How to configure a block.xml file in <merlin-home>/repository/myapp to use config.xml (like james) ?

When you lauch merlin from the command line you can include a supplimentary -config parameter. The parameter is a url to a configuration file. The configuration file contains configuration fragments that override/suppliment the packaged confiugurations inside .xconfig, .xprofile and block.xml definitions. The configuation file contains a set of tagged configuration targets. Each target is tagged with the path of the component is is qualifying.

For example - if you have a block containing the BankProvider component under a name "bank" - you can declare a target with the path "bank" and that target configuration fragment will be applied as the parent in a cascading configuration that is composed of the following sequence of parent/child configurations:

• target with name "whatever"

• block.xml <component><configuration> for component "whatever"

• profile.xml for the componet type reference in the

  <component type="MyComponent"> 

• xconfig.xml for the component type

If your using ested containers, then its basically the same except you target name reflects the path to the componet:

{{{ <target name="my-subcontainer/my-component">

• <configuration>

  • <!-- whatever -->

  </configuration>

• </target> }}}

Merlin includes excalibur-configuration, is-it possible to merge some configuration (if yes how) ?

All of the above uses the cascading configuration model which means that the merging of static, template (profile), directive (block.xml) and override (target) configurations are already handled automatically for you by Merlin.