Best Practices for 'changing' config files?

System

DevNetters -
We've got a couple of file types that need a different version for each environment that they are deployed to, and we're looking for some advice on how to best handle them in a TeamSite / OpenDeploy environment.

For example:
There's a file named config.xml. This config.xml file needs to be deployed with each update of a particular site's contents. The config.xml file needs to be tailored specifically for each environment that an update is applied to. So if we move through a DEV > QA > STAGING > PROD update life cycle, that's 4 different version of config.xml.

Some options to handle this are:
- Keep a version of config.xml for each potential environment and attach all the needed versions of the file to a workflow and have the workflow / deployment process somehow deploy the correct version per environment.
- Keep a single version of config.xml and somewhere else keep the environment-specific info needed for config.xml. Once again, have the workflow / deployment process modify the config.xml file per environment.
- Other?? need your input here.

It should be noted that we don't always know the deployment target(s) for the assets at the time a workflow is instantiated.

And it would be optimal if we can come up with a more 'framework' generic solution here rather than coding to each occurrence that arises.

Experiences? Advice? Dig deep. All responses are much appreciated!

Wally Box
Nike, Inc.

mart2001

I know of a client that does the option 1. They have a version for each environment, and stored it in various directories called dev, qa, stage, and prod. Once the workflow picks up the config file, it will also pick up the directory and know which environment to send the config file.