
+
+    Returns:
+        dict: The configuration settings loaded from the JSON file.
+
+    Raises:
+        Exception: If there is an error reading or parsing the JSON file, 
+                   an exception is raised with the error details.
+    """
+    script_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
+    settings_path = os.path.join(script_dir, "pyvtt.settings.json")
+    try:
+        with open(settings_path) as f:
+            return json.load(f)
+    except Exception as e:
+        print(f"Error reading configurations: {e}")
+        raise Exception(f"Error reading configurations: {e}")