Troubleshooting

Listed below are issues you may encounter when working with the portal website and some recommended solutions.

Website

Map

Publishing hosted services

Content

ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS Explorer Desktop

I receive a software authorization error when I try to add a new member to the portal.

Portal for ArcGIS is licensed to allow a specific number of members. If the portal already has the maximum number of members for which it is licensed, no new accounts can be added, and you will see the message Unable to create a new account because of a software authorization error. Contact your Portal for ArcGIS administrator for assistance. Your portal administrator must either obtain a new license or remove existing members before any new ones can be added.

I receive a software authorization error when I try to sign in to my portal.

Portal for ArcGIS is licensed to allow a specific number of members. If portal members exceed that number, you will receive this message the next time you try to sign in to your portal: Unable to sign in because of a software authorization error. Contact your Portal for ArcGIS administrator for assistance. Your portal administrator must either obtain a new license or remove members from the portal.

When searching for layers to add to a map, only services are listed.

You can search for and add map, image, and feature services, OGC WMS, and KML. Other layer types, such as layer packages, are not supported. For more information, see Searching for layers.

When searching for layers to add to a map, not all of my organization's services are listed in the search results.

If you have already added a service layer to your map, only services that intersect the extent of the service are listed in the search results.

The date and time in a pop-up window do not match the date and time in the underlying data.

Servers store dates in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Web browsers convert the date to local time. For example, if you look at a time field in a pop-up window and you are located in California during standard daylight time, what you see is 8 hours earlier (UTC-8) than the time in the data. This offset might affect the date as well. If you look at a pop-up window with data from 7/7/2011 12:00 a.m., you see 7/6/2011 5:00 p.m.

When printing a map, some layers are missing.

Depending on how your administrator has configured the print service, certain types of layers may not appear on a printed map. Contact your administrator for further information. Additionally, if you print a map using your browser print button, many other layers and logos may be missing as well. Use the Print button on the map viewer for the most complete and well-formatted maps.

The map is missing a legend.

You will not see a legend for basemaps and OGC WMTS layers. You will also not see a legend for layers that are not accessible externally or that the map author has hidden.

The map legend is different from the legend I created in my map service layer.

Legends for map service layers may not match the legend in the map viewer. This typically happens when the legend in the map viewer becomes out of sync with the symbology in the layer. For example, the layer author has changed the symbology in the service but the map viewer still displays the older symbology. Often the map viewer displays the latest legend after 30 minutes. Layer authors may need to clear the REST cache of the map service to see the legend updates in the map viewer. Internet Explorer 7 may store legend information infinitely. The layer author can trigger an update to the legend by changing to the layers in the map service, for example, by renaming a layer or reordering the layers.

I cannot reorder a layer in the map's contents.

Layers are always displayed on top of a basemap, and feature layers are always displayed on top of tileset layers (map, image, and tiled map services). Depending on the type of layers you have in your map, you may not be able to move them all up or down. For example, if you have one map service layer and three feature layers, you can reorder the feature layers, but you cannot move the map service layer on top of them. You cannot reorder a KML layer or a basemap.

I lost the web map I was working on.

You may lose your web map in the following scenarios: adding a secure service, signing in with an organizational account, or navigating away from the map viewer when the web map is too large for your browser to cache (generally, larger than 2.5 MB, except with IE7 [64 KB] and IE8 [530 KB]). To help prevent this, sign in before you start working, periodically save your map, especially if you add a large amount of data, and if you plan to add secure services, change the map viewer URL to HTTPS and add the secure services first.

The time slider does not appear in a map with a time-aware layer.

Time-aware layers are not supported in KML documents, embedded maps, and layers from a file. The time slider does not appear in these cases.

There is no option to use my layer as a basemap.

ArcGIS Server services, OGC WMS, OGC WMTS, and tile layers can be used as your basemap. Layers from a file, KML services, and map notes layers you create in the map viewer cannot be used as basemaps.

When I use my own basemap, some of the zoom levels in my basemap are missing on the map.

This happens because the map displays the zoom levels of the current basemap, for example, the World Topographic basemap. To see the additional zoom levels in the basemap you've added, save your map, close the map viewer page (for example, go to the Gallery), then reopen the map. The additional zoom levels appear.

My basemap is unavailable, so none of my web map content appears.

The map viewer can't display layers in a map without a working basemap because the basemap establishes the coordinate system of the map. Once you save a web map with a basemap, the map viewer only uses that basemap; it doesn't revert to a default basemap if yours is unavailable. You can repair your web map by using a different basemap as long as the spatial reference of the bad and new basemap are the same. Repair your map by choosing a different basemap from the gallery or using the URL parameter basemapURL. For more information about using the basemapURL, see Using URL parameters.

When I add an OGC WMS or OGC WMTS layer to my map, I get an error that the layer's coordinate system doesn't align with that of the basemap.

This error message usually appears if you added layers to your map, then add an OGC WMS or OGC WMTS layer that isn't in Web Mercator, the projection of the basemaps in the map viewer gallery. Create a new map and add your OGC layer first. If your layer is in GCS WGS84, the map viewer uses the GCS WGS84 World Imagery basemap. If your OGC layer is in a coordinate system other than Web Mercator or GCS WGS84, your layer is used as the basemap. Now you can add additional layers.

The layer I added from the web doesn't display on the map.

Tiled map services that use aerial imagery may not display on the map if you are using a Web Mercator basemap (which is the projection of the basemaps in the Gallery) and the service is not in Web Mercator. To display the layer, use it as the basemap or display it on top of a basemap that is in the same projection as the tiled map service.

My map service layer does not appear in the map viewer at the same scales for which I’ve cached tiles.

The map viewer honors the minimum and maximum scale set in services created with ArcGIS 10.2. You can adjust these scales in ArcGIS for Desktop.

Some features are missing from my map.

If you imported data from a file, there are limitations on how many features the map viewer displays. For text files (.txt or .csv), the first 1,000 rows of features are displayed. If you use Internet Explorer 7 or 8, the first 750 rows of features are displayed. For a GPS Exchange Format (.gpx) file, the first 1,000 layers of features are displayed. If you added a KML document, features from placemarks, network links, ground overlays without refresh properties, folders, and extended data are displayed. Other features are not supported at this time.

When I drag a CSV file onto the map, I get a message similar to the following: Operation aborted: too many rows failed.

If 100 or more of the addresses in the file are not formatted properly for the geocode service to identify their location on the map, none of the addresses will be added to the map. Fix or remove the improperly formatted addresses and try again.

I am having issues working with web maps in Internet Explorer 7 and 8.

For the best performance viewing and creating web maps, it is recommended you use the latest version of Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer 7 and 8 are supported but have performance limitations when working with web maps. For example, you cannot drag and drop files onto the map, fewer features can be displayed, and you may lose your work if you leave the map viewer window without saving. If you need to use IE 7 or 8, installing Google Chrome Frame may improve your experience. The free Chrome plug-in allows your older browser to take advantage of newer web technologies in applications such as the map viewer.

When I view a web map, I see a message that I need to enable web storage.

The website leverages the web storage capabilities (similar to cookies) of the browser to temporarily store changes made to the map until you save the map. If web storage is disabled, the map will not function properly. See the steps below to enable web storage in your browser.

Internet Explorer 7

  1. Open the Tools menu, click Internet Options, then click the Security tab.
  2. Under Select a zone to view or change security settings, click Internet and click Custom Level.
  3. In Settings under the Miscellaneous section, click Enable under Userdata persistence and click OK.
  4. Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm you want to change the security settings for this zone.
  5. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box and close all Internet Explorer windows.

Internet Explorer 8 and 9

  1. Open the Tools menu, click Internet Options, then click the Advanced tab.
  2. Under the Security section, check Enable DOM Storage and click OK.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. In the address bar, type about:config to view the browser settings.
  2. Scroll to dom.storage.enabled.
  3. Right-click the setting and click Toggle to set dom.storage.enabled to true.

Google Chrome

  1. Click the wrench icon and click Options.
  2. On a Windows machine, select Options. Select Preferences on a Mac or Linux machine. Select Settings on a Chromebook.
  3. Click the Under the Hood tab.
  4. Click Content settings and under Cookies, select Allow local data to be set.

Safari

  1. Click the wheel icon and click Private Browsing to turn off private browsing. You see a check mark next to Private Browsing if it is on.

I cannot edit features I've added to my map.

When a feature service is published, the publisher determines what, if any, edit operations can be performed through the feature service. Be sure the feature service is editable. Also, features from time-aware layers and OGC WMS layers cannot be edited in the map viewer.

I do not see an option to configure pop-up windows even though I know my service has feature data in it.

The map viewer does not support editing or displaying pop-up windows on OGC WMS or OGC WMTS services. Configuring pop-up windows on KML layers is not supported; any feature data in the KML layer is automatically displayed (you cannot disable or configure them).

Pop-up windows don't appear in maps I've created.

The map viewer does not support displaying pop-up windows on OGC WMS or OGC WMTS layers. For ArcGIS Server service layers, you need to share your service in the portal for the pop-up windows to appear in your maps. If you share your map service with groups you belong to, and not everybody (public), only group members will see your pop-up windows.

I cannot remove pop-up windows on a layer in the map.

You can remove pop-up windows on a map service layer you have previously enabled and on features from a delimited text file or GPX file. You cannot remove pop-up windows for ArcGIS Server feature service layers, map notes layers created in the map viewer, or KML layers.

I do not see an option to save item properties on a layer I've updated in the map viewer.

You can only save item properties on service layers you have added.

Number fields from a CSV on the web do not import correctly into the web map.

If you are adding a CSV from the web that uses periods as decimals but your language is set to a system that expects commas for decimals, your number fields may not display correctly. The decimal characters in your file should match the format your system language expects. For example, if your system is set to English, your file should use periods as decimals. If your system is set to French, your file should use commas as decimals.

A blank map is displayed when I open certain Bing Maps in the map viewer.

If you encounter this, click New Map in the map viewer, and follow the steps in Adding layers from the web to add a Bing Basemap to the map. Be aware that your portal administrator must configure your portal to use a Bing Maps key for you to use Bing Maps.

I can't sign in to Twitter when viewing the Chrome - Twitter or Social Media web application templates in Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer does not support Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS), which is required to sign in to Twitter. Alternatively, you can use Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Apple Safari, as these browsers support CORS and will allow you to sign in.

I cannot publish a hosted tiled map service from a hosted feature service.

This functionality is not supported when using Portal for ArcGIS.

I cannot publish my .txt file as a hosted feature service.

CSV files must be formatted and saved as .csv. Other text files are not supported.

I want to update my hosted service.

If you enabled editing on a hosted feature service, you can edit the features and their display in the map viewer. For more information, see About editing features.

If you published a hosted feature service from the portal website, you should delete the feature service and related file from My Content, and add the updated feature file to My Content. This will create a new hosted feature service. If you use the Update option in the feature file item details page, only the file will be updated; the hosted feature service will not be updated.

Publishing hosted map services takes a long time.

In general, the time it takes to render the tiles for a particular map is based on the spatial extent of the map to be cached and the number of layers in the map, as well as the load on the system at the time the map is being processed. The system is designed to scale automatically (by adding machines) as load increases. However, lags are possible in cases where the system experiences drastic load.

When I attempt to publish a hosted feature or tiled map service to the portal, publishing fails with the message ERROR 001369: Failed to create the service. Failed to execute (PublishServiceDefinition). Failed to execute (Publish Portal Service).

If the name of the service you attempt to publish contains language characters that do not match the character set configured for the hosting server's managed database, publishing will fail. The language of the characters used in the service name must match the character set configured for the database.

To work around this issue, rename the service to use the same language characters used by the database. Contact your portal administrator to determine which character set has been configured with the hosting server's managed database.

When I try to open service properties for my hosted services in ArcGIS for Desktop, I receive the error message Cannot view or edit service properties. Please try to access the service properties through the server directly.

If the service was created in the portal website, you cannot view the service properties from the My Hosted Services node in the Catalog tree. You can view the service properties by connecting to the hosting server in ArcGIS for Desktop, or view the service properties directly in the portal website.

I cannot see layer packages or other files used in ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS Explorer Desktop.

By default, the 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 website to show all content. Click the arrow to the right of Show: Web Content Only at the top of the website, then click All Content from the drop-down list. For more information, see Finding content for ArcGIS desktop products.

When updating a layer package or map package in My Content, the image is updated even when I select keep item properties.

When you update a layer package or map package, the item properties thumbnail is reset to the thumbnail in the package. This occurs even if you choose to preserve the item properties on the server. After you update the item, you need to reupload the image you want to appear on the item details page.

I was prompted for a login when opening a layer package.

When opening a package that has been shared with a group but not made public, you are prompted (through a pop-up dialog box) to enter your portal website user name and password. The dialog box includes an option to save your login information, which allows you to open shared packages without reentering your user name and password.

Opening a globe layer or service referencing a globe service returns an error message in ArcMap.

By default, the portal website opens globe layers and services in ArcMap and you receive an error message. To successfully open these items, you must have ArcGlobe open and ArcMap closed on your machine.

I cannot add an ArcGIS Server image service that I found in the portal website into ArcGIS for Desktop.

Image services created with ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.1 do not open correctly from the portal website. To open a 9.3.1 image service in ArcGIS for Desktop, it is best to make a connection in the Catalog window directly to the server on which the service resides.

  1. Open the Details page for the image service you want to work with and click the Map Contents link.
  2. Copy the first part of the URL of the Map Contents page, up to and including the word services.
  3. Open the Add ArcGIS Server dialog box inside the Catalog window and paste that string into the Server URL field.
  4. Delete the /rest part of the string so it has this format: http://gisserver:6080/arcgis/services. Click OK. You can now browse to any of the services on that server and add them into your maps.

When I click Open and the Open in ArcGIS for Desktop option to add a map service I find in the portal website into ArcGIS for Desktop or ArcGIS Explorer, the service doesn't work. For example, in ArcMap, I see a new layer is added, but it is broken and doesn't draw. The service draws okay if I click Open in map viewer, so I know the server hosting the map service is up and running.

This is a REST configuration issue on the ArcGIS Server hosting the map service. It is causing the LYR files that are automatically generated when you click Open in ArcGIS Desktop to use the internal URL to the server rather than the external URL. This same issue also causes the View in ArcMap and View in ArcGIS Explorer links to fail on the REST Services Directory page for the map service. This can only be fixed by the administrator of the ArcGIS Server hosting the map service.

If you want to use services from a server that has this issue, you can still add the map service into your map or globe in ArcGIS for Desktop or ArcGIS Explorer Desktop by making a connection directly to the server by following the steps below:

  1. Open the Details page for the map service you want to work with and click the Map Contents link.
  2. Copy the first part of the URL of the Map Contents page, up to and including the word services, and delete the /rest part of the string so it has this format: http://gisserver:6080/arcgis/services.
  3. Open the Add ArcGIS Server dialog box inside the Catalog window and paste the string into the Server URL field. Within ArcGIS Explorer Desktop, open the Add Content dialog box and paste the string into the GIS Services field. You are now connected to the server.
  4. Browse to the map service you want to work with.
  5. You could also contact the owner of the server and let him or her know that this configuration issue needs to be fixed.

I receive a software authorization error when I try to sign in to my portal from ArcGIS for Desktop.

Portal for ArcGIS is licensed to allow a specific number of members. If portal members exceed that number, you will receive this message the next time you try to sign in to your portal from ArcGIS for Desktop: Error signing on to Portal for ArcGIS. Unable to sign in user because of software authorization error. Please contact your Portal for ArcGIS administrator for assistance. Your portal administrator must either obtain a new license or remove members from the portal.

Why is the option to sign in to Portal for ArcGIS inactive in ArcMap if I am not connected to my network, even though my portal and ArcMap are installed on the same machine?

ArcGIS for Desktop expects to communicate with Portal for ArcGIS over a network. If you are running both ArcGIS for Desktop and Portal for ArcGIS on the same machine and need to connect while you are offline, select the Support connecting to local portal with no network option when connecting in ArcGIS Administrator.

  1. Start ArcGIS Administrator on the machine where ArcGIS for Desktop and Portal for ArcGIS are installed, and click Advanced.
  2. Check the box next to Support connecting to local portal with no network.
  3. Click Save to close the Advanced Configuration dialog box.
  4. Click OK to close ArcGIS Administrator.

When Portal for ArcGIS and ArcGIS for Desktop are running on a network that does not have access to your certificate authority, adding the portal in ArcGIS Administrator fails with a message that Portal for ArcGIS is not running or—if the portal was added before access to the certificate authority was lost—the option to sign in to the portal from ArcMap is not available.

ArcMap uses Internet Explorer to communicate with the portal. By default, Internet Explorer checks with your portal's certificate authority to confirm your SSL certificate is still valid. If Internet Explorer cannot contact the certificate authority to confirm its validity, you will not be able to connect ArcMap to the portal.

If your network will be without Internet access or cannot access your domain's certificate authority, you can change the Internet security settings on the machines where ArcGIS for Desktop is installed so they will not attempt to check the validity of the SSL certificate. Go to the Advanced tab of the machine's Internet Options dialog box. Scroll down to Security settings, and uncheck Check for server certificate revocation. You must restart the machine for this change to take effect.

For security purposes, be sure to turn this setting back on when your machine has access to the certificate authority again.

Copyright © 1995-2014 Esri. All rights reserved.
3/24/2014