FME Flow: 2024.1

AR Apps

Select Flow Apps > Manage AR Apps.

AR apps allow FME Flow clients to run augmented reality workspaces from a web browser. Augmented reality workspaces write data to the FME Augmented Reality (FME AR) Writer. To run AR app workspaces, FME Flow uses the Data Streaming Service. AR apps are shared as URLs, and may be presented through customizable web pages.

When you create an AR app to run a workspace, FME Flow generates a URL for the workspace, along with a security token. The token allows anyone with the URL to run the workspace and configure published parameters, without authenticating to FME Flow.

Note  Once created, security tokens can be accessed on the API Tokens tab of the Token Management page.

The AR Apps tab of the Flow Apps page lists the AR apps that have been created.

By default, all apps are enabled to run when created. Disabled apps do not run, even if their tokens are not expired. To disable or enable an app, select an app, then select Actions > Disable or Enable.

From the Actions menu, you can also Remove an app or Change Expiration of an app.

To view and run an app, or copy an app's URL, click the View or URL icon of the corresponding app, respectively.

To edit an AR app, click on it.

To Create an AR App

  1. Click Create under the AR Apps tab, or select Flow Apps > Create AR App. Alternatively, to duplicate an existing AR app and revise, select an app, and select Actions > Duplicate. The Create AR (or Duplicating) App dialog opens. Complete or update the following:
    • Name: Provide a name for the app. The name appears on the run page for the app. App names are case-insensitive.
    • Title (optional): Provide a title for the app. The title appears in place of Name on the run page for the app.
    • Description (optional): Provide a description for the app. The description appears on the run page for the app. Use the toolbar widgets to customize the appearance of the description, as desired.
    • Repository: The repository of the workspace you want the app to run. Only repositories with workspaces that contain FME AR writers are listed.
    • Workspace: The workspace you want the app to run. Only workspaces that contain at least one FME AR writer are listed. If the specified workspace is not already registered to run the Data Streaming Service, a message informs you that when the AR app is created, the workspace will be registered to the data streaming service. If the specified workspace contains multiple AR writers, click Choose FME AR Writer to specify the writer to which you want to stream data for the app.
    • Expiration: The expiration date and time of the security token of the app. After the token expires, the app will not run. The default expiration is 10 years from the current date.
    • Require Authentication: If enabled, access to the app is restricted to designated Users or Roles in FME Flow. Designated users must first log in to FME Flow with their username and password before access is granted. Access is denied to all others. To enable, click the slider. Click inside the Allowed Users box to add the users and roles you want to grant access.
    • User Can Upload: If the workspace uses the Data Upload Service, this setting allows users to upload temporary files that are used to run the workspace.
  2. Device Geolocation
    • Auto Populate Geolocation Parameter: If enabled, Geolocation Parameter (below) is auto-populated with the current location of the device when the app launches. If disabled, the app does not use Geolocation Parameter.
    • Geolocation Parameter: If Auto Populate Geolocation Parameter (above) is enabled, select the parameter that will be used for the device's geolocation. The parameters available for selection are obtained from published parameters of type Geometry or Text under Parameters (below).
      • Note  When selected, the parameter is no longer available for configuration under Parameters (below).
    • Hide Parameter in App: This parameter controls whether Geolocation Parameter can be set by the user of the app. If enabled (default), Geolocation Parameter is hidden and cannot be changed by the end user.
  3. Parameters: If the workspace has published parameters, configure the default values for each one when the app runs.

    4. To revert to the original default values of the workspace, click Reset.

    Note  
    If the workspace is republished to FME Flow with new default values for published parameters, the values specified for this app are not affected, unless you click Reset.
    A published parameter of type Geometry or Text that is specified for Geolocation Parameter (above) is not available for configuration.
    • Show in App: If checked, the app allows the user to explicitly specify a value for the parameter, or accept the default value. If unchecked, the app page does not display the parameter, and the app runs according to its default value.
  4. Customize (optional): You can customize various elements of the run page for the app. Alternatively, to specify that the app should run as soon as its URL is invoked, without displaying a run page, enable Run Immediately (at bottom).
    5. Note  Icon, Logo, and Banner fields support only .jpg and .png files.
    • Browser Icon: A clickable icon to reference the app URL.
    • Heading Background Color: A background color to comprise the banner at the top of the app page. Appears behind Heading Banner, if transparent.
    • Heading Logo: Appears over Heading Banner and/or Heading Background Color, centered.
    • Heading Banner: An image to comprise the banner at the top of the app page. If transparent, appears over Heading Background Color.
    • Footer Text: Appears beneath the Links on the app page. Use the toolbar to customize as desired.
    • Footer Logo: Appears beneath Footer Text, and behind Footer Banner, if transparent.
    • Footer Banner: An image to comprise the banner at the bottom of the app page. If transparent, appears over Footer Logo.
  5. Click OK. A message appears to indicate the app is created, along with the app URL. Click the Copy icon to copy the URL. To run the app, click the URL.

    6. The security token that FME Flow generates for the app is configured with the minimal set of permissions to run the specified workspace. These permissions are shown under App Security. However, other permissions may still be required, and you may need to further test and adjust the given permissions. To adjust, click Add More Permissions. For more information about permissions in FME Flow, see Role-Based and User-Based Access Control.

  6. Click OK. The Flow Apps page re-opens and lists your new app on the AR Apps tab.