You are here: Workbench Basics > User Interface Reference > FME Options > Default Paths

Default Paths

Workbench: Select Tools > FME Options and click the Default Paths icon.

Data Inspector: Select FME Data Inspector > Preferences > Default Paths.

Connection Storage

Specifies where FME stores the following:

Data Path

The data file that stores database connections and web connections.

To change the storage location, select Change > Data Path. In the Change Connection Storage dialog, update the location under Connection Data Directory.

Note: Connections stored in the default location are available to <user> only. To make connections available to others, update Data Path and Public Key File (below) to a common, shared location visible to multiple users. Additionally, if you have existing connections that you want to make public, you must manually move the existing files referenced by these fields to the specified location. (If you only want new connections that you create after this change to be public, it is not necessary to move these files.) For more information, see To change the visibility of a web connection or To change the visibility of a database connection.

Public Key File

Encrypts the passwords of database and web connections that are visible to others.

To change the storage location of the public key, select Change > Data Path. In the Change Connection Storage dialog, update the Public Key File location, under Public Encryption Key.

Note: If Data Path changes, the Public Key File path must change as well. Since this file is used to encrypt data for connections visible to all users, it must reference the same directory. You may also need to manually move the existing public key file to the new location. See Data Path (above) for more information.

To re-encrypt the data and generate a new key, select Change > Public Key. On the Regenerate Key dialog, click Regenerate.

To protect the key with a password, select Change > Public Key. On the Regenerate Key dialog, expand Password Protect Key.

Private Key File

Encrypts the passwords of database and web connections that are visible only to <user>.

To change the storage location of the private key, select Change > Data Path. In the Change Connection Storage dialog, update the Private Key File location, under Private Encryption Key.

To re-encrypt the data and generate a new key, select Change > Private Key. On the Regenerate Key dialog, click Regenerate.

To protect the key with a password, select Change > Private Key. On the Regenerate Key dialog, expand Password Protect Key.

Documentation Help Locations

By default, when you access Help from any FME Desktop tool (FME Workbench, FME Data Inspector, and others), it is opened from the safe.com website. This means that you will always see the latest help topics for updates and for new features.

You can change this default behavior and access product documentation from the help files that are installed locally (for example, if Internet access is unreliable or is not available).

ClosedTo toggle between online and offline help

Click a component Help menu. If FME is accessing installed offline help, a checkmark is displayed beside Use Offline Help.

You can toggle online and offline help access from this menu, or follow the steps below to change the default behavior.

ClosedTo change the default help location
  1. On the menu bar, click Tools > FME Options.
  2. On the sidebar of the FME Options page, click Default Paths.
  3. Under Documentation Help Locations click the checkbox beside Use Offline Help.
  4. Click OK.

If FME cannot open the documentation from the top-most location, the next location in the list is attempted. Use the up and down arrows to change the list order.

Shared FME Folders

A shared FME folder contains FME files that have been made available for other users to use. These files are:

  • workspaces (*.fmw)
  • mapping files (*.fme)
  • custom  transformers (*.fmx)
  • custom formats (*.fds)
  • custom coordinate systems (*.fme is ideal; however, most file formats will work)
  • transformer categories (*.fmxlist)

This option is especially useful for workgroups. For instance, if an entire workgroup uses just a few custom coordinate system definitions, keeping these definitions in one place means that everyone doesn't have to have a copy.  Then, whenever any of the definitions are updated, the entire group automatically has access to the new version.

Every time you start FME, it will scan the folders for new or updated transformers, formats, coordinate systems, coordinate system exceptions, coordinate system grid overrides, CS-MAP transformation exceptions, and transformer lists.

Steps

  1. Click the Add button.
  2. Browse to the folder that you want to open for sharing.
  3. Click the Select Folder button.
  4. If the required subfolders do not exist, FME will ask if you want to create them. (Note that your system administrator may have to set up permissions and subfolders for this folder.) Click Yes. FME adds the following subfolders to your selected folder:

Subfolder Names

CoordinateSystemExceptions

CoordinateSystemGridOverrides

CoordinateSystems

CsmapTransformationExceptions

Formats
Output
Templates

TransformerCategories

Transformers

The folder name is added to the Shared FME Engine Resource Directories list:

  1. Restart FME Workbench.

Click the arrow buttons to change the order in which FME scans the resource folders.

Tip: Use caution when naming custom formats, transformers, and coordinate systems. If there is a naming conflict (for example, if you have a custom transformer with the same name as one in a shared folder), the file FME uses at runtime is selected at random.

Shared FME Server Resources: See Sharing Custom Formats, Transformers, and Coordinate Systems in FME Server.

Removing Shared Directories

To remove a folder, click the Remove button. FME removes the folder from the shared resource list.

Tags workbench help