ArcGIS Blog

Data Management

ArcGIS Web AppBuilder

Oct 09, 2019

Get smart about editing

By Alix Vézina

March 2023 update: this blog promotes the functionality of the Smart Editor widget in Web AppBuilder, which is to be retired. For comparable functionality in the new Editor widget, see From the Smart Editor to Smart Forms.

Curating large sets of data can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. As an editor, I’m always looking for ways to:

  1. Streamline repetitive editing tasks
  2. Collect more data in fewer clicks
  3. Prevent data entry errors and discrepancies

Are you seeking the same? If yes, the Smart Editor widget may be the unicorn you’re looking for!

The Smart Editor widget is a configurable tool for editing features and their related records in the web. It can be added to any application created with Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS. Not convinced of the magic yet? There is more to it than meets the eye.

 

Attribute Actions

In the Smart Editor widget, Attribute Actions can be set to populate default values or to calculate values across different layers. You can use location information, such as addresses and coordinates, or information from intersecting features on the map. There’s no need to post-process your data with field calculators, intersects, and joins, it’s all done on the fly.

With the October 2019 update to ArcGIS Online, the Smart Editor widget has new exciting capabilities. Notably, the new Preset values design will save time for both users configuring and using the Smart Editor widget. The key changes are listed below.

New Preset builder

Preset values now have their own builder within Attribute Actions.

New Preset builder in Smart Editor
Instersection, Address, Coordinates, and Preset builders are available from the Attribute Actions tab in the configuration dialog box.

 

Filter fields by Data Type

When selecting and applying Preset values, fields can be shown based on their data type.

Filter fields by Data Type in the Preset builder
When creating a new Preset, select "Date" from the Data Type drop-down to only view date fields from your editable layers.

 

Group layers into a single Preset

Create a new group to configure Preset values to act against multiple fields across different layers.

Group layers into a single Preset
Apply the same Event ID ("INC-0001" in the example above) as the default value to the Identifier fields found in three different layers: Road Blocks, Road Closures, Road Detours.

 

Assemble domains

Filter fields with domains and compile coded values from different domains using a Preset. Only values from different domains using the same coded values can be reconciled.

Four fields are selected, three of which share the same domain. The domain values for Active Incident are "Yes" and "No". The domain values for Type are "Road Closed" and "Road Opened". Since "Yes" and "Road Closed" share the same coded value – and logically, the road is closed when the event is active – these values can be defaulted for the Active Incident and Type fields when a new record is created.

 

Fixed and relative dates

Specify fixed and relative dates when creating records. A fixed date is a value that does not change over time. A relative date changes based on the current date and time. When setting Past or Future dates, the specified values are subtracted or added to the current date and time.

Configure fixed and relative dates in Preset builder
From a selection of map layers with date fields, determine if the new value should be fixed (e.g. 9 October 2019, 10:00 AM), current (today's date and time), past (e.g. today's date and time, minus 3 months, 2 days, 4 hours, 10 minutes and 43 seconds) or future (e.g. today's date and time, plus 3 months, 2 days, 4 hours, 10 minutes and 43 seconds) when a new record is created. For a planned Road Block, in case of a street event, I can set a fixed start date and time, and set the end date and time for 8 hours and 30 minutes later.

 

Hide Preset values in the application

Default values are added behind the scenes when the editor creates new records. This prevents crowding the widget panel if an editor will never need to modify the value.

Hide Preset values
In this example, the Road Closure event has a fixed date and time so I can hide the preset for Start Time in the widget pane. The value will still be added to all new records I create.

 

Populate Presets using URL parameters

Define the value for a Preset in the URL. This allows you to share the same application with different preset values for different projects, without having to enter a specific value every time the application loads.

Populate Presets using URL parameters
While the “Reason” field for the layers in this Road Closures application was initially set to “Event”, a URL parameter can quickly replace this value with one of your choice. In the case of coded value domains, the coded value needs to be inserted in your URL parameter. In the example above, the coded value for “Construction” is ROAD_CLOSED_CONSTRUCTION.

 

How does this affect your existing Presets?

Preset values you’ve set before the October 2019 update will continue to work as expected. Group names using a field name and a field alias are generated for presets previously defined in the Layer Settings. The option to define presets in the layer settings is no longer supported moving forward.

New Preset Group Name
Before the October 2019 update, I had a Preset value configured against the Reason field in my layers. A Preset group was generated using the field name "reason" and field alias "Reason".

 

Attribute Actions and the new Preset builder make it easier to populate default values and to calculate values across different layers. Smart Actions can provide additional capabilities to define field behavior.

 

Smart Actions

If Attribute Actions provide some of the magic, Smart Actions are the unicorn’s horn. Smart Actions use custom expressions to define behavior applied to an attribute field such as whether a field is required, hidden, or disabled. Set up actions to determine how a field value is defined or manipulated when a requirement is met.

When a field participates in a Smart Action, priority (1, 2, or 3) can be set for a behavior (Hide, Required, or Disabled). For example, if you set as priority 1 to a behavior, it will be verified before a behavior of 2nd priority, and so on. If the expression for the behavior in priority 1 is not true, then the behavior in priority 2 will be applied.

Configure Smart Actions
In the example above, I can define an expression when the value of "activeincid" (Active Incident) is "Yes", then the Start Time field is required and cannot be NULL for all layers where the box is checked. But if the value of "activeincid" (Active Incident) is NOT "Yes", then the Start Time field will be hidden.

 

While the Smart Editor widget can be used as a simple editing tool, Attribute Actions and Smart Actions can enhance your editing process to streamline repetitive editing tasks, collect more data in fewer clicks, and prevent data entry errors and discrepancies.

To learn more about how to configure the Smart Editor widget, review the Smart Editor widget documentation.

Check out the first video of the Get smart about editing series! (now available starting in September 2020)

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Alix Vézina

Alix is a senior product engineer on Esri's ArcGIS Solutions Web Development team, where she delivers innovative web mapping tools for various industries. She's passionate about customer success and combines her knowledge with practical experience to help solve problems and empower others to develop impactful applications that provide essential functionality.

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