Quick Start guide to the ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight

This topic provides an overview of getting started with the ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight including starting the application, changing the basemap, adding layers, and deploying the application.

Start the Application Builder

Once you have installed the ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight, open the Application Builder as follows:

  1. Click the Start menu > All Programs > ArcGIS > ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight. This opens the Application Builder component of ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight in your default browser.
  2. In the browser window, click Create New Application.

Select a map

To create your Viewer application, you must first choose a map. You can create a New Map, which includes a configurable basemap and options for adding layers, or you can create a map based on an existing Web Map from ArcGIS Online.

Choose a Map dialog box

Create a new map

To create a Viewer application using a new map, click the Open link next to the default map in the New Map section. This map contains only a single Topographic basemap layer from which you can begin building your Viewer application. Once you load this map, you can change the basemap and add operational layers as desired.

Create a map from an existing web map

To create a map from an existing ArcGIS Online web map, click the Open link next to the desired map in the Web Maps section. By default, the Featured Maps from ArcGIS Online show. Use the tabs at the bottom of the Web Maps section to select from Recent maps or Search for a particular map.

To view content associated with your ArcGIS Online account, click the Sign In link in the upper right corner of the application, then select Sign In To ArcGIS Online from the menu that appears. On the dialog box that, specify your ArcGIS Online credentials and click Sign In.

ArcGIS Online Sign In dialog box

Once you have signed in, additional tabs for My Maps and My Groups appear at the bottom of the Web Maps section. These can be used to browse to and use content associated with your account.

Web Maps - signed in to ArcGIS Online

Click Open on any of the Web Maps to use it as a starting point for creating a new Viewer application.

NoteNote:

Customizations made in your Viewer application while working with a Web Map do not alter the original Web Map on ArcGIS Online.

Configure your application

Once you have created a new map, the Application Builder appears and the Getting Started dialog box displays in the lower right corner. Click any of the Show Me buttons on the Getting Started dialog box to highlight the area in the application. If you want to disable the Getting Started dialog box, check the Disable Getting Started check box in the bottom left corner. Close the Getting Started dialog box by clicking the Close (X) button in the upper right corner of the dialog box.

Application Builder with Getting Started

When you first start using the Application Builder, you'll notice that most of the functionality is organized in the toolbar. The toolbar helps you quickly find the buttons and menus that you need to complete an operation by organizing related items into logical groups. These groups are represented by three different tabs - Map, Tools, and Layout.

The following screen shot shows the main components of the Application Builder including the Map Contents panel, Configure Layers panel, and attribute table. See the Application Builder section in the help for additional information on these components.

Application Builder

Select a basemap

A basemap provides geographical context and background for the content that you want to display in a map. The basemap of the current map displays at the bottom of the Map Contents panel. The ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight comes with several basemaps from which to choose suitable backgrounds for your data. By default, an ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight application that is based on a new map uses the World Topographic basemap. While using the Application Builder, you can change the basemap at any time. For more information, see Configuring basemaps.

NoteNote:

  • Only ArcGIS cached map services, Bing Maps, and OpenStreetMap are supported in the Basemap gallery.
  • ArcGIS dynamic map services are not supported for use as basemaps.

In the Map tab, click the Basemap gallery drop-down menu. Then select the desired basemap by clicking it.

Choose Basemap option
Alternatively, you can add a different basemap to the Basemap gallery using the Settings page, then select that basemap. For more information see the Application Builder Settings help topic.

Add layers

The ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight provides the ability to add layers to the map by searching or browsing for services. Use Search if you are interested in discovering layers to add by searching ArcGIS Online or the Web. Use Browse to view data provided by an known ArcGIS Server endpoint. See the Layer types topic for more information on layers that can be added to the ArcGIS Viewer for Silverlight.

Click the Browse button on the Map tab.

Browse button on the Map tab
The Browse panel appears on the left side of the Application Builder. Type the unform resource locator (URL) to a known ArcGIS Server endpoint (for example, http://sampleserver3.arcgisonline.com) and press Enter. The available map services and feature layers display. Select the desired layer and click Add Selected Layer. In the following screen shot, the Hurricane Tracks 1851-2007 layer is selected and will be added to the map.
Add Selected Layer

Deploy your application

Once you have configured your Viewer application by selecting a basemap and adding layers, click the Deploy button in the upper right corner of the Application Builder. Then specify a name for the application on the dialog that appears and click OK. The Viewer application deploys to the location specified during the installation process, for example, c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\Apps. The new Viewer application automatically opens in a new browser window.

To make additional changes, return to the Application Builder window in which you were previously working. After deploying the map for the first time, the Deploy button changes to a Save button. Click Save as necessary while updating your application configuration. Click Save As to create a new version of the Viewer application.

Save and Save As options

All deployed applications are listed on the Application Builder home page under Current Viewer Applications. From this page, you may edit, copy, delete, and view each application. The Application Builder home page displays each time you open the Application Builder. If you have no saved Viewer applications, only the introductory text and the Create New Application button are shown.

Viewer home page

1/26/2015