Regarding putting configuration information in a config file, you can use the [ServiceName].exe.config files and then access the settings just using the .Net configuration API (System.Configuration.ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["settingName"]). You could of course also use the .Net configuration API to mount your own configuration file, or indeed just use the Xml classes – you can access the SmartsIntegrator installation folder using System.AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory.
We could add a simpler configuration API and possible GUI, to allow system settings to be defined in the Explorer and then accessed from VSTA code directly – do you think this would be useful?
Ben Jackson
SmartsIntegrator Technical Support