Opening a web map

Web maps provide an easy starting point for creating and configuring a map in the Application Builder. Web maps are created on ArcGIS Online and are then accessible from the Application Builder start page. On the start page, there is a Web Maps section with several tabs for accessing web maps: Recent, My Maps, Groups, Featured Maps, and Search. If you don't see the tabs for Recent, My Maps, or Groups, you need to sign in to ArcGIS Online. For instructions on how this is done, see Signing in to ArcGIS Online.

Once you've selected and opened a web map in the Application Builder, the application configuration is still linked to the web map. To add layers and configure the map, you must unlink the application from the web map. Once you've configured the map as desired, you can deploy the application, but you cannot save the map to ArcGIS Online. Web maps can only be created and edited via ArcGIS Online. For more information, see the Creating web maps topic in the ArcGIS Online help. For information on linking and unlinking in the Application Builder, see the Linking and unlinking to web maps section below.

The following sections contain instructions for opening maps from the Recent, My Maps, Groups, Featured Maps, and Search tabs.

Recent

The Recent tab provides access to web maps that you have opened recently. To open a map from the Recent tab, complete the following steps:

1. If the Start Page is not already open, click the Home button. This button is located in the upper right corner of the Application Builder.
2. If the Recent tab is not visible, click the Sign In link and sign in.
3. Click the Recent tab to view a list of the web maps you have recently opened.
4. Click the Open hyperlink next to any web map to open it in the Application Builder.

My Maps

The My Maps tab includes the web maps that you have created. To open a map from the My Maps tab, complete the following steps:

1. If the Start Page is not already open, click the Home button. This button is located in the upper right corner of the Application Builder.
2. If the My Maps tab is not visible, click the Sign In link and sign in.
3. Click the My Maps tab to view your ArcGIS Online web maps. These are the web maps that you have created and saved.
4. Click the Open hyperlink of any web map to open it in the Application Builder.

Groups

The Groups tab provides access to web maps belonging to groups that you own or are a member of. To open a map from the Groups tab, complete the following steps:

1. If the Start Page is not already open, click the Home button. This button is located in the upper right corner of the Application Builder.
2. If the Groups tab is not visible, click the Sign In link and sign in.
3. Click the My Groups tab to view the groups you own or are a member of.
4. If you belong to an organization that has groups, you can select My Organization's Groups to see those groups.
5. Once you find the group that you want to see, click the Open this Group hyperlink next to the group. This will show all the web maps belonging to this group.
6. When you find a map of interest, click the Open hyperlink next to the map to open it in the Application Builder.

Featured Maps

The Featured Maps tab lists the web maps that are currently featured on ArcGIS Online. To open a map from the Featured Maps tab, complete the following steps:

1. If the Start Page is not already open, click the Home button. This button is located in the upper right corner of the Application Builder.
2. Click the Featured Maps tab to view the web maps featured on ArcGIS Online. These are maps of interest that have been selected by the ArcGIS Online team.
3. Once you find a web map that you want to see, click the Open hyperlink next to the map to open it in the Application Builder.

Search

The Search tab provides the ability to search for web maps on ArcGIS Online. To open a map from the Search tab, complete the following steps:

1. If the Start Page is not already open, click the Home button. This button is located in the upper right corner of the Application Builder.
2. Click the Search tab.
3. Type a search term in the search text box.
4. Press the Enter key or click the Search button next to the text box.
5. When you find a web map that is of interest, click the Open hyperlink next to it to open it in the Application Builder.

Linking and unlinking to web maps

ArcGIS Online web maps can be used as a starting point for creating and configuring your own map in the Application Builder. To begin, open any web map from ArcGIS Online as described in the previous steps. When the map loads, a message appears in the Application Builder toolbar area notifying you that the current configuration is linked to a web map. To edit the map configuration, you must unlink the application from the web map.

Once you click the Unlink hyperlink to disconnect the application from the web map, the Unlink from Web Map warning appears. Click OK to continue.

The tools on the Map tab are now available, and you can configure the map. You can configure the map in the Application Builder and deploy the map, but you cannot save the newly-configured map to ArcGIS Online. To make changes to the original web map, you must access the web map at ArcGIS.com.

To reload the web map from ArcGIS Online, click the Link hyperlink. The Link to Web Map warning appears telling you your current map configuration will be lost. Click OK to continue.