Support abstract configuration management interface

[francois-normandin]

A common feature that we reimplement in any framework is configuration management. To keep a lightweight base class and maximum flexibility, add a configuration management interface for which developers can inject their own configuration manager class.

Features of the configuration management implementation should be:

• virtual class
• dependency injectable
• automatic injection of configuration manager into dependencies (inheritance through composition)
• support multiple configuration managers (collection of managers)
• unit testability
• choice of overriding parent implementation at every subsystem level
• work for byVal and byRef designs
• framework should not force developers to a file type or prevent the use of any type of database, whether local or remote.

Are there more requirements that are "must-have"?

[francois-normandin]

Dependency injectable CfgManager class is in the develop branch. Hierarchy includes a Cache class (for in-memory cfg data management) and a Collection class (for aggregating multiple CfgManagers.

On Read, Collection is inspected from top to bottom until every key-pair values are found

• Not completely virtual: Cache class implements functionality of key-value pair management (without persistency).
• Dependency injectable. In SMO, that meant a new public constructor: "Create SMO (Configurable).vi"
• Automatic injection of cfgManager is done through propagation of inherited attributes to owned classes (along the composition tree)
• Collection merges new cfgManagers added by composition. Will keep a unique Cache instance.
• Cache instance is a singleton (per application instance)

Still to be added:

• Public API for accessing SMO Configuration Data through a simple Variant input.
• Protected methods for accessing low-level CfgManager at the SMO base class level.
• Examples on how to use the configuration management with SMOs.

[francois-normandin]

• Public API for accessing SMO Configuration Data through simple Variant interface is done.
• Protected Methods for low-level base class access done.

This feature is integrated in Develop branch and should be ready for 1.4.0 after examples are created and unit tests are written. Apply VIPC file if testing the dev branch as there is a new dependency on the Configuration Manager for the SMO project.

[francois-normandin]

This feature is being removed from 1.4 release path. The configuration management feature is taken out of base package