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B
Appendix
BConfiguration Profile Format

This appendix specifies the format of mobileconfig files for

those who want to create their own tools.

This document assumes that you’re familiar with the Apple XML DTD and the general
property list format. A general description of the Apple plist format is available at
www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd.
This document uses the terms payload and profile. A profile is the whole file which
configures certain (single or multiple) settings on iPhone or iPod touch. A payload is an
individual component of the profile file.

Root Level

At the root level, the configuration file is a dictionary with the following key/value
pairs:
Key Value
PayloadVersion Number, mandatory. The version of the whole configuration
profile file. This version number designates the format of the
whole profile, not the individual payloads.
PayloadUUID String, mandatory. This is usually a synthetically generated
unique identifier string. The exact content of this string is
irrelevant; however, it must be globally unique.
PayloadType String, mandatory. Currently, only “Configuration” is a valid value
for this key.
PayloadOrganization String, optional. This value describes the issuing organization of
the profile, as displayed to the user.
PayloadIdentifier String, mandatory. This value is by convention a dot-delimited
string uniquely describing the profile, such as
“com.myCorp.iPhone.mailSettings” or
“edu.myCollege.students.vpn”. This is the string by which profiles
are differentiated—if a profile
is installed which matches the identifier of another profile,
it overrides it (instead of being added).