Getting Started with AppStudio for ArcGIS

Question

AppStudio for ArcGIS is a groundbreaking tool in the GIS app revolution. It lets you convert your maps into beautiful, consumer-friendly mobile apps ready for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and publish them using your own brand to all popular app stores - no developer skills required. With AppStudio for ArcGIS, organisations on the ArcGIS platform now have the ability to build cross-platform native apps, in a snap.

Since AppStudio for ArcGIS leverages the power of the ArcGIS Runtime, users can build their own native apps featuring advanced GIS capabilities such as offline visualisation, editing, querying and analysis. It also includes a utility called AppStudio Player that will enables users to easily share their own apps within their organisations or companies.

In this webinar, Eamonn Doyle (Chief Technical Officer) and Michael Kelly (Technical Sales Engineer) of Esri Ireland will show you how to quickly build cross platform apps leveraging your existing maps, without going near any code. We will show you how you can share your app internally across the enterprise using AppStudio Player, or share it publicly. No need to hire expensive third-party developers to build consumer-friendly GIS apps.

Audience

* Users interested in learning more about the capabilities of AppStudio for ArcGIS

Learn How To

* Bring your own content and content available via ArcGIS into your app
* Configure templates for your specific use case using your mapping and GIS services
* Customise your app or extend its capabilities

Prerequisites

* Basic knowledge of the ArcGIS Platform

MichaelKelly · Answer

Unfortunately we are missing the first 2/3 minutes of the video. Here is the website that Eamonn based his presentation on. Detailed AppStudio for ArcGIS documentation is available here. Some further information detailed below:

Demonstration App ready to download

The FixMeQuick app that we built during the webinar and its accompanying Landing Page is now available here. The Landing Page and website for the app include links to downloadable executables for each of the platforms we compiled for.

Please Note: You download and install these executables at your own risk. For some Operating Systems you may need to alter your security settings to enable installation on your system. If you wish to download and install on iOS please supply us with the UUID of your iOS device. We will add these UUID’s to our provisioning profile and re-release the iOS version of the app.

AppStudio for ArcGIS OTA (Over-the-Air) App

Esri have provided an app that uses the Over-the-Air install procedure. This enables you and up to 100 others install natively on their devices wirelessly. You can access the AppStudio for ArcGIS OTA app through any browser by visiting the following link. To install, simply open the link on your device's native browser (i.e. Chrome or Safari) and follow the on screen instructions - you will be prompted to "Add to Home Screen". The app will subsequently appear on your Home Screen like any other app. You can use the AppStudio for ArcGIS OTA app to browse, install and share your installable apps.

AppStudio Player

AppStudio Player is a companion app to AppStudio for ArcGIS. You can download AppStudio Player from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. A desktop version of AppStudio Player is also available and can be downloaded here. Any apps created in AppStudio for ArcGIS on any platform can be used on any platform with AppStudio Player. Player is a convenient “sandbox” environment in which you can run your AppStudio apps on any device without having to do a native install. You might consider this route if, for example, you have a large user base in your organisation that needs access to your app but you don’t want to distribute the app via the relevant app store.

MichaelKelly · Answer

Webinar Q&A

What about offline data collection and the offline maps?

None of the current AppStudio for ArcGIS templates have offline data collection or offline maps capabilities. However the underlying ArcGIS Runtime SDK 10.2.5 for Qt. This SDK does support offline capabilities. This means that it is possible for you to build your own custom app using AppStudio to support offline use.

Will this app studio work with Windows Tablets based on v8.1?

Support for Windows smartphones/tablets is not available in the current beta version of AppStudio - it is limited to iOS and Android devices at the moment. Support for Windows devices is expected in the Q2 2016 release. Whether this will support v8.1 is not yet know, but support will begin with v10.

Do the feature services that AppStudio uses have to be hosted on ArcGIS Online?

Feature services that AppStudio uses have to be registered in ArcGIS Online and shared publically, but may be hosted on ArcGIS for Server.

Is there an android equivalent to the OTA app?

The OTA app is available through any browser, so can be accessed on any device. When you visit the website, you have the option to add the website to your home screen. This then acts as an app on your phone. This is setup the same on Android and iOS. The application is not currently available through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Will app studio work against ArcGIS Portal registered services or would they still need to be registered in ArcGIS online?

When you are selecting services to use, you are shown services from your ArcGIS Online account. So yes, they would still need to be registered in ArcGIS Online.

I created an app from an existing Story Map but the various slides appeared in a different sequence from those on the story map. As it is a walking tour they need to follow a particular order. Any ideas?

I haven't encountered this. If you could send on a link to your story map I could try to replication it here, and try resolve the problem. Bear in mind that the application is still in beta so there may be some issues.

Must services be published publicly to AGOL or can the apps consume from Server?

Feature Layers & Feature Services that AppStudio uses have to be registered in ArcGIS Online and shared publically, but may be hosted on ArcGIS for Server.

Can you explain a bit more about ArcGIS for Developers and requirement for this in relation to AppStudio?

With an ArcGIS Online account, you have an entitlement to an ArcGIS for Developers account. You can use your ArcGIS Online credentials to login from this page. If you have created an AppStudio application it will be viewable in the application page. Once you click into the application, you click the REGISTER APPLICATION button and get the Client ID used to identify the application within the platform. This is the ID you use in AppStudio for ArcGIS. For applications that require Geocoding, Routing and Edit and Sync functionality, an ArcGIS Runtime Standard licence will be required. Further details here.

If your app uses geoprocessing services hosted in your organisational account does that mean your org credits will be consumed by users?

Yes - geoprocessing services hosted in your organisation's account would consume some of your organisation's credits.