ArcReader Cannot Locate Data Files

Question

I am trying to publish an ArcReader version (.pmf file) of a map created in ArcMap 10.3.  I want to be able to distribute the .pmf file and the associated data package to any user such that they can access all layers and hyperlinks.  The current problem is that most of the layers in the resulting ArcReader version do not point to data in the data package.

Software: Windows 7, ArcMap 10.3, ArcReader 10.3.0

Original .mxd file has two data frames: “edit” and “County”

Action:

*  In ArcMap 10.3 under Map Document Properties I check “store relative pathnames to data sources”
* Publish the map to a location on the C: drive
* Create a data package for the newly created .pmf file on a thumbdrive folder F:\GIS; checking “include features that intersect the data frame” (I get the same result of I check “include all features in the dataset”)

Result:

* When ArcMap opens the .pmf file all of the layers in the “County” data frame are accessible. They appear to point to the data package (e.g. F:\GIS\data\dp20.gdb)
* None of the layers in the “edit” data frame are accessible.  One points to the data package (F:\GIS\data\dp00.gdb) but is not visible. The others while they seem to have relative paths, do not apparently point to the data package (e.g. F:\Property\Property.mdb)

The absolute pathnames on my system are cumbersome and I would rather let end-users locate the data and pmf folders in their own directory structure.

Question 1: How do I make all of the layers accessible in ArcReader?

Question 2: It appears that there is no way of changing the file paths in ArcReader.  Am I missing something?

Thanks for your help!

RodBantjes · Answer

Thanks again.  I think you are probably right about starting with an MXD file and data in a single folder.

My map (MXD) comes from data that is organized into at least 14 folders (there are thousands of files) and draws on a number of these folders.  It makes sense that the problem I have been experiencing is caused by ArcMap Publisher’s inability to handle multiple folders – that would explain why the resulting layers in the ArcReader version behave differently.  However, the single folder solution doesn’t really work for me.  I am not happy about dumping all of my data into a single folder (and rebuilding each layer used in the map).  Nor am I keen on alternatives like manually copying to a dedicated “Publish” folder every time I want to publish or update a published map.  It seems to me that this is what “packaging” should be designed to do.

The “Create data package” utility can handle data from multiple folders if you set the “data format” to “copy data in existing format” rather than “file geodatabase” as I have been doing up until now.  However the resulting data folder for my map is 1.2 GB as opposed to a mere 47.8 MB when I set the data format to “file geodatabase.”  1.2 GB is a bit excessive for the types of distribution I was planning.

Mark Bockenhauer · Answer

Packaging the Published map should work...    I didn't fully understand what you were doing.  The help that i sent was in reference to manually making the data and PMF portable.

In general, if you have all of your data in one folder.   Build an MXD with relative path setting using the data from that folder.  Publish a PMF to the same folder that the data resides in.   You should now be able to move the folder and all of its contents to any location and use the PMF successfully in ArcReader.

RodBantjes · Answer

Thanks Mark for your response.

I have reread the ArcGIS help file that you provided a link to.  I believe I am following the steps that apply to my situation: “If you plan to deliver the data with the published map (perhaps putting everything on digital media, such as a CD), you'll want to use relative paths to connect to the data. You can change your data paths from absolute to relative by simply navigating to File>Map Properties>Set Data Source.”

In the procedure I describe (steps 2 and 3 above), when ArcMap creates the data package from the published map on the C: drive it also creates a version of the published map at F:\GIS in a folder called “pmf” next to the “data” folder.  I am assuming that this is the correct relative location for the relative paths to work.

I have tried this alternate approach:

1) delete all files in F:\GIS

2) Publish the map to F:\GIS

3) Create a data package at F:\GIS

Result:

1) the ArcReader map F:\GIS\pmf\Eigg_Map.pmf opens with all layers accessed.  However many path names are now absolute (this WITHOUT changing the “store relative pathnames to data sources” checkbox) and point to the C: drive. When I break that path by changing one of the folder names the map exhibits the same pattern of failure as previously: some layers that point to the data package work others that are now absolute, fail.

2) the ArcReader map F:\GIS\Eigg_Map.pmf is worse: all pathnames are absolute and fail when the path to the C: drive is broken.

This result makes no sense to me and my initial problem remains.