Tutorial

An Eclipse feature project contains features. A feature has a name, version number and a software license and summarize a list of plug-ins and other features which can be understood as a logical unit.

A feature is described via a "feature.xml" file in the Eclipse feature project.

Features are used for the Eclipse update manager, the build process and optionally for the definition of Eclipse products. Features can also be used as the basis for a launch configuration.

Eclipse provides several predefined features, e.g. org.eclipse.rcp for Eclipse 3.x based RCP applications or org.eclipse.e4.rcp for Eclipse 4.x based RCP applications.

You can create a new feature project via the following menu path. File → New → Other → Plug-in Development → Feature Project .

If you open the "feature.xml" you can change the feature properties via a special editor.

The tab "Plug-ins" allows you to change the included plug-ins in the feature.

The "feature.xml" file is a simple text file. For example the "feature.xml" file might look like the following in a text editor.

			
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<feature
      id="de.vogella.featuretest.feature"
      label="Feature"
      version="1.0.0.qualifier">

   <description url="http://www.example.com/description">
      [Enter Feature Description here.]
   </description>

   <copyright url="http://www.example.com/copyright">
      [Enter Copyright Description here.]
   </copyright>

   <license url="http://www.example.com/license">
      [Enter License Description here.]
   </license>

   <plugin
         id="de.vogella.featuretest.testplugin"
         download-size="0"
         install-size="0"
         version="0.0.0"
         unpack="false"/>

</feature>

		

A fragment project is always defined for a host project. At runtime the fragment project is merged with its host project and for the runtime both projects are just one.

Fragments are always optional for their host plug-in.

Fragments are typical used for containing the tests. This ways the tests can access the host plug-in classes, even if the host plug-in does not define them as external API. Sometimes tests are also contained in normal plug-ins, in this case they can only test the external API for other plug-ins.

Another typical usage of fragments are translations. A new translation can be contributed to a plug-in via a fragment project.

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