FMW Files Disappearing After Closing Workbench

Hi ​@brandonguo,
Thank you for posting! Im currently looking into this to try get an answer!
Here’s some assistance that may help get an answer:

Check the Recycle Bin

• If the files were deleted, they might be recoverable.

Use File Recovery Tools

• Try built-in file recovery tools to scan the folder and check for missing files.

Confirm If Files Were Moved Instead of Deleted

• Search for the missing files across your system.

Check Workbench’s Log or Last Actions

• Open the Workbench logs, if available, to see if anything was logged about file interactions.

Some possible causes:

Uninstalling Old FME Versions

• Normally, uninstalling old versions does not affect user files. However, if you installed FME in a custom directory, it's possible the uninstaller removed the folder.

FME Backup & Autosave Settings

• Go to Workbench Preferences (Tools > FME Options > Workbench) and check where your auto-save location is. Your files might have been backed up elsewhere.

If none of these tips are able to find the source of the issue I would recommend submitting a Support Case.

Kind regards,
Donal.

Hi ​@donalmateer 

Thanks for looking into this matter. 

Previously, I was editing the workbench on our network drive that do not have Recycle bin and only backed up every night. I couldn’t find any trail of the workbenches that I created on the day, but I did recover old files from our nightly backups. 

Workbench log looks as expected. 

Not sure if it’s helpful. Later I also tested create workbenches on a OneDrive folder. This bug happened once, and there’s no .fmw inside the OneDrive Recycle bin. However, the .fmw.recover file was uploaded to the OneDrive Recycle bin. 

Hello ​@brandonguo,

Just jumping in here - do you have the right system privileges to read/write both ways (network drive to drive and vise versa)? Sometimes folders won’t show certain items depending on permissions. I’m guessing you gave that community post a go to see if those suggestions did anything?

Best!

Hi ​@AliAtSafe I do have the right privileges both ways. It’s not a behaviour that happens every time, I did upload everything to Flow, so all workbench recovered. 

​@donalmateer ​@AliAtSafe 

The issue happens again. What I did was upload the workbench to FME Flow then close the workbench. All .fmw files disappeared from the folder including recovery files.

Default save directory is set to: Last Workspace Directory. 

FME Workbench welcome page shows my work history, and the file did exist in the same folder before.

I can find them in OneDrive Recycle bin.

Hi, ​@brandonguo.

Got it - interesting. Thanks for your second response, clarifies it nicely. Wondering if you tried those users’ recommendations in that post you linked (last reply is around OneDrive)?

Best,

​@AliAtSafe  

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I did check. However, my case seems slightly different. The issue occurs in both local and OneDrive folders, so OneDrive sync conflicts are not the cause. Both the .fmw file and the recovery file were deleted, and I can’t recover anything without the Recycle Bin. And it's not just the file I edited that day—all .fmw files within the same folder were deleted after closing Workbench.

In most cases, this isn't a major issue since both OneDrive and local folders have a Recycle Bin for recovery. However, in rare cases—like when I first noticed the issue—the folder was on a network drive that only backs up every night. This means any work done during the day would be lost.

​@brandonguo

Ah, I see - got it - thanks for the explanation. This is a curious one. We can do some asking on our end and try to see if there are any insights to this, maybe possibly doing a repro and filing this as a potential bug.

Thanks for your patience so far.

Best,

I’m on Version 2024.2.3

have an Folder on my Desktop, an ALL FMW Files are gone - since yesterday - after a reboot.

the LOG file is still there.

But, i could not find any file with a RECOVERY TOOL, only the windows .ink files are left.

THATS SO STRANGE!

3 Weeks of WORK are just GONE overnight….

Can someone explain what the hell is happening with FME FORM ?