5 Tips for Editing Made Easy in Map Viewer

If you edit data in ArcGIS Online, you already know that Map Viewer offers out-of-the-box tools that allow you to do things like update attribute values or add new features to the map. We want to make sure that you’re aware of the latest capabilities you can take advantage of to make editing and managing data online even easier. In this article, we’ll explore five tips you can use right away to improve your editing experience in Map Viewer.

1. Manage Editability at the Map Level
2. Create Views
3. Author Forms
4. Save Forms
5. Save Group Layers

Tip 1: Manage Layer Editability at the Map Level

As a data manager, you enable editing for a layer on the Settings tab of the Layer’s Item Details page. But did you know that you can control editability for layers at the map level?  For each editable layer in a map, you can choose whether or not to alllow editing for that layer in that map. This is especially useful when your map includes editable layers that you want to use to provide context, like roads or addresses, but you don’t want map users to edit those layers.

To manage editability for a layer in Map Viewer, follow these steps:

1. Click to select the layer.
2. The Properties panel opens in the pane on the right side of the screen.
3. Scroll down to the Editing section in the Properties panel.
4. Use the toggle to control editing settings for the selected layer.
5. If the switch is on, editing is enabled for the layer. If the switch is off, editing is not allowed for this layer.

Note: Changing editing settings in the map doesn’t affect the editing settings for the layer itself, the settings only apply to that particular map.

Tip 2: Create Views for More Flexibility

Data can serve many purposes. In some cases, you create a dataset for editing, while in other cases, you simply want people to view or interact with data on a map. There could be times when you want the same dataset to serve both purposes. That’s where Hosted Feature Layer Views, aka views, come into play.

Creating different views of the same dataset gives you options. Separate views of the same layer can be used for different purposes. For example, you can create a public-facing application for viewing data using a read-only view, and create a separate map for editing (using an editable view). Both views point to the same layer, so there is no need to reconcile edits or manage multiple versions of the same dataset, making your workflows easier.

Let’s break it down. Imagine you start with Dataset A, which is editable and shared with everyone. Then create 2 separate views:

1. View 1 of Dataset A – Not editable, shared with everyone
2. View 2 of Dataset B- editable, shared with group of data editors

You can use View 1 in public facing, read only apps like dashboards to share information with a wider audience. You would use View 2 in other apps aimed at data editing or data collection, where a few select people can edit the data. This use of views allows you to control access to the data and ensure that the right people can edit the data.  Check out this article for a real world example.

When creating views, you define the sharing level and editing settings independently from those of the hosted feature layer. You create View Layers on the layer’s Item Details page. Check out this blog post for a detailed guide to creating views.

Tip 3: Author Forms for Intuitive Editing Workflows

A form that has been tailored to fit specific workflows can help you edit your data more quickly and easily. Field Maps Designer is well-known for its user-friendly form authoring experience, aka Form builder. But did you know that Form builder is also baked right into Map Viewer? That’s right, you can create custom forms for easier data entry without leaving Map Viewer.

To get started creating forms in Map Viewer, follow these steps:

1. Select your editable layer in the Table of Contents.
2. Click on Forms  located on the Settings (light) toolbar.
3. Form Builder opens in a new window where you can customize the form for your layer.

Inside Form builder, you can customize forms as much or as little as you like. You can:

• choose which fields to display, format them, and place them in order,
• select from different input types like combo boxes, radio buttons, or multi-line text,
• set fields as visible, required, or hidden based on values entered in other fields, and
• use Arcade expressions to perform calculations or automatically populate fields.

Taking the time to author a form can reduce the time and effort required for data collection, making editing easier.

Check out these previous blog articles for inspiration when creating your own custom forms:

• Forms aren’t just for Field Maps anymore
• From the Smart Editor to Smart Forms

Tip 4: Save and Reuse Forms

When you author a form in a map and save the map, the form is saved within the map. What if you plan to use the same layer in a different map…can you use the form you already created as well? Yes, you can. When you save the layer, the form is preserved with the layer. When you add that saved layer to a new or existing map, the form is ready to go, saving you valuable time.

To save a layer,

1. Click the Options menu (3 dots) next to the Layer name.
2. From the drop down menu, click Save or Save as -depending on your needs.
3. The layer will be saved along with all the properties you configured in the map, such as forms, pop-ups, labels, and symbology.

Tip 5: Save and Reuse Group Layers

As of the October 2023 update, you can create, save, and reuse your own Group Layers. Yup, that’s a thing. In an editing project, you might have a set of editable layers and pertinent reference layers that you want to use in more than one map. Now you can preserve a set of layers as a Group Layer, and add the Group to other maps.

When you save a Group Layer, it preserves the properties you configured on each layer- that includes forms, pop-ups, symbols, and even effects and blend modes. Everything is in place when you add the Group Layer to new or existing maps. This can save you loads of time.

Check out this blog article to learn more about saving and using Group Layers:

• Group Layer Items: A new way to build and share content

Summary

You can easily edit data in Map Viewer using out-of-the-box tools you may already be familiar with. In this article, we highlighted five tips to improve the editing experience in Map Viewer: managing layer editability at the map level, creating views for flexibility, authoring forms for intuitive editing workflows, saving and reusing forms, and saving and reusing group layers.

We hope the time-saving tips we explored help you create more streamlined editing workflows, making editing in Map Viewer even easier. Be sure to join the conversation on Esri Community to share your own thoughts, tips, or experiences.