  In this contribution I discuss a recent proposal of a novel action for
lattice gauge theory for finite systems, which accommodates non-periodic
spatial boundary conditions. Drawing on the summation-by-parts formulation of
finite differences and finite volume strategies of computational
electrodynamics, an action is constructed that implements the proper integral
form of Gauss' law and exhibits an inherently symmetric energy momentum tensor,
all while realizing automatic ${\cal O}(a)$ improvement. Its central
ingredients are illustrated using Abelian gauge theory as example.
