[platform-update-dev] Using pde to build a feature and the associated br

[Pat McCarthy <patmc@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I guess this will just add to the problem/issue of overloading plug-ins
with information about a feature.

Working up an education topic on using PDE to take plug-ins, build them
using the ant support, defining features to support update manager
processing for install and so on.  Structure is:

Step 1. Generate JAR files for selected plug-ins
Step 2. Package the function provided by your plug-ins as a feature
Step 3. Define product and feature branding for your function
Step 4. Package Feature
Step 4. Implement an installed product
Step 5. Install a new feature as an extension to an existing product
Step 6. Create feature and plug-in archives
Step 7. Implement an update site
Step 8. Add a feature to an existing product configuration
Step 8. Deploy and deliver service for an installed feature

I've started to work through the feature branding bit and was
considering if I should provide a plugin project with branding or have
them build it themselves.  Either way I seem to be stuck.

To be the "branding plug-in" for a feature it must be a plug-in with the
same id as the feature.  Given the default of having plug-in and feature
projects be created such that the dir name is the id - I can't have both
in my workspace.

Playing a bit with a branding plug-in project of name x.y.z.brand and
hacking the plugin id back to x.y.z.
That will get me over the dir name issue.  But first pass packaging as
run by ant - i tossed the source.brand.jar = src/ entry - no runtime jar
rqrd, given it is only a branding plugin....  But, if this entry is not
there - the pkging task won't do anything.

Thoughts on either? (dir/id issue or pkging only working when a runtime
jar is requested?)

Pat Mc.