psString psMetadataConfigFormat(psMetadata *md)
{
    PS_ASSERT_PTR_NON_NULL(md, NULL);

    psString mdString = NULL;
    psString content = NULL;

    psMetadataItem *item = NULL;
    psMetadataIterator *iter = psMetadataIteratorAlloc(md, PS_LIST_HEAD, NULL);

    while ( (item = psMetadataGetAndIncrement(iter)) ) {
        if (item == NULL) {
	    // XXX : this is probably not the right error value
            psError(PS_ERR_BAD_PARAMETER_VALUE, true, PS_ERRORTEXT_psMetadata_METATYPE_INVALID, PS_DATA_UNKNOWN);
            psFree(iter);
	    return NULL;
        }

	// In this block, the single item is used to build 'content'
        switch (item->type) {
	  case PS_DATA_BOOL:
	    psStringAppend (&content, "%s BOOL  ", item->name);
            if ( item->data.B ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, "TRUE");
	    } else {
                psStringAppend(&content, "FALSE");
	    }
            if ( item->comment != NULL ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, " #%s", item->comment);
	    }
	    psStringAppend(&content, " \n", item->comment);
            break;
	  case PS_DATA_S32:
	    psStringAppend(&content, "%s S32  ", item->name);
            psStringAppend(&content, "%d ", item->data.S32);
            if ( strncmp(item->comment,"",2) ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, " #%s", item->comment);
            }
	    psStringAppend(&content, " \n");
            break;
	  case PS_DATA_F32:
            psStringAppend(&content, "%s F32  ", item->name);
            psStringAppend(&content, "%22.15g ", item->data.F32);
            if ( strncmp(item->comment,"",2) ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, " #%s", item->comment);
            }
	    psStringAppend(&content, " \n");
            break;
	  case PS_DATA_F64:
            psStringAppend(&content, "%s F64  ", item->name);
            psStringAppend(&content, "%22.15g ", item->data.F64);
            if ( strncmp(item->comment,"",2) ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, " #%s", item->comment);
            }
	    psStringAppend(&content, " \n");
            break;
	  case PS_DATA_STRING:
            psStringAppend(&content, "%s STR  ", item->name);
            psStringAppend(&content, "%s ", ((char *)(item->data.V)));
            if ( strncmp(item->comment,"",2) ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, " #%s", item->comment);
            }
	    psStringAppend(&content, " \n");
            break;
	  case PS_DATA_METADATA:
            psStringAppend(&content, "\n%s  METADATA  ", item->name);
            psString newStr = psMetadataConfigFormat(item->data.md);
	    // XXX need to check for NULL return value, implying error 
	    //     from a lower level

	    // add 3 extra spaces to each metadata folder item
            char *buffer2 = strtok(newStr, "\n");
            while( buffer2 != NULL ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, "\n   %s", buffer2);
                buffer2 = strtok(NULL, "\n");
            }
            if ( strncmp(item->comment,"",2) ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, "\nEND   #%s\n\n", item->comment);
            } else {
                psStringAppend(&content, "\nEND\n\n");
            }
            psFree(newStr);
            break;
	  case PS_DATA_TIME:
            psStringAppend(&content, "%s ", item->name);
	    psTime *time = item->data.V;
            if ( time->type == PS_TIME_UTC )
                psStringAppend(&content, "PS_TIME_UTC  ");
            else if ( time->type == PS_TIME_TAI )
                psStringAppend(&content, "PS_TIME_TAI  ");
            else if ( time->type == PS_TIME_UT1 )
                psStringAppend(&content, "PS_TIME_UT1  ");
            else if ( time->type == PS_TIME_TT )
                psStringAppend(&content, "PS_TIME_TT  ");
            else {
                psError(PS_ERR_BAD_PARAMETER_VALUE, true, PS_ERRORTEXT_psMetadata_METATYPE_INVALID, time->type);
		// XXX memory leak: should free content and mdString before returning
                psFree(iter);
                return NULL;
            }

            psStringAppend(&content, "%ld, ", (long)time->sec);
            psStringAppend(&content, "%u, ", time->nsec);
            if ( time->leapsecond )
                psStringAppend(&content, "T ");
            else
                psStringAppend(&content, "F ");
            if ( strncmp(item->comment,"",2) ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, " #%s", item->comment);
            }
	    psStringAppend(&content, " \n");
            break;
	  case PS_DATA_VECTOR:
            psStringAppend(&content, "@%s ", item->name);
	    psVector *vector = item->data.V;

            switch (vector->type.type) {
	      case PS_DATA_S32:
                psStringAppend(&content, "S32 ");
                for (int i = 0; i < vector->n; i++) {
                    psStringAppend(&content, "%d ", vector->data.S32[i]);
                }
                break;
	      case PS_DATA_F32:
                psStringAppend(&content, "F32 ", MAXSTR);
                for (int i = 0; i < vector->n; i++) {
                    psStringAppend(&content, "%f ", vector->data.F32[i]);
                }
                break;
	      case PS_DATA_F64:
                psStringAppend(&content, "F64 ", MAXSTR);
                for (int i = 0; i < vector->n; i++) {
                    psStringAppend(&content, "%lf", vector->data.F64[i]);
                }
                break;
	      case PS_DATA_UNKNOWN:
	      default:
                psError(PS_ERR_BAD_PARAMETER_VALUE, true,
                        PS_ERRORTEXT_psMetadata_METATYPE_INVALID, vector->type.type);
                psFree(iter);
		// XXX memory leak: should free content and mdString before returning
                return NULL;
            }
            if ( strncmp(item->comment,"",2) ) {
                psStringAppend(&content, " #%s", item->comment);
            }
	    psStringAppend(&content, " \n");
            break;
	  case PS_DATA_UNKNOWN:
	  default:
            psError(PS_ERR_BAD_PARAMETER_VALUE, true,
                    PS_ERRORTEXT_psMetadata_METATYPE_INVALID, item->type);
            psFree(iter);
	    // XXX memory leak: should free content and mdString before returning
            return NULL;
        }
	psStringAppend(&mdString, content);
	psFree(content);
	content = NULL;
    }
    psFree(iter);
    return mdString;
}