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How do I pass parameters from FME Server to FME Workspace 2021 if special characters are no longer allowed?

  • 28 March 2022
  • 9 replies
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Hello,

We have been using FME Desktop for a number of years and have just recently started wit FME Server and I am not sure I fully understand how all of the pieces go together. I was working my way through the Invasive Species tutorial and got to where you pass the 'webhook.feature' from FME Server to an FME Workspace to complete the workflow. My issue is we are using FME Desktop 2021 and with the new User Parameters I cannot create a User Parameter with a '.' in it. As far as I understand the 'webhook.feature' is what I am trying to pass into the workflow but FME Server automatically created the 'webhook.' syntax while FME Desktop no longer allows for the '.' Please excuse my very basic question about user parameters but am I not trying to create a user parameter called 'webhook.feature' to grab what's coming in from FME Server or am I totally out to lunch as to how things are passed back and forth with FME Server and Desktop?

 

Any help is HUGELY appreciated. Thanks very much!

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Best answer by keziaatsafe 28 March 2022, 20:19

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Hey @astuart​ ,

 

I'm assuming you're referring to this tutorial: https://community.safe.com/s/article/automating-workflows-from-survey123-to-arcgis-usin.

 

webhook.feature is the Parameter Identifier/Name but you should be able to omit the period and have the Parameter Identifier set to webhookFeature or something similar. The webhook.feature parameter in Desktop is only used for testing. Once you've created the workspace, you'll be replacing the webhook.feature parameter with the actual webhook.feature output key.

 

In Part 5. Step1. Create a Workspace Action, you'll see below the Automation canvas image: "You will notice that the Webhook Feature field is already filled in. This is the test JSON that we used in our workspace’s user parameter default value, but we want the webhook.feature output key instead. Open the drop-down menu, expand the Webhook Keys, and select webhook.feature."

 

Hope this helps explain it a little better. Please let me know if you're still running into trouble with this tutorial.

 

Hey @astuart​ ,

 

I'm assuming you're referring to this tutorial: https://community.safe.com/s/article/automating-workflows-from-survey123-to-arcgis-usin.

 

webhook.feature is the Parameter Identifier/Name but you should be able to omit the period and have the Parameter Identifier set to webhookFeature or something similar. The webhook.feature parameter in Desktop is only used for testing. Once you've created the workspace, you'll be replacing the webhook.feature parameter with the actual webhook.feature output key.

 

In Part 5. Step1. Create a Workspace Action, you'll see below the Automation canvas image: "You will notice that the Webhook Feature field is already filled in. This is the test JSON that we used in our workspace’s user parameter default value, but we want the webhook.feature output key instead. Open the drop-down menu, expand the Webhook Keys, and select webhook.feature."

 

Hope this helps explain it a little better. Please let me know if you're still running into trouble with this tutorial.

 

Hi, Thank you very much for your reply. I am still struggling with Part 3, Step1 (I think) passing the output key parameter into the workspace. I have it all set up in FME Server but I am unable to match the syntax in FME Desktop using 2021. Does the syntax of that FME Desktop parameter matter? If the syntax doesn’t matter, and I can call the User Parameter whatever I wish, I am not seeing anything getting written to my database. I guess perhaps the shortened version is I don’t understand how to pass the output key to the workspace. Again, any help if hugely appreciated! Thank you! amy Amy Stuart Geomatics Yukon Highways & Public Works | Information & Communication Technology T 867.332.6395 | Yukon.ca
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Hi, Thank you very much for your reply. I am still struggling with Part 3, Step1 (I think) passing the output key parameter into the workspace. I have it all set up in FME Server but I am unable to match the syntax in FME Desktop using 2021. Does the syntax of that FME Desktop parameter matter? If the syntax doesn’t matter, and I can call the User Parameter whatever I wish, I am not seeing anything getting written to my database. I guess perhaps the shortened version is I don’t understand how to pass the output key to the workspace. Again, any help if hugely appreciated! Thank you! amy Amy Stuart Geomatics Yukon Highways & Public Works | Information & Communication Technology T 867.332.6395 | Yukon.ca

Hey Amy @astuart​ ,

 

You're right! The syntax for the parameter name in FME Desktop does not matter at all. The webhookFeature (webhook.feature) parameter input will be replaced by the output key that you created in Part 2, Step 3 on FME Server. You will be passing the output key into the workspace on FME Server by replacing the Webhook Feature parameter with the output key in Part 5, Step 1.

Here is an image of me comparing the parameter created in FME Desktop and how I can replace the parameter with the webhook.feature output key in FME Server after the workspace is published to FME Server.

WebhookFeature 

Did you get to Part 4, step 5? That is when you'll get the Test JSON written to your database.

 

Cheers,

Kezia

Hi, Thank you very much for your reply. I am still struggling with Part 3, Step1 (I think) passing the output key parameter into the workspace. I have it all set up in FME Server but I am unable to match the syntax in FME Desktop using 2021. Does the syntax of that FME Desktop parameter matter? If the syntax doesn’t matter, and I can call the User Parameter whatever I wish, I am not seeing anything getting written to my database. I guess perhaps the shortened version is I don’t understand how to pass the output key to the workspace. Again, any help if hugely appreciated! Thank you! amy Amy Stuart Geomatics Yukon Highways & Public Works | Information & Communication Technology T 867.332.6395 | Yukon.ca

Hi,

I really appreciate your help with this so thank you! As I mentioned earlier I was trying to complete this exercise to both familiarize myself a little with FME Server and also to make sure we have FME Server installed and configured correctly. With that said, my issues could stem from either of those scenarios.

I can complete the workspace and I have an automation set up in FME Server. I can trigger the workspace with the JSON and create a record in the database (manually in Desktop). I have added two email actions that gets triggered when a record is submitted in Server. One just passes the JSON and the other only emails if the workbench runs. If I submit a record in Survey123 I get two emails, one with the JSON and one indicating it went through the workbench. However, if I try to view the SQLite database records the only records I see are the ones I created setting it up and not any that I have submitted after that.

If my issue isn't with passing the parameter could I have something not configured correctly in my FME Server setup?

Thanks again for your help with this!

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Hi, Thank you very much for your reply. I am still struggling with Part 3, Step1 (I think) passing the output key parameter into the workspace. I have it all set up in FME Server but I am unable to match the syntax in FME Desktop using 2021. Does the syntax of that FME Desktop parameter matter? If the syntax doesn’t matter, and I can call the User Parameter whatever I wish, I am not seeing anything getting written to my database. I guess perhaps the shortened version is I don’t understand how to pass the output key to the workspace. Again, any help if hugely appreciated! Thank you! amy Amy Stuart Geomatics Yukon Highways & Public Works | Information & Communication Technology T 867.332.6395 | Yukon.ca

Hi Amy @astuart​ ,

 

That's interesting that when you download the database file to view, there are no new records but the JSON webhook.feature is passing through to the email actions. Do you notice anything in the job logs? If you could attach the job log and the automation log here, I can take a look to see what's going on. A screenshot of the parameters for your workspace in the Automation may be helpful as well.

 

Thanks!

Hi,

 

Is there a way I can get you those logs securely? I do see a 'Path not found' error in my Automation log...

 

Thanks!

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Hi,

 

Is there a way I can get you those logs securely? I do see a 'Path not found' error in my Automation log...

 

Thanks!

Hey @astuart​ ,

 

For sure! Please submit a case and we can go from there.

 

Cheers!

I have submitted a case, thank you so much!

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After investigation in a support case, it turns out the 'Path not found' error in the Automation log occurs when trying to use the JSON output as an attachment in the Email Action. This can be resolved by writing out the JSON output into a file format to be used as an attachment file for the Email Action. As for the missing SQLite database records, the output destination in the Automation was set to FME Server shared resources, a data folder in FME Server. It was writing successfully but not to the location that the user wanted. To change the output destination from FME Server shared resources, file paths in workspaces can point to a local folder or be defined with UNC paths if your workspace is writing data to a network drive.

 

 

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