## Welcome

Welcome (also referred to as Intro) support is a set of extension points and workbench parts that allow plug-ins to define specialized pages that introduce a platform product to new users. These extension points can be used to create the "Initial User Experience" of the product in the form of welcome pages. Welcome pages are intended to guide users into discovering a product's functionality. They are typically shown the first time a product is started. They can be anything from a single page displaying a Macromedia Flash demo, to multiple pages that are extensible and follow the Eclipse platform's pluggable architecture.

Intro support is typically configured at the product level, although individual plug-ins can contribute intro information to known product intro configurations.

From a workbench point of view, the root of the intro support is in the intro part. This part is specified in an extension definition. When the workbench initializes, it creates an intro site that reserves space for the intro page. The intro part implementation for the site is determined using product configuration information. Once an intro part is shown, it can move between two modes:

- in full mode, the intro part takes over the main workbench area.
- in standby mode, the intro part moves to the side, allowing the current perspective to remain visible.

Once an intro part is established, it must be configured with intro information. This is done using an intro config which is also contributed using an extension. Individual plug-ins can add to the basic product intro config using their own extensions.

We'll look at the platform SDK intro page as an example in order to better understand these concepts.