Reader Directives

This section describes the directives that are recognized by the File Geodatabase reader module.

Each directive is prefixed by the current <ReaderKeyword> when placed in a mapping file. Unless otherwise specified, the <ReaderKeyword> for the File Geodatabase reader is FILEGDB.

DATASET

This directive specifies the path to the File Geodatabase.

Required/Optional

Required

Mapping File Syntax

<ReaderKeyword>_DATASET test.gdb

Workbench Parameter

Source File Geodatabase

DEF

This directive defines the schema of source (reader) feature types along with associated parameters.

Required/Optional

Optional

Mapping File Syntax

<ReaderKeyword>_DEF <feature type name>
       filegdb_type ( geodb_no_geom |
                    geodb_point |
                    geodb_multipoint |
                    geodb_polyline |
                    geodb_polygon)
      [ <attribute name> <attribute type> ]+
      [ filegdb_where “<where clause>” ]

Workbench Parameter

Feature Type Properties

DEF Line Parameter Contents
filegdb_type

Specifies the type of the table or feature class.

Workbench Parameter: Allowed Geometries

<attribute name>

Specifies the name and type of a field in the table or feature class. See “Attribute Definitions” below for a list of valid field types. The spatial (shape) column is not included here.

Workbench Parameter: User Attributes

filegb_where

Specifies a where clause used to filter data when reading from the table or feature class. Do not include the word “WHERE” in this setting.

Workbench Parameter: WHERE Clause

IDs

This directive specifies which feature types (ultimately, feature classes and tables) will be read. If the IDs directive is not specified, but DEF directives are, the DEF directives will determine which feature types will be read. If neither is specified, all feature types are read.

Required/Optional

Optional

Mapping File Syntax

<ReaderKeyword>_IDs ( <feature type name> )+

Workbench Parameter

Feature Types to Read

SEARCH_ENVELOPE

Using the minimum and maximum x and y parameters, define a bounding box that will be used to filter the input features. Only features that interact with the bounding box are returned.

If all four coordinates of the search envelope are specified as 0, the search envelope will be disabled.

Mapping File Syntax

<ReaderKeyword>_SEARCH_ENVELOPE <minX> <minY> <maxX> <maxY>

Note: If all four coordinates of the search envelope are specified as zero, the search envelope will be disabled.

Required/Optional

Optional

Workbench Parameter

Minimum X, Minimum Y, Maximum X, Maximum Y

SEARCH_ENVELOPE_COORDINATE_SYSTEM

This directive specifies the coordinate system of the search envelope if it is different than the coordinate system of the data.

The COORDINATE_SYSTEM directive, which specifies the coordinate system associated with the data to be read, must always be set if the SEARCH_ENVELOPE_COORDINATE_SYSTEM directive is set.

If this directive is set, the minimum and maximum points of the search envelope are reprojected from the SEARCH_ENVELOPE_COORDINATE_SYSTEM to the reader COORDINATE_SYSTEM prior to applying the envelope.

Required/Optional

Optional

Mapping File Syntax

<ReaderKeyword>_SEARCH_ENVELOPE_COORDINATE_SYSTEM <coordinate system>

Workbench Parameter

Search Envelope Coordinate System

CLIP_TO_ENVELOPE

This directive specifies whether or not FME should clip features to the envelope specified in the SEARCH_ENVELOPE directive.

Values

YES | NO (default)

Mapping File Syntax

<ReaderKeyword>_CLIP_TO_ENVELOPE [yes | no]

Workbench Parameter

Clip To Envelope

EXPOSED_ATTRS

This directive allows the selection of format attributes to be explicitly added to the reader feature type.

This is similar to exposing format attributes on a reader feature type once it has been generated; however, it is even more powerful because it enables schema-driven applications other than Workbench to access and leverage these attributes as if they were explicitly on the schema as user attributes.

The result of picking a list of attributes is a comma-separated list of attribute names and types that will be added to the schema features. Currently all reader feature types will receive the same set of additional schema attributes for a given instance of the reader.

Required/Optional

Optional

Mapping File Syntax

Not applicable.

While it is possible for FME Objects applications to invoke this directive, the required format is not documented.

This directive is intended for use in our GUI applications (for example, Workbench) only.

Workbench Parameter

Additional Attributes to Expose

RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS

This parameter is applicable only when generating a mapping file, generating a workspace, or when retrieving schemas in an FME Objects application.

When set to yes, schemas for all of the tables and feature classes in the database are returned.

When set to no (or missing), and if RETRIEVE_ALL_TABLE_NAMES is similarly set to no (or missing), only schemas requested by the IDs parameter are returned.

Required/Optional

Optional

Values

YES | NO (default)

NO: The reader will return the schemas for the feature types specified in the IDs. If no features are specified in IDs, then:

  • for Enterprise Geodatabases, FME will not return any schema features;
  • for Personal and File Geodatabases, FME returns the schema features for all the tables.

If this value is not specified, then it is assumed to be No.

YES: Indicates to the reader to return all the schemas of the tables in the database.

Mapping File Syntax

Not applicable.

FME Objects applications would include RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS followed by “YES” in the parameters array passed to IFMEUniversalReader::open().

Workbench Parameter

Not applicable

RETRIEVE_ALL_TABLE_NAMES

This parameter is only applicable when generating a mapping file, generating a workspace or when retrieving schemas in an FME Objects application.

When set to yes, and if RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS is set to no (or missing), names for all of the tables and feature classes in the database are returned. When set to no (or missing), and if RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS is similarly set to no (or missing), the schemas requested by the IDs directive are returned.

Note: If RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS is also set to Yes, then RETRIEVE_ALL_SCHEMAS takes precedence.

Required/Optional

Optional

Values

YES | NO (default)

Mapping File Syntax

Not applicable.

FME Objects applications would include RETRIEVE_ALL_TABLE_NAMES followed by “YES” in the parameters array passed to IFMEUniversalReader::open().

Workbench Parameter

Not applicable (used when you browse a Table List)

EXPOSED_ATTRS

This directive allows the selection of format attributes to be explicitly added to the reader feature type.

This is similar to exposing format attributes on a reader feature type once it has been generated; however, it is even more powerful because it enables schema-driven applications other than Workbench to access and leverage these attributes as if they were explicitly on the schema as user attributes.

The result of picking a list of attributes is a comma-separated list of attribute names and types that will be added to the schema features. Currently all reader feature types will receive the same set of additional schema attributes for a given instance of the reader.

Required/Optional

Optional

Mapping File Syntax

Not applicable.

While it is possible for FME Objects applications to invoke this directive, the required format is not documented.

This directive is intended for use in our GUI applications (for example, Workbench) only.

Workbench Parameter

Additional Attributes to Expose