Adding an item to the extended or collection metadata field drop-down list (Bathymetry Solution)

Once you have created at least one BIS geodatabase, you can link bathymetry data to the BIS geodatabase and associate metadata to the bathymetry data.

ArcGIS for Maritime: Bathymetry allows you to add new metadata fields to or retire existing metadata fields from the Manage Collections and Add Bathymetry dialog boxes and the Explore Bathymetry and Compose Surface windows. In addition to adding and retiring fields, you can append a new selection to a drop-down menu and add validation rules to ensure the metadata values meet your business rule requirements.

For example, you can add extra sensors to a sensor field or add names to a captain field for a particular survey vessel. The following steps provide an example of how to add an item to the vessel drop-down menu within the Explore Bathymetry window. These steps can be applied to any extended or collection metadata drop-down list that displays in the Add Bathymetry and Manage Collections dialog boxes and the Explore Bathymetry and Compose Surface windows.

Ideally, you should add the new item before associating a BAG file with a BIS geodatabase. However, if you want this new item to appear as an option in the drop-down list for BAG files already associated with the BIS geodatabase, you will need to use the Edit Metadata tool accessible from the Explore Bathymetry dialog box.

If you use multiple BIS geodatabases that require custom metadata, you will need to make changes to the metadata files for each of those BIS geodatabases.

You should make backups of your metadata XML files before making any major configuration changes. This will prevent you from jeopardizing the BIS tool functionality in ArcMap in the event of an XML formatting mistake. It is highly recommended that you place the metadata XML files in a networked or shared location so all BIS users can benefit from the configuration changes.

Note:

You must modify the XML file through a third-party XML editing application. Esri does not endorse or promote any particular XML editing or viewing application, but it is highly recommended that you choose an XML editing application with XML format validation. The tools will not function if your modifications result in an invalid XML format.

Steps:

1. Start ArcMap.
2. On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Bathymetry.
3. Click the Manage BIS Settings button on the Bathymetry toolbar.

   The Manage BIS Settings dialog box appears. The settings for your active BIS geodatabases are shown in the dialog box.
4. Locate the Metadata settings location property.

   This is where the BisDatasetExtMetadataDef.xml, BisCollectionExtMetadataDef.xml, and ONSBagInternalMetadataDef.xml configuration files are stored. These are the files you will need to modify to configure the BIS metadata field display.

5. In Windows Explorer, navigate to your metadata settings location.
   Tip:

   Before performing the steps that follow, it is strongly recommended that you create a backup of your metadata XML file.

6. Open the metadata XML file with a third-party XML editing application.

   In this example, use BisDatasetExtMetadataDef to add an item to the vessel drop-down list.

7. Locate the attribute to which you want to add an item.

   In this example, it is title="Vessel" under the second BisExtMetadataDefinitionField element block.

8. Locate the <EnumValues> tag block located within the xmlDataRestriction element block.

   There should be multiple <EnumValue> children element tags listed under the <EnumValues> parent element. The <EnumValue> tags store the drop-down list values.

9. Create an empty space under the last EnumValue empty element tag for your new enumerated value.
10. Type the following to create a new EnumValue node within the space you just created.
    <EnumValue id="" text="" />
    

    Tip:

    To streamline the adding field process within the XML file, you might find it faster to copy an existing string field's element block, paste it, then modify the applicable attributes. This approach will also reduce the possibility of formatting errors.

11. For the id attribute, type the next numeric value based on the above EnumValue id within the double quotation marks.

    The id values start at 0. In this example, you would type:

    id="3"
    

    Tip:

    The id values are 0 based; if you are adding a new set of enumerated values, make sure the first item holds an id = 0.

12. For the text attribute, type an appropriate name for the new vessel, such as:
    text="enumerated description"
    

    Tip:

    If you need to remove a drop-down list item, don’t delete the <EnumValue> tag since this will cause problems with the BIS metadata storage system. Instead of deleting the tag, add deprecated to the end of the text description.

    Example:

    text=”enumerated description (deprecated)”
    

    This will show that the specific item is no longer valid.

13. Save the metadata XML file.
14. Close the third-party XML editing application.
15. Close ArcMap.
    Note:

    Metadata will not update dynamically within your ArcMap interface. You will need to close and restart ArcMap to see the applied changes.

16. Start ArcMap.
17. Click the Explore Bathymetry button on the Bathymetry toolbar.

    The Explore Bathymetry window appears. The right side of the window lists all the unfiltered bathymetry datasets from the active BIS geodatabase.
18. Click the Vessel drop-down arrow.

The new vessel item is listed as an option.