htaccess Elite

Hi everybody, i am new to this forum.

I am also fairly new to the .htaccess file concept.
I have a problem and need help.

Using php, i am building a small web application. I need to store application configuration data in a file in a separate folder.
Exemple: apps/configs/data.php

I need to have access to theses files for php code (php must be able to read/write, etc.)
but i do not want them to be available if someone type the url in the browser.

Is it possible and can i do that with .htaccess?