How to use conf file in passive content ?

[forester404]

Hello
We are developing an application that requires different
configurations for different clients. we don't want to
go through the certification process for each different configuration, so we want to retest only the different configuration files as passive content, packed as embedded
.SIS inside the active application.
My question: how can the active application read configuration
file from the embedded .SIS ?
If we want the configuration file to be installed under private
folder (and we do) - Then the active application will not be able
to read files under different UID, and OTOH, the passive content will not be able to install files under private UID of the
active application,
is this correct ? any ideas (I am sure this quite a common scenario)
Thank you very much.

[wizard_hu_]

You can do it in the opposite direction: try embeding the tested-signed package into a self-signed configuration package. Note that you can deploy files to other applications \private\<SID>\import folder (in the way you deploy the _reg.rsc files to \private\10003a3f\import). You can make sure that \private\<SID>\import exists via deploying some dummy file there in the application-package.
Installation order may still cause some problems (you have to make sure that the app gets installed first, otherwise the config files cannot be deployed).

[forester404]

You can do it in the opposite direction: try embeding the tested-signed package into a self-signed configuration package. Note that you can deploy files to other applications \private\<SID>\import folder (in the way you deploy the _reg.rsc files to \private\10003a3f\import). You can make sure that \private\<SID>\import exists via deploying some dummy file there in the application-package.
Installation order may still cause some problems (you have to make sure that the app gets installed first, otherwise the config files cannot be deployed).

but if I embed the signed sis inside the self signed - than the
passive content will not passive anymore, will it ?
besides, I didn't understand how this solves the problem
(I did understand the second part of your answer, which seem
to give a solution in the original direction (passive content
embedded) - is this correct ?

Thank you for the reply

[nigel.brown]

We face a similar problem, and embedding a different config in an already tested app isn't very good because to get it fully signed, the test house will insist on retesting the app again so that they can make lots of money.

How are you deploying your app?
If you are downloading it via the web, then you could also start a download of the config file and use a recognizer to import it into your private directory. You can recognize it via the name or the content of the file if it has some sort of signature.

[forester404]

yeah, we did think about similar solution, but decided
to use config files on installation (and not configure
settings remotely),
and this way you don't have to sign again the executable part
of the application if it doesn't change, and it costs much less.
We are just not really sure what is the way to do it, whether to embed the passive into the active, or the other way around,
we can't get our hands on any decent documentation - a simple
example would do, but we can't find any...

[nigel.brown]

We found that Cap Gemini would charge us for a full test every time we changed the sis, even for a one line config change.
We thought it a little mad, but they insisted. We have spent thousands on this, hence the web deploy.
Please let me know if they let you embed the app in a config sis like this without charging for a full retest.