Common questions

Listed below are questions or issues that you may face when working with Portal for ArcGIS and some recommended solutions.

General

Sharing content

Map viewer

Why can't I see layer packages or other files used in ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS Explorer Desktop?

By default, the portal website only shows you content that can be opened in a web browser. To see layer packages and other desktop content in search results, groups, and the gallery, set the site to show all content. Click the arrow to the right of Show: Web Content Only at the top of the website and click All Content from the drop-down list. For more information, see Finding content for ArcGIS desktop products.

What can I share?

You can share web maps, data layers and data files, web and mobile applications, and geographic tools. For a list of supported items, see What can you add to your portal?

What is the difference between a web map and a web application within the context of the website?

An ArcGIS web map is a set of informational layers and pop-up windows covering a certain geographic area. The web map is interchangeable such that it can be viewed in a browser, mobile device, or desktop application. You can use application-specific tools to change the web map extent, find places, and see detailed data about a location.

You build a web map by defining an area of interest, choosing a basemap, adding data layers, and configuring pop-up windows. You can save maps and share them with everybody or with specific groups to which you belong.

A web application is a website that combines maps, data, and tools for a targeted use such as finding polling stations for an election. It might be as simple as a navigable map image embedded in a blog or as complex as a GPS navigation visualization.

Web applications can be based on templates (included with the portal) or developed from scratch using the ArcGIS APIs. Both of these types of applications can plug in ArcGIS web maps. In general, applications are constructed from information in web maps, then supplemented with specific configurations and customizations. Applications can be hosted as a part of your content in the system or they can be managed independently and registered with the system.

I don't see an option to publish to my organization's portal using ArcGIS for Desktop.

The following criteria must be met in order to publish to your organization's portal using ArcGIS for Desktop:

  • ArcGIS for Desktop must be connected to the correct portal. By default, ArcGIS for Desktop connects to ArcGIS Online. You'll need to use the ArcGIS Administrator to connect to your organization's portal. For full instructions, see Managing portal connections from ArcGIS for Desktop.
  • You must be signed in to your organization's portal in ArcMap. You can quickly check to see if you are signed in by clicking the File menu. If you see the Sign In option available, you are not signed in. To learn more, see Signing in to Portal for ArcGIS from ArcMap.
  • You must be a member of the publisher or administrator role in your organization's portal. Only members in the publisher or administrator role can publish services to the portal. You can check your member role by signing in to the portal website and selecting your name. This opens your member profile and will reveal your role in the organization.
  • Your organization's portal must be configured with a hosting server. A hosting server allows portal members to publish tiled map and feature services to the portal. If no hosting server is present, you will not see My Hosted Services listed when publishing in ArcMap and you will not be able to publish hosted services to the portal. Contact your organization's portal administrator to determine if a hosting server has been configured. To learn more about hosted services, see What are Portal for ArcGIS hosted services?

What types of content can I share?

You can share different types of maps, data, and applications, such as web maps, layer packages, and web applications. For a complete list of the different types of items you can share, see What can you add to your portal?

Can I share a URL of my map or application?

Yes. Content items, search results, and groups can be accessed directly by a URL. For more information on sharing URLs, see Linking to content.

What happened to the layer packages and other ArcGIS for Desktop files I shared? I no longer see them.

The items are still in the website. However, you may have to change the site setting to show ArcGIS desktop content. By default, the site only shows web content in search results, groups, and the gallery. This means that if you haven't set the site to show desktop content, your layer packages and other data files won't appear in search results or your groups. For more information, see Finding content for ArcGIS desktop products.

What kinds of layers can I add to a map?

You can add ArcGIS Server services, OGC (WMS) services, and KML documents. You can also add features you create with the map viewer and features from a delimited text file or GPX file on your computer. You cannot add layer packages or other types of ArcGIS for Desktop content. For more information, see What layers can you add to your map?

What's the difference between features stored in the map and features stored in a feature service layer?

Features stored in the map come from map notes or a CSV file and can only be edited by the map author. Features from feature service layers are streamed from a web service and can be edited by users if the service administrator allows it. For more information, see About editing features.

What's the best way to add features to a map?

It depends. If you have large amounts of data and you have access to ArcGIS for Server, an effective approach is to create a feature service and add it as a layer to your map. You should also add feature service layers if you want others to edit the features and their attribute information. By default, your features will be editable for anybody viewing your map.

If you do not have access to ArcGIS for Server or if you only want to add a handful of features, add a map notes layer with the map viewer. It is easy to create a few features this way, and the map viewer provides several templates from which you can pick shapes and symbols. However, it's not practical to add large numbers of features since you have to create each one within the map viewer—you cannot, for example, upload a file of predefined features. These layers are read-only, so others cannot change the features or edit related attribute information. For more information, see Adding map notes.

If you have features in a delimited text file (.txt or .csv) or a GPS Exchange Format file (.gpx), you can import them into your map. This is a convenient way to add features you have stored in a file on your computer. Once you've added them to your map, you can change the symbols and configure pop-up windows. For more information, see Adding layers from files.

If your file contains many features, you should place it on a web server and reference it through a URL using Add Layer from Web, rather than importing it directly into the map.

How can I tell if a map is time enabled?

If you see a time slider at the bottom of a map, that map includes one or more temporal layers, and you can play the map to see how the information changes over time.

What's the difference between Save and Save As?

Save updates an existing map you own. Save As creates a copy of the map, and you see the original Save Map window where you can update the title, tags, and so on. You save a copy of any map that is not owned by you; you cannot update an existing one you do not own.

What is the difference between building a map with an ArcGIS Web API and using the map viewer to make a map?

Think of the map viewer as a canvas onto which you can easily mash up different mapping web services that interest you. Once you've created a web map, you can share it with other portal users or embed it in an app. This might be an app that you wrote using the ArcGIS Web APIs or if you have little programming experience it could be a preconfigured app such as the portal's web application templates.

The ArcGIS Web APIs can also be used to build a mashup from scratch without starting in the map viewer. This involves more code and layer management by the developer.

3/24/2014