Question

Is this an error in the training materials about the VertexCreator?

  • 11 April 2023
  • 1 reply
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Hi Team,

 

I'm doing the training for FME Professional, using FME Desktop 2022.2 and am now at https://safe.my.trailhead.com/content/safe/modules/turn-coordinates-into-geometry/exercise-turn-coordinates-into-geometry-using-the-vertexcreator-transformer . The last question on this page is about VertexCreator making a line instead of a point geometry. The question gives the impression that creating a line using this transformer is "a feature" from that transformer (and values the answer given accordingly), while the page https://community.safe.com/s/article/Known-Issue-VertexCreator-creates-lines-instead-of-points clearly shows that this is a glitch that was corrected in later versions. I suppose it was never intended for the VertexCreator transformer to create line instead of point geometry at whatever Mode setting? Besides, in FME Desktop 2022.2 I can't reproduce the "feature" anyway (which makes sense as the "error" was supposed solved in recent versions of FME Desktop.

 

Can you please alter the question (and the value given to the answer) to reflect what VertexCreator is intended for? Or add some clues to the text on the page about what can be expected when using "add point" mode in the VertexCreator with certain versions of FME Desktop? As it's not clear to me now what the intention of the question is and/or if I'm misunderstanding and mixing features with errors?

 

Thanks! Herbert van Hulten


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If your feature has a point geometry, and you use a VertexCreator to 'Add Point', it will add that vertex to your geometry, creating a line. It behaves like this presumably because it is more useful than creating a multipoint geometry. If your feature has a line geometry and you add a point to it, that point will go onto the end of the line, extending it. Here's simple example (FME 2022.2)imageThe specific issue you linked to is about an interaction between CSV readers where they can add a geometry without being requested to. I believe the fix around then was to add the mode 'Replace with Point', and make 'Add Point' always additive.

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