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System Parameters

System parameters reference a specific system setting. Obtaining a value from a system parameter is often easier than having to define a value at run-time.

System parameters have various uses, including:

Paths or directories might be used as a means to define the location of a file to be read during the translation; for example you might set an AttributeFileReader transformer to read a file from ($FME_MF_DIR)myFileName.txt.
Other parameters might be used to control the action of a workspace, or direct features to different parts of a workspace in order to process them differently. For example, FME_BUILD_NUM could be checked to ensure the FME engine running the workspace is sufficiently new; this could be of particular interest on FME Server where multiple engines might each be a different build number. Another example is FME_SECURITY_ROLES, which might help to filter features in a workspace dependent on the access rights given to a particular user.

System parameters are listed in the table below:

Parameter	Description
FME_BUILD_NUM	Contains the build number of the FME engine that is executing the workspace.
FME_DATA_REPOSITORY	Contains the name of the directory used by FME Server’s Web User Interface for temporarily uploading data.
FME_HOME	Expands to the directory where the FME executable resides. It includes a trailing slash, independent of the platform.
FME_JOB_ID	Contains the Job ID that is executing the workspace. This parameter applies only to workspaces run on FME Server.
FME_MF_DIR	Contains the name of the directory in which the current workspace resides and, in some cases, the location of the source datasets.
FME_SECURITY_ROLES	Contains the role of the user who is running the workspace. For example, Administrator and Author are two common roles. This parameter applies only to workspaces run on FME Server.
FME_SECURITY_USER	Contains the username of the person who is running the workspace. This parameter applies only to workspaces run on FME Server.
FME_SERVER_NAME	Contains the hostname of the FME Server running the workspace. This parameter applies only to workspaces run on FME Server.
FME_TOPIC	Contains the topic name for the notification that triggered the currently executing workspace. This parameter applies only to workspaces run on FME Server.