import questions-- what do you use it for?

[Chip Seraphine]

I'm attempting to use cfengine's import: feature to handle order of 
operations issues, and I am wondering if I am going against the grain 
here.    All the (few) examples I can find use import: to simply break 
up the file, e.g. putting class definitions in a seperate file in order 
to keep the main conf file smaller.

I have a situation where I need to run a shell command, edit a file, 
then run another command-- all in the same cfengine run since outside 
processes write to the same file from time to time.  (Don't worry about 
the peripheral locking issues.)  I am approaching this by having my main 
cfagent.conf file run the first shell command (in the shellcommands: 
area), then import a nother file which looks like this:

--
control:
   actionsequence = ( editfiles shellcommands)

editfiles:
   # fix up file

shellcommands
   # run shell command
--

I am having a lot of wierdness in this, including some editfiles 
directives simply not working the way they should (and do in the top 
level file).  As far as I can tell, nobody else is seeing this problem 
and I am wondering if I am simply Not Supposed To Be Doing This?  Is 
having a file with (for instance) an editfiles: section import another 
file with an editfiles: section bad?  Am I only supposed to be using 
these things for breaking up a conf?

thanks,

-Chip