(Eclipse) How do I package third party plugins with my feature?

Question

MyFeature consists of plugins a, b and c which depend on a third-party plugin d. How do I package MyFeature such that

1. It contains d and can install it if it doesn't exist in the target workbench
2. My plugins a, b and c can refer to a specific version of d even if higher or lower versions exist in the workbench
3. The dependency requirements of d be met if it is about to be installed

P.S. I realize some of the above may not be possible. I am just stating my current problem as I see it and if there's a better way that I am completely missing

Answer 1

All what you need is easily done. Your a,b,c plugins can depend on exact version of d. Eclipse plugin development tools allow you to set this.

Plugin 'd' should be on your update site, next to your plugins. Your feature should explicitely declare that it consist of a, b, c and d. If 'd' needs more plugins, it would be best if you also provide them on your update site (and your feature can then include them too).

PDEBuild (ant scripts for headless building of eclipse plugins) supports extracting/repackaging of 3rd party plugins, so you can use this to prepare your feature.