Features are the unsung hero of Eclipse -- they are important because they are the unit of Eclipse configuration management, they support product branding, and they are part of how products build customized solutions on top of the Eclipse Platform. If you want to develop plug-ins to share with others, learning to using features effectively is essential. This article offers suggestions on how to structure features and optimize your use of the Plug-in Development Environment's support for building features and plug-ins, as well as advanced techniques for customizing the behavior of Eclipse.