Method for configuring a data formatting process using configuration values of a highest priority for each of a number of configuration keys storing in several configuration layers

1. A computer-implemented method for configuring a data formatting process, comprising:

accessing, in a configuration file or in-memory configuration tree, one or more data structures that define associations between a plurality of configuration keys and a plurality of configuration values, and retrieving a highest priority configuration value for each of the plurality of configuration keys, wherein the configuration values are stored in one or more of a plurality of configuration layers, wherein each of the configuration layers confers a priority to the configuration values stored therein, and wherein configuration values for at least some of the configuration keys are simultaneously specifiable in multiple ones of the configuration layers; and

configuring a data formatting process of a computer in accord with the retrieved configuration values for the configuration keys.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration layers include a default layer, a test system layer and a device under test (DUT) layer, and wherein the default layer has a lower priority than the test system layer and the DUT layer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the test system layer has a lower priority than the DUT layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration layers include a default layer having a lowest priority of the configuration layers, the default layer storing a configuration value for each of the configuration keys.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data formatting process is a test data formatting process.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data formatting process is a system-on-a-chip (SOC) test data formatting process.

7. Apparatus for configuring a data formatting process, comprising:

computer readable media; and

computer readable code, stored on the computer readable media, including,

code to access one or more data structures that define associations between a plurality of configuration keys and a plurality of configuration values, and retrieving a highest priority configuration value for each of the plurality of configuration keys, wherein the configuration values are stored in one or more of a plurality of configuration layers, wherein each of the configuration layers confers a priority to the configuration values stored therein, and wherein configuration values for at least some of the configuration keys are simultaneously specifiable in multiple ones of the configuration layers; and

code to configure a data formatting process in accord with the retrieved configuration values for the configuration keys.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the configuration layers include a default layer, a test system layer and a device under test (DUT) layer, and wherein the default layer has a lower priority than the test system layer and the DUT layer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the test system layer has a lower priority than the DUT layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the configuration layers include a default layer having a lowest priority of the configuration layers, the default layer storing a configuration value for each of the configuration keys.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the configuration keys are tree structures.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the data formatting process is a test data formatting process.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the data formatting process is a system-on-a-chip (SOC) test data formatting process.

14. Apparatus for configuring a data formatting process, comprising:

computer readable media; and

computer readable code, stored on the computer readable media, including,

code defining a data formatting process;

code defining one or more data structures for storing configuration values for the data formatting process, wherein the configuration values correspond to a plurality of configuration keys, wherein the configuration values are stored in one or more of a plurality of configuration layers, wherein each of the configuration layers confers a priority to the configuration values stored therein, and wherein configuration values for at least some of the configuration keys are simultaneously specifiable in multiple ones of the configuration layers;

code to access the data structure and retrieve a highest priority configuration value for each of the plurality of configuration keys; and

code to configure the data formatting process in accord with the retrieved configuration values for the configuration keys.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the configuration layers include a default layer, a test system layer and a device under test (DUT) layer, and wherein the default layer has a lower priority than the test system layer and the DUT layer.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the test system layer has a lower priority than the DUT layer.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein configuration values stored in the default layer are not user-specifiable, and wherein at least some configuration values stored in configuration layers other than the default layer are user-specifiable.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the configuration layers include a default layer having a lowest priority of the configuration layers, the default layer storing a configuration value for each of the configuration keys.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the configuration keys are tree structures.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein all of the configuration keys are branches of a single configuration tree structure.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the configuration keys are defined by nodes of a deque.

22. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the computer readable code further comprises code defining a user interface to receive said configuration values.

23. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the data formatting process is a test data formatting process.

24. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the data formatting process is a system-on-a-chip (SOC) test data formatting process.