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ArcGIS Server Custom Print (GP) Service Fails to Produce PDF output

Arne_Gelfert

Struggling with migration of an existing ArcGIS Server custom print service (GP Service). Basically this used the steps here to publish some custom layouts via the ExportWebMap/GetLayouttemplates server tools, as explained here.

This is working in 10.6 but not in my new 10.8 environment. I thought the issue was on the publishing end. But even after upgrading Pro to match AGE 10.8, creating new Layout files (PAGX) and republishing, the problem persists.

Here is what I'm seeing when sending webmap JSON to service from a custom Print widget in WAB ('custom' does not imply Wild West - I made some tweaks to the Print widget and this has worked just fine in 10.6).

The REST endpoint URL for the custom print service is hardcoded into the Print widget's in the WAB app's folder:

apps\my_app\configs\Print\config_widgets_Print_Widget_NaN.json

Even before submitting print job, Dev Tools informs me when opening Print widget:

Get Layout Templates Info Error Error: Invalid URL
    at Object.B.f.load (init.js:957)
    at init.js:88
    at c (init.js:104)
    at e (init.js:104)
    at b.Deferred.resolve.callback (init.js:105)
    at c (init.js:105)
    at e (init.js:104)
    at b.Deferred.resolve.callback (init.js:105)
    at init.js:93
    at m (init.js:108)

After submitting, job fails:

Error: esriJobFailed
    at Object._handler (PrintTask.js:7)
    at init.js:64
    at b (PrintTask.js:13)
    at Object._successHandler (init.js:2371)
    at Object._jobUpdateHandler (Geoprocessor.js:11)
    at init.js:64
    at Object.load (Geoprocessor.js:11)
    at init.js:973
    at c (init.js:104)
    at e (init.js:104)

The 'Geoprocessor' line goes back to '_getJobStatus' when trying to go a jobs folder.

Similary, in my AGS log file, I see an issue with getting to a PDF file ...

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Msg time='2021-04-30T15:35:38,218' type='SEVERE' code='20010' target='customPrinting/my_failing.GPServer' methodName='GPServerSync.CheckMessages' machine='<my_server>' process='8608' thread='12016' user='null'  requestId='7dd6ba0a-ea9a-4ce1-aba8-c657f4ef8999'>Error executing tool.
Export Web Map Job ID: j715e45d677d6477ab46a9f72a68c15b5 : error raised...

E:\arcgisserver\directories\arcgisjobs\customprinting\my_failing_gpserver\j715e45d677d6477ab46a9f72a68c15b5\scratch\9e42231a-a9f3-11eb-9e8f-005056a6efee.pdf

E:\arcgisserver\directories\arcgisjobs\customprinting\my_failing_gpserver\j715e45d677d6477ab46a9f72a68c15b5\scratch\9e42231a-a9f3-11eb-9e8f-005056a6efee.pdf

Failed to execute (Export Web Map).
Failed to execute (Export Web Map).
</Msg>

My suspicion was that service is trying to write a PDF and lacks permissions (for whatever reason). But even granting AGS account full control over the 'directories' folder , it fails.

Any suggestions what else I can check? I'm not sure if it's an issue with getting to the templates - I see the template files in the service directory on the AGS machine after publishing - or with creating a PDF output file, or both.

This is published as 'Asynchronous'.

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Accepted answers

TanuHoque

@Arne_Gelfert

Please make sure the print service Execution Mode is Synchronous. I think WAB print widget does not like async print services.

About writing out pdf issue, that was a bug that fix in a 10.8.1 patch. I'd recommend you to upgrade to 10.8.1 and install the following patches.

https://support.esri.com/en/download/7834

https://support.esri.com/en/download/7868

All comments

TanuHoque

@Arne_Gelfert

Please make sure the print service Execution Mode is Synchronous. I think WAB print widget does not like async print services.

About writing out pdf issue, that was a bug that fix in a 10.8.1 patch. I'd recommend you to upgrade to 10.8.1 and install the following patches.

https://support.esri.com/en/download/7834

https://support.esri.com/en/download/7868

Arne_Gelfert

Thanks, Tanu. I was about to reach out to you directly, based on some helpful feedback you provided last year. I said I was on 10.8 but I had actually applied SP1, so running on 10.8.1. But it looks like the bug is in 10.8.1 so I'll try out those patches. Thanks so much on a Friday afternoon!

Arne_Gelfert

Tanu, thank you - Problem Solved!

Many hours of retracing my steps, testing, repeating, reading online posts, comparing old vs. new before I thought to post here. Man, thanks for helping me save the week. Next time, I'll have more confidence in my own process.

I do have to ask though: How do you guys manage to break existing functionality with each new release? Who is in charge of regressions testing?🙄

Have a good weekend and thanks again!

imranrajjad_cc

Hi, can you please tell me what made the error go away? I am also on 10.8.1 but have not installed any patches yet. My custom layout is also acting weird. If I try to print a host Map Image layer and Feature layer, I only get the Map Image Layer

Arne_Gelfert

Hey there - Sorry to hear about your issues. The only thing that worked for me was to skip 10.8.x altogether and go to 10.9. What I set up in 10.6 failed in 10.8.1. In 10.9, I could use everything, no tweaks or configuration changes needed. To me this had to be a bug in 10.8.1 but I don't have time in my life to jump through all the hoops of logging or discussing bugs with ESRI. Haha. So I just went to the next version and never had another issue. The big sleeping dragon nightmare of mine is now having to upgrade again one day. Good luck to you. I'd say just go to 10.9.

TanuHoque

@MikeBrannagan

Is it not printing only when the output type is pdf?

MikeBrannagan

OK - I'm likely making a mess here trying different things. This print widget is from an ArcMap template and is missing the Get Layout Templates task - so that is likely why I'm getting the "Get Layout Templates Info Error". So I need to figure out why that didn't upload when I published the service.

I did try publishing from ArcGIS Pro and got a different error "Unable to complete operation." Missing or Invalid layout template file is the error when I hover over the red exclamation point on the Print Widget.

MikeBrannagan

Well - as expected - now that I have the Get Layout Templates published - no errors. However my custom text elements didn't fill out - but I was prompted to enter data (although I'm trying to have it pull from a selected parcel automatically).

I shouldn't have posted until I had made sure I had everything uploaded.

TanuHoque

@MikeBrannagan

Did I get it right that you published your print service from ArcMap? if so, then the patch is not going to work. Those patches were explicitly for print services published from Pro and when your output format is pbf.

Regarding publishing from ArcGIS Pro, did you try steps provided in the help topic below? And still you are running into some issues?
https://enterprise.arcgis.com/en/server/latest/publish-services/windows/tutorial-publish-additional-layouts-for-printing-with-arcgis-pro.htm

Please note, you must re-author layout template from ArcGIS Pro; you can't use layout templates i.e. mxd in a print service published from Pro... One shortcut would to be import mxd in Pro and then save your layouts as .pagx files.

Note: if you move to ArcGIS Pro 3.0 or later AND authored your layout templates in Pro 3.0 or above, you must publish to 11.0 or above server.

ArcGIS Pro 3.0 or above + .pagx files authored in pre 3.0 --> then you can publish a print service to a pre 11.0 server.

MikeBrannagan

Yes - so I had tried with ArcGIS Pro and got a different error "Unable to complete operation." Missing or Invalid layout template file is the error when I hover over the red exclamation point on the Print Widget. So that is likely because I'm at ArcGIS Pro 3.0 like you said. After trying with Pro and it not working I tried with ArcMap - so looks like I need to drop my Pro version back down to something pre 3.0 and see if that is the answer.

I appreciate the help Tanu - thank you.

NTSAdministrator

Hi @TanuHoque ,

I created my custom print layouts in ArcGIS Pro 3.0 and published to my Enterprise Portal 10.9 following the documentation you referenced.

When I try to print the map in Map Viewer Classic I get an error " An error occurred while creating the printed map". On the Arc GIS Server Manager Logs it says "Error executing tool. Export Web Map : Missing or invalid layout template file. Failed to execute (Export Web Map)."

Are you saying in order for the Printing Service to work I need to upgrade to Enterprise Portal 11.0 or create and publish layouts from an pre 3.0 Arc Pro project?

TanuHoque

hi @NTSAdministrator

Are you saying in order for the Printing Service to work I need to upgrade to Enterprise Portal 11.0 or create and publish layouts from an pre 3.0 Arc Pro project?

That is correct. Either you need to upgrade to Enterprise 11.0 or above or use ArcGIS Pro 2.9 or older.

ArcGIS Enterprise 10.9 has ArcGIS Pro 2.x runtime. As you know Pro 3.0 is a major upgrade and any project or project item such as mapx, pagx, aprx etc. that you create in 3.0 can't be opened directly in ArcGIS Pro 2x.

That is why when you create layout templates (.pagx files) in 3.0 and share them as part of a print service in 10.9.1 or older, it can't open because it only knows how to open pagx files created in 2.x not in 3.x.

I hope this helps. Apologies that it is not as straight forward 😞

becyr

@TanuHoque

Hi Tanu,

I can't downgrade ArcGIS Pro to 2.9 because of parcel fabric requirements, and I can't upgrade ArcGIS Server to 11.3 due to compatibility issues with existing workflows. I'm currently limited to the following setup:

ArcGIS Enterprise (federated) 10.9.1

ArcMap 10.7.1

ArcGIS Pro 3.3

I published a printing service from ArcMap, but when trying to use it, I received the error:

"Web map as JSON is required."

What could be causing this issue?

Arne_Gelfert

@becyr Sorry to hear about your troubles there. I fell for you. I can relate. Currently rebuilding a bunch of old WAB app that have GP services associated in JSAPI 4.x. Total waste of my time, it feels like, when I could be focusing on value-add type work.

While I have had ESRI folks on the phone telling me that Desktop/Server (Enterprise) compatibility is more of a recommendation than a strict rule, my experience is that you want to match what they "recommend". In fact, the my main reason for going to 11 is so that I can continue upgrading Pro.

https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/analysis/geoprocessing/share-analysis/web-tool-compatibility.htm

Try to stick with this. Otherwise, you'll have to work with some hacks. You using any Layout templates? I posted a while back on how you can force them to work using a "hack".

Stop publishing in ArcMap. I still use it all the time for viewing data. But consider it "verboten" when working with Enterprise. My two cents.

Good luck!

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