## Product Configuration

The RCP product export story is based on a .product file. This file contains all the data necessary to build a plugin-based or a feature-based product. Note that this file is a development-time artefact used by PDE only. It is NOT read or interpreted by the runtime and must/should not be included in the product being built.

To create a product configuration, select File > New... > File > Product Configuration.

The only restriction is that the file extension be .product. Otherwise, the product configuration could be place in any folder, in any project in the workspace.

To initialize the configuration, you have three options:

1. Create a configuration file with basic settings: This option should be chosen when the user does not even know what a product is or if the user has not yet declared a product extension in his plug-in.
2. Use an existing product to initialize the file: This option should be chosen if you already have a plugin declaring a product extension. With this option, PDE will pre-populate the product configuration with as much data as possible given your product declaration.
3. Use a launch configuration: This optionn should be chosen if you have been testing your plug-in with an Eclipse application launch configuration that is filled with custom settings, and you want all those settings to get carried over to the product configuration.

In our RCP mail example, we already have a product defined: com.example.xyz.product. So the second option is best. Select it and press Finish.