1. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a processor implement a reader configured to read a binary file storing a plurality of nested objects, each of the nested objects storing a content type indicator, a size indicator, and information for configuring a virtual application during an initialization process, the reader being configured to: decide whether to read a particular object of the plurality of nested objects based on the content type indicator of the particular object; if the reader decides not to read the particular object, store a location of the particular object in a data structure of the virtual application for subsequent reading by the reader, wherein the location of the particular object stored in the data structure of the virtual application is a location of the size indicator; receive a request to read the particular object after the reader has stored the location of the size indicator of the particular object in the data structure of the virtual application; in response to the request, obtain the location of the size indicator from the data structure of the virtual application and read the size indicator stored at the location; identify an end location of the particular object as a function of the location and the size indicator read from the location; identify a format associated with the particular object, the format comprising a plurality of data items arranged in a predetermined order; if the particular object includes the plurality of data items arranged in the predetermined order, read the plurality of data items in the predetermined order from the particular object; if the particular object includes fewer than all of the plurality of data items, read the data items included in the particular object, and assign default values to data items not read from the particular object; and if the particular object includes one or more additional data items positioned after the plurality of data items, after reading the plurality of data items in the predetermined order from the particular object, advance to the end location of the particular object thereby skipping the one or more additional data items positioned after the plurality of data items.