Creating a New Format Reader/Writer

Introduction

You can find a full list of the formats supported by FME at safe.com/formats. A few more, added by FME users, can be found in the FME Hub. If FME does not read or write the format you need, there are a few options.

1. Create a Custom Reader/Writer Transformer
2. Create a Custom Format
3. Use the FME Plug-in SDK

Options for a Creating a Custom Format

Create a Custom Reader/Writer Transformer

If you know a third-party command-line tool or library that can read or write the format, you can create a custom transformer in FME Workbench that uses the FeatureReader or FeatureWriter transformers. See the Command Line Tools Integration article for more information. 
 

Create a Custom Format

If you know how the format stores data, you can create your own reader as a Custom Format. In FME Workbench, use existing readers (most often CSV, Text, XML) along with a few transformers to restructure the data, then save the Workspace as a Custom Format.
Note that custom formats are limited to readers, and a custom transformer as discussed above offers more flexibility regarding where you can place it in your workspace.
Examples of Custom Formats exist in the data sources folder of your FME installation directory (e.g. C:\apps\fme\datasources) and in the FME Hub.

Use the FME Plug-in SDK

Developers can use the FME Plug-in SDK to develop a reader and/or writer for the format. Many of our partners use the SDK to introduce new formats to FME. 
The Plug-in SDK includes a comprehensive set of documentation, samples, test cases, and build files to help you quickly create a reader and/or writer for your application's format. For information about getting started with the SDK, please see Developing a New Format Reader/Writer with the FME Plug-in SDK.
 

Submit an Idea 

A fourth option if you don’t wish to create the format yourself, is to submit an Idea for the format to the FME Community or reach out to one of our Partners.