FME Flow Connector

Run FME Flow workspaces directly from QGIS — export layers, transform data, and load results back into your map or simply process and forget in FME Flow.

Version V0.0.1 QGIS 4.0+ FME Flow REST API v3 & v4

Quick start cheat sheet

FME Flow access — FME Flow must be installed locally or reachable on your network. Use the server root URL (e.g. http://your-fme-server); the plugin detects REST API v3 or v4 on connect.
QGIS 4.0+ and plugin — Install QGIS 4.0 or later and the FME Flow Connector plugin.
API token — Create a token in FME Flow (User Settings → Manage Tokens) or get one from your administrator. Tokens expire — renew them in time. Permissions needed: list/submit jobs and shared resources; for publishing also Resources: Create and Repository create + publish.
Template workspace (external) — Download QGISFMEFlowConnectorTemplate.fmw from GitHub. It is not bundled in the plugin zip. Adjust published parameters as needed.
Publish the workspace — Publish to a repository on FME Flow (default: qgisfmeflow, prefilled in the publish dialog), e.g. via Publish workspace / create folder… after connecting. Job Submitter is automatic — no separate registration step.
Transit folder — Folder qgis_fme_connector under Resources → Data (FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA). Path: $(FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA)/qgis_fme_connector/. The publish dialog can create it if missing.
Vector layer in QGIS — Select a vector layer in the connector before you run. On Run Workspace, the plugin converts it to GeoJSON (EPSG:4326) and uploads it to the transit folder — you do not export or upload the layer yourself.
Output parameter (return mode) — For Process and Return data to QGIS, the workspace must write to DestDataset_GEOJSON (not a hard-coded path elsewhere).
Run mode (optional) — Process and Return data to QGIS (load result into the map) or Process Layer in FME Flow Only (no download/layer in QGIS).
Connect and run — Server URL + token → Connect → select workspace → Run Workspace.

Requirements

QGIS 4.0 or later with the FME Flow Connector plugin installed.
FME Flow server reachable from your machine (local network or hosted). Supports REST API v3 (FME Flow 2025 and earlier) and REST API v4 (FME Flow 2025.1+, including 2026).
An API token with permission to list repositories, submit jobs, and access shared resources is required.
An FME workspace published to FME Flow with Job Submitter enabled.
Input and output published parameters configured for GeoJSON datasets (see FME Workspace Setup).

Tip: Use the server root URL (e.g. http://your-fme-server). On connect, the plugin automatically detects which REST API your server exposes — /fmeapiv4 (v4) or /fmerest/v3 (v3). You do not need to add the API path to the URL yourself.

How It Works

The main dialog communicates with FME Flow using this pipeline:

QGIS vector layer → Export GeoJSON (EPSG:4326) → Upload to FME shared resources → Submit job via Job Submitter → Poll until complete → (Return mode) Download result GeoJSON → (Return mode) Load as QGIS layer

Run modes

On the Parameters tab, choose how the plugin handles the job result after FME Flow finishes:

Mode	Behaviour
Process and Return data to QGIS (default)	Submit via Job Submitter, wait for completion, download the output GeoJSON from shared resources, and load it into your QGIS project.
Process Layer in FME Flow Only	Submit via Job Submitter, wait for completion, and notify you when the job finishes. No result is downloaded and no layer is added to QGIS — output stays wherever your workspace writes it (database, file share, email, etc.).

Your run mode choice is saved in QSettings (FMEFlowV2/run_mode) and restored each time you open the dialog.

NOTE — Registered services list: The list of services shown on the Parameters tab is for information purposes only. It displays which FME Flow services the workspace is registered with (e.g. Job Submitter, Data Streaming, Data Download). Regardless of that list, the plugin always submits jobs using Job Submitter via the REST API (v3 or v4, detected automatically on connect). Job Submitter is available for every published workspace on FME Flow, so the plugin lets you run a workspace even when the services list is empty (for example, a workspace freshly published via Publish workspace / create folder… may not report any services yet, but still runs correctly).

REST API compatibility

The Plugin supports both FME Flow REST API v4 and v3. On connect it will detect which version is available and the information will be saved per server in QSettings so the next connection reuses it. Use the Re-detect button next to Connect to clear the saved version and probe the server again.

API	FME Flow versions	Base path
v4	2025.1, 2026+ (current)	`/fmeapiv4`
v3	2025 and earlier	`/fmerest/v3`

Step	What happens
Export	The selected QGIS layer is written to GeoJSON and reprojected to WGS 84 (EPSG:4326).
Upload	The GeoJSON file is uploaded to `$(FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA)/qgis_fme_connector/` on FME Flow.
Submit	A job is submitted via the Job Submitter service using the detected REST API (v4: `POST /jobs`; v3: `POST /transformations/submit/{repository}/{workspace}`).
Output	In Process and Return mode, the workspace writes its result to a known output path; the plugin downloads it and adds it to the QGIS project. In Process Layer in FME Flow Only mode, this download step is skipped.

Main Dialog

Open the dialog from the FMETools toolbar or FME Platform Connectors → FME Flow Connector. The window title shows FME Flow Connector V0.0.1.

Dark / Light mode

Use the theme toggle in the top bar to switch between dark and light UI. Your preference is saved automatically.

Layer picker

Select the active vector layer in the top-right combo box. It is exported and sent to FME Flow when you run a workspace.

Step-by-step

Connect — Enter your FME Flow server URL and API token, then click Connect. Repositories and workspaces load in the left sidebar. Use Re-detect (next to Connect) to clear the saved REST API version for this server and connect again.
Select a workspace — Click a workspace in the tree. Registered services, run mode, parameters, and workspace details appear in the main panel.
Choose run mode — On the Parameters tab, select Process and Return data to QGIS (default) or Process Layer in FME Flow Only. Your choice is remembered between sessions.
Configure parameters — Fill in any published parameters your workspace requires. The registered services list above is informational only — runs always use Job Submitter.
Choose output (optional) — In return mode, leave the output path blank to load the result as a scratch layer, or set a file path to save the GeoJSON locally. The output field is disabled in Process Layer in FME Flow Only mode.
Run — Click ▶ Run Workspace (return mode) or ▶ Submit to FME Flow (process only). Progress and log messages appear on the Output Log tab. In return mode, the result layer is added to your QGIS project when complete.

Tabs

Parameters — Registered services (informational), run mode, published parameters, and optional output file path.
Details — Workspace metadata from FME Flow (author, build, datasets).
History — Recent run times, workspace names, and status.
Output Log — Step-by-step execution log including job ID and status updates.
Documentation — This user guide, embedded in the dialog (includes developer information).

Publish Workspace

Once connected, the Publish workspace / create folder… button in the left sidebar (below Refresh) lets you set up FME Flow for the connector without leaving QGIS. It can, in a single step:

Create the shared transit folder (qgis_fme_connector) under FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA if it does not already exist.
Create the target repository if it does not exist.
Publish a template workspace (.fmw) that you select from your machine to that repository.

Where to get the .fmw: The template workspace is not bundled with the plugin. Download QGISFMEFlowConnectorTemplate.fmw from GitHub to your machine, then pick it with the Browse… button in the publish dialog. Only download over HTTPS and verify its integrity before publishing.

Publish dialog fields

Field	Purpose
Connected server	Read-only — shows the server root and detected REST API version.
Repository	Target repository, prefilled from the ones already loaded. Type a new name to create one.
Create repository if missing	When on (default), creates the repository if it does not exist.
Workspace (.fmw)	The template workspace to upload — choose it with Browse….
Transit folder name	Folder created under `FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA` (defaults to `qgis_fme_connector`).
Create transit folder if missing	When on (default), creates the transit folder if it does not exist.
Overwrite workspace if it exists	When on (default), re-publishing replaces an existing workspace of the same name.

Click Publish to run the work on a background thread (the UI never freezes). When it finishes, a summary of what was created/published is shown and the workspace tree refreshes so the new workspace appears.

NOTE — Job Submitter is automatic: Any published workspace is immediately runnable through the Job Submitter service — no extra service-registration step is needed. Only Data Download / Streaming services require separate registration.

Token permissions: Creating the folder needs Resources: Create; creating the repository and publishing need Repository create + publish. If you see a 401/403 error, the dialog points you at these permissions.

Idempotent by design

Existence is checked first, so re-running the publish is safe: an existing folder or repository is treated as success (HTTP 409 Already exists is not an error), and the workspace is only overwritten when you opt in.

FME Workspace Setup

Your FME workspace must be configured to work with the connector's upload/download pipeline. A template workspace is available as QGISFMEFlowConnectorTemplate.fmw on GitHub.

Published parameters

Input — A GeoJSON source parameter (commonly SourceDataset_GEOJSON) receives the uploaded file path from shared resources.
Output — A GeoJSON destination parameter (DestDataset_GEOJSON) must write to the path provided by the plugin: $(FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA)/qgis_fme_connector/output_*.geojson

FME Flow registration

Publish the workspace to a repository on FME Flow — either from FME Workbench, or directly from the plugin using Publish workspace / create folder….
No manual service registration is required: workspaces are runnable via the Job Submitter service automatically.
Ensure the API token has access to shared resources (FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA).

Important: The workspace must write its output GeoJSON to the DestDataset_GEOJSON published parameter. If the output path is hard-coded elsewhere, the plugin will not be able to download the result.

Troubleshooting

Connection failed

Verify the server URL is reachable in a browser.
Check the API token is valid and not expired.
Confirm firewall rules allow HTTPS/HTTP to FME Flow.
On FME Flow 2026+, ensure v4 is available at /fmeapiv4/docs/index.html. A 404 on /fmerest/v3 is expected — the plugin falls back to v4 automatically.
Repositories such as Dashboards or Automations Exercises contain no runnable workspaces — the plugin skips them silently instead of failing the whole connection.

Job submitted but no output layer

If you selected Process Layer in FME Flow Only, no layer is expected — check the Output Log for the completion message.
In Process and Return mode, check the Output Log for download errors.
Ensure the FME workspace writes to DestDataset_GEOJSON.
Verify the output file exists on FME Flow shared resources under qgis_fme_connector/.

Upload or submit errors

Confirm the token can write to FME_SHAREDRESOURCE_DATA.
Job Submitter is automatic for every published workspace — no manual registration is required. If a run fails, check the Output Log for the actual FME Flow error rather than the services list.
Review published parameter names — the plugin auto-detects the GeoJSON input parameter.

Current Version

The plugin current version V0.0.1 (experimental)

About

FME Flow Connector

Developed by GIS Innovation Sdn Bhd