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Deployment parameters and external actions in automations

  • 5 June 2024
  • 4 replies
  • 33 views

FME Flow 2023.2.2.

We are modifying most of our workspaces and automations to take advantage of deployment parameters but we are finding some difficulties to fully use them inside automations.

As an example, we often write data to SFTP directories both inside workspaces and automations. FTPCaller URL, user and password can easily be configured through deployment parameters but I can’t see how to use deployment params to configure SFTP Directory external action host, port, user and password. Is there any trick to do so?

If there’s no possibility to do so we’ll have to rebuild a number of workflows to write data to SFTP together with other related actions inside workspaces instead and I’d prefer to keep the SFTP Directory actions and error control inside the automations as they make the whole thing more graphic and manageable. 

4 replies

Userlevel 2
Badge +5

Hi @dms2 

Thank you for your post!

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s possible to configure SFTP Directory external actions to use the deployment parameters for those fields.  It can be used to set the last three components of the action (the paths), but not the earlier info (port, username, etc.).

I am going to file something with our team for this, but I would also encourage you to create an Idea in our community, as this will help gather community interest and our development team use that to help guide development of features!

 

Userlevel 2
Badge +25

I’ve used this method to facilitate common “deployment” parameters across multiple server/flow installations.

Create a small text file in the ressources/data folder, and read the content of it to retrieve necessary fixed values for your transformations.

You can view the text file in the server/flow web interface, but unfortunately not edit it.

If you need the value(s) inside the automation interface, create a small workspace to read the file and output the read content via automation writer ports.

Badge +10

I’ve used this method to facilitate common “deployment” parameters across multiple server/flow installations.

Create a small text file in the ressources/data folder, and read the content of it to retrieve necessary fixed values for your transformations.

You can view the text file in the server/flow web interface, but unfortunately not edit it.

If you need the value(s) inside the automation interface, create a small workspace to read the file and output the read content via automation writer ports.

Yes, I’ve done that several times creating an ini file in a resources folder and reading the values inside workspaces through python script private parameters but this approach does not work when you need to use those values to configure some automation external actions.

 

Badge +10

Hi @dms2 

Thank you for your post!

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s possible to configure SFTP Directory external actions to use the deployment parameters for those fields.  It can be used to set the last three components of the action (the paths), but not the earlier info (port, username, etc.).

I am going to file something with our team for this, but I would also encourage you to create an Idea in our community, as this will help gather community interest and our development team use that to help guide development of features!

 

Done!

Thanks.

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