Viewer User Roles unable to edit public shared data set

NathanKoski

Hello,

I have a hosted feature layer shared publicly with public data editing turned on, and editing is enabled on our 11.3 enterprise portal.

I have an Experience Builder setup using the editor widget to let users create and edit data in my feature layer.

However any users who are logged into accounts with the Viewer role are unable to create data. Only users with Mobile Worker and data editing permissions are able to create new features.

So according to the documentation, “When you enable editing on a layer that is shared with everyone (public), anyone with access to the layer can edit it. This includes people not signed in to the organization and all organization members, even those without privileges to edit.”

https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/manage-data/manage-editing-hfl.htm#ESRI_SECTION2_82D598D7970A4A97923EED07CEB4A6A2

So what gives? Why can’t my viewer users make create features? Is creating features different then editing the data?

 

TimoT

I agree that the terminology can be very confusing, but hopefully it starts to click once you've been exposed to it for a while.

In the context of ArcGIS, when the documentation says that Mobile Workers can’t create items, it’s referring specifically to the ability to create new Portal content items, for example: publishing a hosted feature layer, creating Survey123 forms, creating maps/apps, uploading files, etc.

What Mobile Workers can do is collect and edit data. They can add new features or edit features in an existing editable feature layer. They also come with the license to share their device location and record tracks if Location Sharing is enabled in your organization.

If you want members of the public to collect or edit data, a different approach is required. Public participation works only when the user is not logged in at all; you cannot use a Viewer user type.

To enable public users to edit feature layers, you'll need to:

1. Allow anonymous access to your portal
2. Enable Public Data Collection on your editable item

Keep in mind that anonymous edits cannot be attributed to individual users, which can make verification challenging. To manage this, many organizations use tools like Survey123, which allow the public to submit data into a feature layer without granting direct editing access to the underlying layer.