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Basemap Gallery Duplicating maps

LindseyStone

I think ESRI overthought the Basemap Gallery Widget and showing the default Basemap in the Widget.

Currently the Basemap Gallery widget automatically displays the default Basemap that was saved in the Web Map no matter which Basemap Settings was selected.

The problem I have is if I have Synchronize with the Basemap Gallery setting of your organization. Then I have the same basemap twice. For example if I have my map set to my 2025 aerials it shows that as the first selection in the Widget. But my 2025 Aerials is also in my Basemap Gallery. So now that basemap is listed twice. In addition the first listing which is the Maps default Basemap shows just a small display of the map and not the actual Basemap Thumbnail that was set for it.

The workaround I have found is I could set the Widget settings to configure Custom Basemaps and only choose the ones out of my Gallery, except for the default Basemap of the Map so there is not two listed. Then to fix the thumbnail issue is a set the Thumbnail of the Web Map to the same as the Basemap.

I don't think is a viable solution for the below reasons.

I prefer for it to sync to the Gallery so if I add a new Basemap to the Gallery (say we fly new aerials and create a new basemap, I want it automatically load into all applications), instead with Custom Basemaps selected I would have to go one by one to each of my Experience Builder applications and add it as another Custom Basemap to show. I have a LOT of Applications and that would be time consuming and I could potentially miss one.
I also have a few web maps that are being utilized in both an Experience Builder applications and in Field Maps. If I set the thumbnail of the web map to the Basemap thumbnail so it shows "pretty" in Experience Builder then this is the same thumbnail that is being displayed in Field Maps, making it incredibly confusing for the end user. For example my 2025 Aerial Basemap Thumbnail says 2025 Aerials over the Aerials. So in Field Maps they would see that thumbnail next to the Words Water Network Map.

We had similar issues via Web Map Viewer Classic and WebAppBuilder where it would duplicate the web map's basemap with the Gallery Basemaps. The solution was if the Basemap was named exactly the same way as the Actual Basemap in the Gallery it would ignore the default basemap and don't show duplication.

I would be fine with a workaround like that if it worked, otherwise there needs to be an option within the Basemap Gallery Widget settings to ignore default basemap so it doesn't show. I saw on one post it is always shown so the end user can go back to the original basemap and that makes sense. But how many of us is using custom basemaps in the majority of our applications that aren't in our gallery. So giving us an option to check would take care of both sides of ones that are custom and ones that are just a gallery basemap.

Picture of how I have mine set up with an appropriate Thumbnail for the Webmap for my Field Maps User but still showing a duplicate in the Experience Builder Widget. Again Not Ideal.

A couple other posts on this same issue in the Questions Section.

https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-experience-builder-questions/basemap-widget-in-new-experience-builder/m-p/1598321#M18070

https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-experience-builder-questions/basemap-gallery-items-duplicated-how-to-remove-one/m-p/1473943

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Comments

SarahNoakes1

It's really confusing to have a duplicate copy of the same basemap in the gallery with two different thumbnails:

As you can see, I have a carefully curated set of basemaps for my users and I want them to display in a specific order, the same in every app as people get used to looking for things in the same place. Please give us the option to switch off the default basemap when syncing to the organisation gallery.

JudithWammack

@LindseyStone I now understand your point about having a toggle for the default map, and I can see how that could work well. I definitely like that idea. I hope ESRI consider implementing a toggle for the default map as you suggested.

LindseyStone

@JudithWammack

While I understand your thought process. I want to emphasize I did not suggest removing the option of default basemap all together. My suggestion is just to make an option with a checkbox within the settings for those people that are utilizing a default basemap that is already in our Basemap Gallery to give the possibility of not showing both instances of those Basemaps, which are exactly the same. Knowledge of my end users, if they switch the basemap to something else and want to go back to the default basemap which is our 2025 Aerials and if they see the words default basemap or 2025 Aerials Basemap, even though they are the same in my case they will always click the 2025 Aerials Icon and never clicking the default basemap again.

As for the sorting of the Basemaps, I completely understand that and in a select few of my applications I have utilized the Custom Basemap Gallery just for that, however, in my Settings of my Organization I have my main basemap gallery sorted by Title to alleviate the issue of resorting when something is edited that you mentioned and this sorting is effective for 95% of my maps.

JudithWammack

We have had a very positive results using the customized basemap gallery widget as it is currently implemented. Our end users regularly return to the default map when needed, and having the default basemap always available has been a significant usability improvement for them. Removing or hiding the default basemap would be seen as a step backwards from their perspective.

We intentionally configure the basemap gallery using customed basemaps sourced from the organizational gallery, rather than enabling the "synchronize with organizational basemap gallery" setting. This allows us to control the order and presentation of imagery basemaps. When synchronization is enable, basemaps are order by edit date, which can change when existing imagery basemaps are updated or republished. This has caused imagery to appear out of order and, in some cases, has temporarily impacted web map display. By configuring custom basemaps, we retain control over ordering and provide a more consistent and stable experience for our users while still leveraging content from the organizational gallery.

While I understand that managing many application can be time consuming, this approach provides consistency, clarity, and better control over the user experience. For our workflows, the benefits outweigh the maintenance efforts.

I would caution against ESRI removing or de-emphasizing the default basemap behavior in the basemap gallery widget. The ability for users to easily return to the original map has been viewed by our users as a major upgrade, and we rely on that functionality in many of our applications.

If ESRI were to remove or hide the default basemap from the basemap gallery widget, there would need to be a corresponding capability that allows the end user to turn off a selected basemap and return to the original map state. Without either a visible default basemap or a clear "restore/clear basemap" option, the end-user experience would be negatively impacted.