Sometimes it is useful to define a configuration key/value set for reuse, but the strict parent-child inheritance model is awkward. Under these circumstances, the explicit inheritance often solves the issue at hand. With explicit inheritance, a configuration can inherit from another named node elsewhere in the configuration.

The <config /> stanzas can be identified, as is typical in XML, with the "id" attribute: <config id="sample" />. Additionally, any config may explicitly specify that it inherits from a named config by specifying the "inherit" attribute.

Any <config />, A, which has the "inherit" attribute will first inherit from its most direct parent, then supplement/replace those key/values with the configuration whose "id" attribute matches the "inherit" attribute of A, and finally supplement/replace those key/values with key/values directly beneath A. The entire tree is searched for a node whose "id" matches A's "inherit" attribute.

  <config name="A">
    <key1>a</key1>
    <key2>b</key2>
    <key3>c</key3>
    <config name="C" inherit="bob">
      <key1>AAA</key1>
      <key4>DDD</key4>
    </config>
  </config>
  <x>
    <y>
      <z>
        <config name="B" id="bob">
          <key2>bobB</key2>
          <key5>bobE</key5>
        </config>
      </z>
    </y>
  </x>

The config named "A" contains:

The config named "C" contains:

It should be noted hat all config's include the one named "B" above follows this same inheritance model.