Defines an interface for obtaining objects needed to configure applications, such as {@link Exporter} or {@link ProxyPreparer} instances, or otherapplication-specific objects, from configuration files, databases, or other sources. Configuration entries are identified by a
component
and a
name
. Methods that retrieve entries can specify a default value to return in case the entry is not found, and supply data to use when computing the value of the entry.
Application developers are encouraged to use this interface, rather than explicitly constructing instances of exporters and proxy preparers, so that applications can be customized without requiring code modifications. Applications should normally use {@link ConfigurationProvider} to obtain Configuration
instances,rather than referencing implementation classes directly, so that the interpretation of configuration options can be customized without requiring code modifications.
@author Sun Microsystems, Inc.
@since 2.0