FME Suggestions
From fmepedia
I think it's fair to say that Safe prides itself on listening to its customers and here's another route for you to make comments; a community page to post suggestions for FME upgrades or improvements.
Feel free to post anything you like - it doesn't matter how weird or whacky you think the ideas are we'd like to hear them. To misquote Zaphod Beeblebrox (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#Zaphod_Beeblebrox) "you can't outweird us, we get stranger things than you free with our breakfast cereal"!
I can't guarantee we'll implement any of your ideas, but I promise we'll check the list when we're planning updates. Anything that does get implemented we'll move to a separate list at the foot of the page so you can see how we're doing.
Notes
NB 1: This page is structured the same way as the "What's Great" page - so check there to find examples of which section a suggestion should go under.
NB 2: If you don't have fmepedia edit privileges then add a comment instead - no privileges are required for that - or email us for editor permission.
NB 3: When you edit a page a comment says... "By submitting content, you grant Safe Software, Inc. a license to use such content" which I guess means if you post an idea here we're free to use it.
NB 4: If you have a suggestion and find someone has already posted it then still add your own comments. Generally the more people that request a function the more likely we are to implement it.
NB 5: If a suggestion gets added to our database then we'll list the PR number and make a note here if and when it is implemented.
Suggestions
New Vector Formats
Add here any vector based formats you'd like to see added to FME
- Rinex (Common GPS format) (PR#13066)
- Trimble SSF (proprietary format) (PR#13067)
Vector Format Updates
Add here any improvements you'd like to see in our handling of current vector formats
- In the same way that a Shape translation filters Geometry, add an AttributeCopier to manage schema attribute name changes (Surrey training suggestion) (PR#13070)
New Raster Formats
Add here any raster based formats you'd like to see added to FME
- JPEG output - Use gdal_translate as a final step?
Raster Format Updates
Add here any improvements you'd like to see in our handling of current raster formats
- Allow larger GIF/PNG output (primarily in support of KML)
- Allow creation of transparency in output GIF/PNG files
- On source data set, allow specification of resampling method to use during any shifts.
- Option to pull data from other rasters in the source data set to avoid the nodata slivers created during coordinate system transformations
- ERDAS IMG (HFA): Add read/write support for user defined attributes (CLASS_NAMES etc.)
New Database Formats
- Add SpatiaLite; SpatiaLite adds OGC support to SQLite, see [http://www.gaia-gis.it/spatialite/]
Workbench
Add here any improvements you'd like to see made to Workbench
- Allow attaching annotation to bookmarks
- When the log window is closed keep it closed - why reopen it when running a translation? (from Dotted Eyes training course attendees)
- Make sure newly created Feature Types are placed in a clear area of canvas away from other Feature Types (from Dotted Eyes training course attendees)
- A pause button to pause a translation (preferably releasing some memory so another task - such as sending an email - can be performed) - (from San Francisco training course)
- A pause button on the log pane, so it momentarily stop scrolling (from San Francisco training course)
- A disconnect option on transformers
- Word wrap on bookmark descriptions. Re-adjust text when bookmark is resized.
- Enable the 'remove all vertices' option when multiple links are selected (not just one)
- A great function would be the ability to right-click a feature link and have an 'autoconnect' function: the same autoconnect as in the attribute connection pane. A lot quicker than having to go through the connection window - (from San Francisco training course)
- The attribute connection pane AutoConnect option could make better guesses when the destination schema has been automatically altered by FME to match format requirements. For example 'switch_type' on a source would become 'SWITCH_TYP' when writing to Shape. The autoconnect should be aware of such changes so it can make a better job (and also be able to deduce a link from the fact that two items are on the same level in the attribute list) - (from San Francisco training course)
- A function to select a transformer and have Workbench highlight all connected transformers up/down stream (Surrey training course attendee) (PR#13068)
New Transformers
Add here any new transformers you'd like to see in Workbench
Transformer Updates
Add here changes to any existing transformers that you'd like to see in Workbench
- Add a port to Labeller to allow the routing of "overlaps" when "prevent overlaps" is set to yes ie so they can go through a different process. (Added to our database as PR8097)
- AttributeFilter - publishing the 'filter by' setting doesn't seem to work properly (from Dotted Eyes training course attendees)
- Ability to explode custom transformers back onto main canvas (from Dotted Eyes training course attendees)
- An option on the RandomNumberGenerator to generate unique values only (from Tampa training course attendees)
- An option in the ValueMapper to have no (or null) values - for where only the source part currently exists.
- Add a Supplier First option to FeatureMerger to enhance memory usage. I think many multi-input port Transformers could be a candidate for such an approach, like is done with NeighborFinder in the latest FME2009 builds.
- Add a Group By option to Sampler.
Universal Viewer
Add here any new improvements you'd like to made to the Universal Viewer
- Optional datagrid-based viewer for attributes ('spreadsheet' style viewer also requested by the Tampa training course attendees)
- The ability to copy all highlighted attributes to the clipboard at once, rather than one at a time
- Ability to resize point features (from San Francisco training course)
- Ability to reverse background colour to black instead of white, to better show light-coloured features.
- Number of features on each layer to be shown in view control pane (Edmonton and Surrey training course suggestion)
Universal Translator
Add here any new improvements you'd like to made to the Universal Translator
General User Interface Improvements
Add here any new improvements you'd like to made to the GUI in general
- Add a 'see more formats' option on the format pick list that will open the formats gallery (from Dotted Eyes training course attendees)
- Ability to resize annotation (from Dotted Eyes training course attendees)
- A help option (opens help, goes to transformer) when right-clicking a transformer in the gallery (from San Francisco training course and Surrey training course 24-Apr-2007)
FME Core
Add here any new improvements you'd like to made to the FME core
- Knowledge is power and enthusiasm pulls the switch.
After being an ardent user of FME for quite sometime now along with the additional role as an employee of a FME reseller, my personal feeling is that there should be some catch on this knowledge when issuing an evaluation license. My suggestion would be to add some restriction on the file size(both source and destination)and or number of features written (just like the good old logger that used to log only 20 features. This is sure to persuade one to go for licensed FME and put a check on the otherwise. The tiger that has once tasted blood(FME)is never sated with the taste of it ~ SRG a.k.a Saint-FME
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Hello Safe Software, It has been in my dreams to make sure that the evaluation license of FME when in wrong hands does not serve the purpose! I struck upon another idea in the due course. How about a 14 or say 14 times run restriction/ evaluation rather than a 14 day license for evaluation? I think every translation run carried out using FME is worth it...just like the precious water....isn't it? The tiger that has once tasted blood(FME)is never sated with the taste of it ~ SRG a.k.a Saint-FME
Factories
Add here any new factories or improvements to existing factories you'd like to see in FME
- SnappingFactory - ability to handle 3D snaps (ie snap to Z as well as X/Y) (PR#7457, PR#13071)
Functions
Add here any new functions or improvements to existing functions you'd like to see in FME
Coordinate Systems
Add here any new coordinate systems or improvements to existing coordinate systems you'd like to see in FME
Application Extenders
Add here any new Application Extenders or improvements to existing Application Extenders you'd like to see
- The ability to drag a destination Feature Type from Workbench and drop it into an extended application (such as ArcGIS). The translation is then carried out and the output data displayed in the extended app. Or maybe a right-click option; like right-click > Visualize, but instead right-click > open in ArcMap? I guess it's really a Custom Format write (instead of a Custom Format read). (from San Francisco training course)
FME Administrator
Add here any new functionality or improvements you'd like to see in FME Administrator
Installer
Add here any new functionality or improvements you'd like to see in FME Installer
- Allow users to change the start menu folder name that shortcuts get created in
Documentation
Add here any new functionality or improvements you'd like to see in FME Documentation
- Add a general list of formats and whether they are file/folder based, instead of having to look up each one separately (PR#13065)
Implemented
All of the following are suggestions that were posted here that have since been implemented.
Workbench
- An option to read only the first 100 features of a Dataset (sort of a Sampler, but working on the source directly so it doesn't all have to be read first) (from Dotted Eyes training course attendees)
- Added to FME 2006-GB (build 2584 onwards) - look in the navigation pane under [dataset]>parameters>advanced
- Allow refreshing of source and destination data definitions by right-clicking on the feature type and choosing "Refresh". This could help in situations where attributes or feature type names have changed, prompting the user for action (replace user attributes, use this extracted feature type instead, etc). (Already in our database as PR2096 and PR6407) - (also suggested by San Francisco training course)
- Added to FME 2007.
- When hovering over links (connections?), display the names of the source and destination transformer/data set.
- Added to FME 2007 - as of build 4357
- The possibility to define custom formats for Writing. So that the user can set up a series of input formats that are treated with the same transformations and written to the same destination schema.
- Generic Reader in FME2007 - Although it's not quite the same as a custom writer, the Generic format reader will do this in FME2007. A translation can be set up that writes to the same destination, but the reader can be made to choose which format to read - even via the command line
- Ability to disable individual transformers (or links) - (from San Francisco training course)
- The ability to disable links is available in FME2008 from beta build 5008 onwards.
Transformer Updates
- Add an 'unsampled' port to the Sampler.
- Added to FME2009 build 5564
FME Core
- I like to support the idea that it should be possible to protect FME mapping files and workspaces so that they cannot be read by the user. As service people we sometimes develop solutions for our customers that bear quite some know-how and we do not want to "open" the scripts to others. This has also some security issue, so that newbie users are not able to make .fme's and .fmw's unusable unintentionally
- Added to FME 2006-GB. Look in the navigation pane under Workspace Settings>Advanced
Installer
- Keep the install folder consistant (FME Suite? FME Suite Beta? FME?) across all releases.
- Done. See FME Installer Naming Conventions for more info.
General User Interface Improvements
- Use the formats feedback to auto-populate the format pick list with the top ten formats on installation - will save user wondering why there are no formats (from Dotted Eyes training course attendees)
- Decided not to do this. A user might think that is all the formats there are. At least with an empty list he will know to look elsewhere.
Raster Format Updates
- Merge functionality similar to gdal_merge.py, with specification of nodata.
- Added to FME 2007 - look for the RasterMosaicker transformer in builds 4312 or greater.
- More control over quality levels in lossy output formats
- A number of transformers including the RasterInterpretationCoercer provide control over data quality.
- Allow multi-tiling of raster, by grid or by file size
- The new RasterTiler transformer allows you to divide a raster up into a known number of tiles. The RasterPyramider gives you control over file size
- Allow resampling methods other than nearest neighbour in the RasterResampler
- Not sure when it was added, but FME2007 permits Bilinear and Bicubic resampling as well as Nearest Neighbour. FME2008 also supports Average4 and Average16
Vector Format Updates
- MySQL Spatial Reader: add a WHERE clause setting, like the Oracle readers.
- Not sure when it was added, but FME2008 has a mysql_where_clause - see this documentation (http://docs.safe.com/fme/html/ReadersWriters/mysql_-_def.htm)
