Creating User Parameters with the Parameter Manager

Introduction

The Parameter Manager offers a convenient way to create new user parameters if workspace authors:

• need to create a single user parameter that will be applied to multiple workspace object parameters or are required to create several user parameters for a given workflow
• thoroughly understand the parameter types expected by their target workspace object parameters

As of FME 2025.2, the term "Published Parameters" has been renamed in both FME Form and FME Flow.

  • In FME Form, "Published Parameters" are now called Visible Parameters and "Private Parameters" are now called Hidden Parameters.
  • In FME Flow, "Published Parameters" are now simply called User Parameters.

This terminology is still in the process of changing, so older versions may still reference "Published Parameters".

Authors can access the Parameter Manager by:

• Right-clicking on the User Parameters section of the Navigator window and selecting Manage User Parameters

  

   

• Adding the Manage User Parameters quick access icon to the main Workbench toolbar, and then clicking on it. 
  • Open FME Options > Toolbar > Available Actions > Build > Double-click Manage User Parameters

The Parameter Manager opens in its own two-sided dialog. The left-side pane shows a list of user parameters that have already been created for the workspace. Highlighting one of these listed parameters will populate the right-side pane with the selected parameter’s definition. 

A group of buttons for managing the listed user parameters is at the top of the left-side pane. Authors can create a new user parameter in the Parameter Manager by selecting the green plus icon, and then choosing the type of user parameter needed from the drop-down list. 

In this tutorial, we will create a new visible user parameter with the Parameter Manager. For a tutorial on how to create user parameters with the Parameter Editor, please see Creating User Parameters with the Parameter Editor.

For more information about user parameters, please see User Parameters in FME Form

The source data and workspace template can be downloaded from the Files section. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

This workflow reads Vancouver bike path line segments into the workspace, then splits into separate branches to generate two outputs:

• a MapInfo file of bike paths
• a CSV file of bike path statistics

The workspace template will be adjusted to make use of a visible user parameter applied to the Dataset parameters of a MapInfo writer and a CSV writer. In this way, the written files will be output to a destination folder defined by the user at runtime. 

1. Open Starting Workspace

Open CreatingUserParameters_ParameterManager_START_2026_3.fmwt in FME Workbench. The workspace makes use of the Esri Geodatabase (OpenFile Geodb) reader, which does not require a valid Esri product license to run.

2. Configure Workspace Settings

Click the drop-down arrow next to the Run icon and ensure the following settings are enabled:

• Enable Data Caching
• Prompt for Parameters

Next, click View > Windows and ensure the following are enabled:

• Navigator
• Data Preview
• Translation Log

These windows can be docked to the Workbench surround, or left as stand-alone windows.

3. Run the Workspace

Run the workspace by selecting the Run icon found in the main Workbench toolbar. With the Prompt for Parameters option enabled, the first action that occurs is the display of the Translation Parameters Values dialog with its single visible user parameter. 

This single parameter is linked to the geodatabase reader’s File Geodatabase parameter and was created by default when the reader was added to the canvas. FME readers and writers typically create user parameters linked to their source or destination dataset to allow users to point to their target datasets at runtime.

We will add to this Translation Parameters Values dialog by creating a visible user parameter that will allow users to specify a destination folder for the outputs of this workspace.

4. Create a New File/Folder/URL User Parameter

Right-click on the User Parameters node of the Navigator window, and select Manage User Parameters. The Parameter Manager dialog will pop open.

Select the green plus icon at the top left of the User Parameters Manager dialog to access the parameter type drop-down. 

Choose the File/Folder/URL parameter type. A new user parameter will appear in the left-side pane of the Parameter Manager, and its default definition will populate in the right-side pane.

With this new parameter highlighted in the left-side pane, configure the parameter definition in the right-side pane as follows:

• Parameter Identifier:  DEST_FOLDER
• Label:  Specify the destination folder for outputs
• Show Label: Enabled
• Required: Enabled
  • With this enabled, the parameter will have a red asterisk attached to it in the left-side list of the Parameter Manager
• Visibility: Always Show
  • With this parameter set to Always Show, we create a visible user parameter that can be configured by users at runtime
• Items to Select: Folders
• Access Mode: Write
• Value Assignment: Hide Parameter Menu Button

5. Preview Parameter

Select the Preview button, at bottom right of the Parameter Manager, to see how this new visible user parameter will look in the runtimeTranslation Parameters Values dialog.

The new File/Folder type published user parameter is denoted in the Translation Parameters Values dialog by its Label value, not by its Parameter Identifier value. The value of this new user parameter shows up highlighted in red, indicating that a value must be provided for it to allow this translation to run. 

Try selecting the file folder or drop-down arrow next to the new parameter’s value input box to see the functionality of this published parameter type. Users will be able to navigate to a desired destination folder for the CSV and MapInfo files that will be output by this workspace, right at runtime. 

Close the Parameter Manager and return to the main canvas. There should now be a second entry under the User Parameters node of the Navigation window, showing both the Parameter Identifier value and the Label value configured for the new File/Folder user parameter.

6. Add a MapInfo Writer

Type MITAB onto the canvas and double-click the Precicely MapInfo TAB (MITAB) [Writer] option.

In the Add Writer dialog that opens, leave the Dataset parameter blank and the Table Definition as Automatic. Click OK.

A Feature Type dialog will open. Set the table name parameter:

• Table Name: JoinedBikePaths

A new MITAB writer feature type will be added to the canvas. Connect this feature type to the top Sorter Sorted output port to have the joined bike path segments written to a MITAB file.

Now, have a look at the User Parameters node of the Navigator window. There should be a third user parameter listed, DestDataset_MITAB. This new user parameter is linked to the Dataset parameter of the newly added MITAB writer. This behavior is expected; adding a new reader or writer to a workspace will always result in the creation of a user parameter linked to the format’s Dataset (or similar) parameter.

7. Apply the DEST_FOLDER Parameter to the MITAB Writer

Right-click on the MITAB writer in the Navigator window and select Edit ‘<not set> [MITAB]’ Parameters. 

In the Edit dialog that opens, select the drop-down arrow to the right of the Destination MapInfo Folder parameter and choose User Parameter > DEST_FOLDER.  

Select OK in the Edit dialog, and watch the User Parameter node of the Navigator window. The user parameter that was auto-created when the MITAB writer was added to the canvas has been deleted, as the writer’s Destination MITAB Folder parameter is now referencing a different user parameter. 

This deletion illustrates a key point about user parameter management: if adjustments are made to a workspace such that a user parameter is no longer referenced somewhere in the workspace, the user parameter will be automatically deleted.  

This DEST_FOLDER user parameter can be applied to more than one location, so each output of a workspace can be written to the same user specified folder directory.

8. Add a CSV Writer

Add a CSV Writer and in the Add Writer dialog that opens, leave the Dataset parameter blank and the CSV File Definition as Automatic. Click OK.

A Feature Type dialog will open. Set the table name parameter:

• Table Name: BikePathStatistics 

A new CSV writer feature type will be added to the canvas. Connect this feature type to the bottom Sorter Sorted output port to have the bike path statistics written to a CSV file.

9. Apply the DEST_FOLDER Parameter to the CSV Writer

Right-click on the CSV writer in the Navigator window and select Edit ‘<not set> [CSV2]’ Parameters. 

In the Edit dialog that opens, select the drop-down arrow to the right of the Destination MapInfo Folder parameter and choose User Parameter > DEST_FOLDER. 

Now the DEST_FOLDER user parameter has be applied to two locations, so each output of the workspace will be written to the same user specified folder directory.

10. Run the Workspace

Select the Run icon in the top toolbar to initiate the translation. The Translation Parameters Values dialog will open. Leave the File Geodatabase parameter’s value as-is. Then, click on the ellipsis/file icon next to the DEST_FOLDER (Label: Specify the destination folder for outputs) parameter’s text box. Navigate to and select a folder where the written MITAB and CSV files can be stored.

Optionally, deselect Save As Parameter Default Values in the Translation Parameters Values dialog to ensure the selected folder path does not become the default value for this published parameter. This option is recommended if the workspace will be shared among many users to avoid errors associated with invalid parameter values on different machines/networks. 

Now click the Run button at the bottom right of the Translation Parameters Values dialog. Observe the translation log messages in the Translation Log window, watching for the Translation was SUCCESSFUL message. This workspace should result in 21 features being passed into each writer feature type and the MapInfo file and CSV file stored in the location specified by the DEST_FOLDER parameter value. 

This workspace is built upon in the next tutorial: Creating User Parameters with the Parameter Editor.

Additional Resources

User Parameters in FME Form [Article]

Creating User Parameters with the Parameter Editor [Article]

Precisely MapInfo TAB Reader/Writer [Documentation]

Creating and Modifying User Parameters [Documentation]

Data Attribution

The data used here originates from open data made available by the City of Vancouver, British Columbia. It contains information licensed under the Open Government License - Vancouver.