title: How to use Apache Commons Configuration for our hierarchical organized config file?
body: <p>I have to evaluate, <em>how to use</em> <strong>Apache Commons Configuration</strong> <em>for our configuration structure</em>. </p>
  
  <p>I only find how to handle hierarchical structuring for configurations that comes from within 1 file. But how can I handle hierarchical structures like shown in the two screen. </p>
  
  <p>I have numerous configuration files stored in an increasing number of subdirectories. You can see a minimized example in the folder structure screen
  folder structure </p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y47wJ.jpg" alt="folder structure"></p>
  
  <p>Each subdirectory contains files of the same configuration type and each file contains hierarchical organized information. </p>
  
  <p>The number of configuration types will increase in the near future and may increase on the long hall even more</p>
  
  <p>The directory  will contain at the moment round about 100 files. Each file represents information for one customer. </p>
  
  <p>To have the configuration provided in files structured by the file system is chosen for a good number of reasons, and to explain them here would go far off topic.</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2sre6.jpg" alt="Screen of the hierarchical structure of the configuration"></p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>root means root directory </li>
  <li>provider, and customer are subdirectories of the root dir </li>
  <li>elkconfiguration is a configuration stored in the root dir </li>
  <li>the next level are files like e.g. swiss or customerB </li>
  <li>the next levels is configured within files</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>To have the configuration in files and use the file system to structure them as a tree is set for a good number of reason. To explain these reasons would go off-topic. What is not set yet, is Apache Common Configuration. If there is open source, that suites our needs better, than I am happy to hear your advise. </p>