Transformer Attribute Validation
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Outline
In FME2007 new functionality tests when edits to one part of a workspace adversely affect how another section will work. In effect, a transformer that uses a particular attribute will become flagged as incomplete when that attribute is deleted from the workflow further upstream.
This prevents a workspace from being executed when problems exist that would prevent its completion.
Operation
There is no setting or parameter that needs to be used; this functionality is automatically applied to all new and existing workspaces.
Known Issues
One known issue is when an older workspace contains a transformer that references a list element that has not been exposed. Technically this was permitted because as long as the list element existed it could be accessed without being exposed. Now, however, any transformer that references unexposed list elements will be flagged as incomplete by this function.
This could lead to older workspaces failing to operate as expected when opened in FME2007. The solution is to either expose the list elements, or to deactivate the validation functionality (See below)
Deactivating the Functionality
To prevent workbench from doing attribute validation requires an edit to the workspace header. Open the fmw file in a text editor and insert the following line to the workspace header:
#! STRICT_PARAMETER_VALIDATION="false"
Once this flag is set then workbench will not do the "strict" validation that was introduced in FME2007. By doing this old workspaces that may fail "strict" validation will run fine provided they were already runnable in older version of FME.
NB: The workspace header looks like this in FME2006GB:
#! <?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?> #! <WORKSPACE #! GRID_VISIBLE="false"
