Since FME Desktop is a separate application, this means that whilst you've created a Resource Connection successfully on FME Server, FME Desktop doesn't know this definition so will display red when you point to the path using the macros $(). Therefore to use FME Server Resource Connections in FME Workbench you'll need to create a private parameter with the same name as the resource and you should then be able to create a workspace using this connection.

1. In the Navigator panel create a new private parameter give it the name of your Resource Connection. If you do not know the name you can find it in FME Server by selecting the Resource Folder and clicking Action > Properties and see the name

    

    

   

    

    

2. For the value of the parameter you can leave this blank, set it to the UNC path you used to create the connection, or a dummy local file path. Setting a value will simply allow you to run the workspace on FME Desktop while you are testing however when published to FME Server whatever value is stored there will then take precedence over the setting in Workbench just like with the other FME Server parameters.

    

    

3. Now this has been created you can reference this anywhere in your workbench. E.g. in a writer, if you want to write to a folder within this Resource it would be $(NewResourceConnection)/OutputFolderName/OutputFilePath.ext

    

    

   

    

    

4. If you gave this parameter a value, once it’s published to FME Server, we will ignore this and use the path specified when you created your Resource Connection in FME Server.

An enhancement request (FMEDESKTOP-10285) has been filed in support of adding your own FME Server Parameters, the advantage being these would need to be set up one time only as opposed to for every workspace you use these connections in.

Please add your vote and support comments to this idea: https://knowledge.safe.com/idea/113828/add-option-to-create-your-own-fme-server-parameter.html if this is something you would like to see.

Hello, Very helpful article, thanx. I just have a similar case.

I would like to use *.sde connection files I did store om my FME Server which is located in $(FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA)/SDEFiles on the server.

I did configured Server Paramater > FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA on the FME desktop as " " , which is the drive letter of the installation folder of my fme server.

Now, if i try to create a User parameter with Filename (Existing) type , however when I specify this $() path within Default Value Field it shows red! FME Desktop does not recognise this as an existing path.

this folder is also shared folder and i can reach it with an UNC path to the server machine.

Do you have any idea?

thank you, Ghavam

Hi @ghavam​ ,

Unfortunately it looks like you have encountered a bug with the Filename (Existing) User Parameter type. I have filed an issue with our team to request this fix (FMEDESKTOP-10624).

I'm sorry you encountered this issue, in the mean time I'd recommend changing the parameter Type to Filename (Multiple) which seems to accept the user parameters as a default value and should allow your workspace to perform in the same way.