FME Transformers: 2025.2

Categories
Integrations

Integrations

Web

Web

Workflows

Workflows

Related Transformers
AzureBlobStorageConnector
AzureFileStorageConnector
BoxConnector
CesiumIonConnector
GoogleCloudStorageConnector
GoogleDriveConnector
HDFSConnector
OneDriveConnector
ProjectWiseWSGConnector
S3Connector
SharePointOnlineConnector
Categories
Integrations

Integrations

Web

Web

Workflows

Workflows

Related Transformers
AzureBlobStorageConnector
AzureFileStorageConnector
BoxConnector
CesiumIonConnector
GoogleCloudStorageConnector
GoogleDriveConnector
HDFSConnector
OneDriveConnector
ProjectWiseWSGConnector
S3Connector
SharePointOnlineConnector

DropboxConnector

Connects to Dropbox to manage files and folders.

Jump to Configuration

Typical Uses

  • Managing files on Dropbox by uploading, downloading, and deleting files and folders
  • Transferring file contents into or out of an attribute in FME
  • Retrieving file and folder names, paths, and other information from Dropbox to use elsewhere in a workspace.

How does it work?

The DropboxConnector uses your Dropbox account credentials to perform various management tasks on Dropbox:

Action Task

Delete

Delete files and folders.

Download

Download a file or folder to an attribute, file, or folder.

List

List the item details for the contents of a folder.

Upload

Upload a file, folder, or the contents of an attribute.

Optional Input Port

This transformer has two modes, depending on whether a connector is attached to the Input port or not:

  • Input-driven: When input features are connected, the transformer runs once for each feature it receives in the Input port.
  • Run Once: When no input features are connected, the transformer runs one time.

When the Input port is in use, the Initiator output port is also enabled.

Usage Notes

  • This transformer cannot move or copy files between different locations. Consider using multiple connectors for these tasks, by downloading files/folders and re-uploading them to a new location.

Configuration

Input Ports

This transformer accepts any feature.

Output Ports

Features with added attributes, as specified in parameters and according to Action:

Action Output - Input-Driven Output - Run Once

Delete

Input feature with a count of deleted files.

New feature with a count of deleted files.

Download

Input feature unchanged.

One new feature.

List

Multiple features, one for each item in the specified location, with details about the items.

Multiple new features, one for each item in the specified location, with details about the items.

Upload

Input feature with links to the uploaded item.

New feature with links to the uploaded item.

When the optional Input port is used, input features are output here unmodified, in addition to any other output locations (Output or <Rejected>).

Features that cause the operation to fail are output through this port. An fme_rejection_code attribute describing the category of the error will be added, along with a more descriptive fme_rejection_message which contains more specific details as to the reason for the failure.

If an Input feature already has a value for fme_rejection_code, this value will be removed.

Rejected Feature Handling: can be set to either terminate the translation or continue running when it encounters a rejected feature. This setting is available both as a default FME option and as a workspace parameter.

Parameters

Account

Select or create a Web Connection, connecting to the Dropbox Web Service (safe.dropbox).

See Using Web Connections.

Action

Select an operation to perform. Choices include:

  • Delete
  • Download
  • List
  • Upload

Delete Options

Path

Specify the path to a file or folder on Dropbox to delete.

Output Attributes

Attributes to Add

Select any available attributes to be included on the output features:

_delete_count

A count of the number of files or folders that were deleted.

Note that is a calculated number of deleted items. It may introduce significant performance overhead for a large number of items.

_id

Dropbox ID of the deleted item.

_success

Boolean status of the delete request. It is false if the target item does not exist. Otherwise, true is returned to represent successful deletion of the target item.

Download Options

Path

Specify the Dropbox path to the item to download.

Destination

Download as

Select a destination type for downloaded items:

  • Attribute: The downloaded object will be stored in the specified attribute.
  • File: The downloaded file will be stored in the specified folder.
  • Folder: The downloaded folder object will be stored in the specified folder.

Download to Attribute

When Download as is Attribute, specify the attribute to contain the contents of the downloaded item.

Encoding

FME will attempt to convert the attribute's contents to a UTF-8 string. If this fails, the attribute's contents will be created as raw binary. To ensure that the original bytes are always preserved and never converted to UTF-8, use Download as >File instead.

Download to Folder

When Download as is File or Folder, specify the path to the folder that will store the downloaded item.

If File Exists

When Download as is File or Folder, select a method for handling existing files:

  • Reject: Leave the existing file intact and output the feature via the <Rejected> port.
  • Overwrite: Overwrite the existing file.

Include Subfolders

When Download as is Folder, select a method for handling subfolders:

  • Yes: Include all subfolders
  • No: Do not include subfolders.

Output Attributes

Attributes to Add

Select any available attributes to be included on the output features:

_download_path

Path the file or folder was downloaded to.

List Options

Path

Specify the Dropbox path to the location of the contents to list.

Include Subfolders

Select a method for handling subfolders:

  • Yes: Include all subfolders
  • No: Do not include subfolders.

Output Attributes

Attributes to Add

Select any available attributes to be included on the output features:

_file_last_modified

Last modified date of an object on Dropbox.

_file_or_folder

Type(file or folder) of an object on Dropbox.

_file_revision

Revision string of an object on Dropbox.

_file_size

Size of a file object on Dropbox.

_full_path

Full path of an object on Dropbox.

_id

Dropbox ID of an object.

_name

Name of an object on Dropbox.

Source

Upload

Select the source type:

  • Attribute: Upload the contents of an attribute.
  • File: Upload a file.
  • Folder: Upload a folder and its contents.

Note that when working with large objects, File is generally the better choice as the data will be read from disk and not need to be held in memory.

Attribute to Upload as File

When Upload is Attribute, specify the attribute containing the content for upload.

File to Upload

When Upload is File, specify the file to be uploaded.

Folder to Upload

When Upload is Folder, specify the folder to be uploaded.

Include Subfolders

When Upload is Folder, select a method for handling subfolders:

  • Yes: Upload all subfolders
  • No: Do not include subfolders.

Upload Options

Path

Specify the Dropbox path to upload to.

Upload with File Name

When Upload is Attribute, specify the filename, including extension, to contain the uploaded content.

Overwrite

Select a method of handling conflicts with existing items at the upload location:

  • No (default): Dropbox will attempt to append numbers to items names to avoid conflict.
  • Yes: Uploaded folders will be merged into existing folders and any existing files are overwritten.

Output Attributes

Attributes to Add

Select any available attributes to be included on the output features:

_id

Dropbox ID of the uploaded item.

_direct_download_link

A temporary publicly accessible URL that links to the file on Dropbox.

_sharable_link

URL that links to the file on Dropbox. This URL can only be used by authenticated users.

_name

Name of the uploaded item on Dropbox.

_full_path

Full path of the uploaded item on Dropbox.

Editing Transformer Parameters

Transformer parameters can be set by directly entering values, using expressions, or referencing other elements in the workspace such as attribute values or user parameters. Various editors and context menus are available to assist. To see what is available, click beside the applicable parameter.

Defining Values

There are several ways to define a value for use in a Transformer. The simplest is to simply type in a value or string, which can include functions of various types such as attribute references, math and string functions, and workspace parameters.

Using the Text Editor

The Text Editor provides a convenient way to construct text strings (including regular expressions) from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and constants, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Text Editor

Using the Arithmetic Editor

The Arithmetic Editor provides a convenient way to construct math expressions from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and feature functions, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Arithmetic Editor

Conditional Values

Set values depending on one or more test conditions that either pass or fail.

Parameter Condition Definition Dialog

Content

Expressions and strings can include a number of functions, characters, parameters, and more.

When setting values - whether entered directly in a parameter or constructed using one of the editors - strings and expressions containing String, Math, Date/Time or FME Feature Functions will have those functions evaluated. Therefore, the names of these functions (in the form @<function_name>) should not be used as literal string values.

String Functions

These functions manipulate and format strings.

Special Characters

 A set of control characters is available in the Text Editor.

Math Functions

Math functions are available in both editors.
Date/Time Functions Date and time functions are available in the Text Editor.

Math Operators

These operators are available in the Arithmetic Editor.

FME Feature Functions

These return primarily feature-specific values.

FME Parameters

FME and workspace-specific parameters may be used.
Creating and Modifying User Parameters Create your own editable parameters.

Table Tools

Transformers with table-style parameters have additional tools for populating and manipulating values.

Row Reordering

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

  • Add a row
  • Remove a row
  • Move current row up one
  • Move current row down one
  • Move current row to top
  • Move current row to bottom

Cut, Copy, and Paste

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

  • Cut a row - delete and copy to clipboard
  • Copy a row to the clipboard
  • Paste a row from the clipboard

Cut, copy, and paste may be used within a transformer, or between transformers.

Filter

Start typing a string, and the matrix will only display rows matching those characters. Searches all columns. This only affects the display of attributes within the transformer - it does not alter which attributes are output.

Import

Import populates the table with a set of new attributes read from a dataset. Specific application varies between transformers.

Reset/Refresh

Generally resets the table to its initial state, and may provide additional options to remove invalid entries. Behavior varies between transformers.

Note: Not all tools are available in all transformers.

For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.

Reference

Processing Behavior

Feature-Based

Feature Holding

No
Dependencies Dropbox account
Aliases  
History  

FME Online Resources

The FME Community and Support Center Knowledge Base have a wealth of information, including active forums with 35,000+ members and thousands of articles.

Search for all results about the DropboxConnector on the FME Community.

 

Examples may contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver, Open Government Licence - British Columbia, and/or Open Government Licence – Canada.