Question

order custom transformer

  • 24 February 2014
  • 11 replies
  • 5 views

Badge +11
Hi All, 

 

 

I have the feeling that the order for the input and output ports is related to their position in the custom transformer itself. In order not to have crossing lines in the Workspace, it would be easier if I could set the order straightforwardly. Any tips on how to do this?

 

 

 

 

 

best regards,

 

Jelle

 

 


11 replies

Userlevel 4
Hi,

 

 

as far as I know, the vertical (y-axis) order in the custom transformer is the only way to set the output port order.

 

 

David
Badge +11
that is also my feeling. What would be the procedure to hand over an enhancement request to Safe Software?

 

 

Userlevel 4
Just send a mail to your friendly FME distributor, or directly to Safe support (https://safecommunity.force.com/knowledgeSubmitCase) :-)

 

 

David
Badge +11
thanks

 

 

Badge +3
Hi Jelle,

 

 

This is indeed an amazing omission. Longstanding nuiscance even.

 

As youre at it, how about asking for a kind of update button?

 

Ever tried making a custom. And then changing its content or inserting it afterwards a couple of times in your workbench?

 

Or just chamging the input and output order..refresh, update all wont work.

 

 

I always have to remove the instance of the custom transformer, and then add it again.

 

 

U will find yourself battling FME..
Badge
We'll look at ways that we can set the port ordering other than by the reletive Y coordinate of the output node on the canvas.

 

In FME 2014 we made some changes to creating customer transformers so hopefully we've eliminated some of the problems that Gio describes. The changes include trying to make it clearer which attributes are preserved and which are removed, making the custom transformer parameters easier to work with. If you have used FME 2014 to create new custom transformers please let us know if these changes have helped.
Badge +11
Regarding the new Publish parameter in the 2014 custom transformers, I have to admit that I struggled a bit with them at the beginning. Now, I think I understand the mechanism better and consider it as one of the major improvements of FME2014!

 

 

Userlevel 4
Gio,

 

 

just a quick tip: if you  modify the name of the custom transformer the output ports will update without having to remove the transformer instance. That way you don't have to redo all the connections.

 

 

David
Userlevel 2
Badge +17
Hi,

 

 

In my personal opinion, it would be better that the order of input / output ports can be arranged on the Navigator, rather than Y coordinate on the canvas. Like the order of Readers and Writers on the Navigator.

 

 

 

Takashi
Badge +11
I agree that the navigator would be the best place to set the order of the input and output ports. It would really make sense.
Badge +3
Thanks for the tip David, did'nt know that.

 

Up to 2013 version i would auto-attach loggers and then remove them. In 2013 that didnt work anymore.

 

 

 

I also agree very much with Takshi, to have a navigator pane-like control of input and output ports. Or just being able to hotswap em on the transformer itself, would be awesome.

 

Adn that for al transformers, not just the custioms.

 

 

Also a piping transfromer, so one does not need to cross an entire workbench for some connection. I tried if that would be possible with parameters, variable setters and cumstomtransformers...but i always ended in a (closed) loop.

 

 

 

 

 

Gio

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