sub read_configuration_file {

# Open and read configuration file specified as first passed parameter 
# $_[0]. Return the contents of the file as the hash array %config_param.
# Lines beginning with "#" are treated as comments.  It is assumed
# that the indirect file contains lines as

# Modified February 26, 2003.  Remove leading and trailing spaces for
# the key and value, but don't remove all spaces.

#	parameter := value

# and this information is stored as 

#	$config_param{"parameter"} = value

my $filename = $_[0];
my ($parameter, $value);

#print STDOUT ("#**debug, indirect filename=$filename\n");

unless (defined $filename ) {
	&sendmessage ($error,
		"Could not open configuration file",
		"File name not specified.  Cannot continue.");
	exit;
}
unless (open CONFIG_FILE, $filename) {
	&sendmessage ($error,
		"Could not open configuration file=$filename",
		"Error code=$!.  Cannot continue.");
	exit;
}
while (<CONFIG_FILE>) {
	chomp;
	
	if (m/^#/) { next;}
	unless ( m/\S+/ ) {next;}
	unless ( m/:=/ ) {
		&sendmessage ($warning,
			"No :equal sign in line of config file=$filename",
			"Line is=$_");
		next;
	}
#	print STDOUT ("***debug, config input line=$_\n");
	($parameter, $value) = split /:=/;
	$parameter =~ s/^\s+//;
	$parameter =~ s/\s+$//;
	$value =~ s/^\s+//;
	$value =~ s/\s+$//;
	$config_param{$parameter} = $value;
#	print STDOUT ("#**debug, config_param{$parameter}=",
#		$config_param{$parameter}, "\n");
}
close CONFIG_FILE;

}
1;