Overview: Sharing project resources
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There are two was we can share the project resources among developers: Create or install a WebSphere Portlet Factory Archive file (most common) or create or install a Portlet factory Feature Set.
Archive File Versus Feature Set
An archive file is a special Zip file created using the Portlet Factory Export / Import Wizard. This wizard is integrated into the File | Export... Import... menu in the Designer. An archive provides a way for you to collect and distribute project components.
When you create a Factory package you manually collect the various project components that comprise an application. When you install a package all the files are placed in the proper locations within the WebApp project.
Feature Sets offer a mechanism for you to install and use large units of functionality. For example, the Factory Lotus Collaboration Extension and SAP Extension are available as Feature Sets. A Feature Set is constructed using command-line driven operations. The benefit a Feature Set provides is that it can be included for selection in the Install Feature Sets page of the New Project Wizard. However, unless you intend to make the functionality encapsulated in a Feature Set available to an end user, there is no benefit to distributing project resources as a Feature Set.