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Offline Support of Silverlight/WPF

EricDaniel

Can anyone point me to any article or documentation on what support or features are available to applications developed with the ESRI Silverlight/WPF API when offline (not connected to the internet)? Obviously WPF and Silverlight's Out of Browser feature supports offline use but I'm not seeing any mention of this from ESRI. If there is not documentation out there on this maybe someone can provide some insight on what can be during with the API when offline. Thanks....

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JeffSahol

I'm trying to work out how to use local data for the source of map tiles for offline users. When you say "custom built layer types", are you referring to a custom implementation of ESRI.ArcGIS.Client.DynamicLayer?

As it is right now (v2.0), all the API's rely on REST services, and if these are not available, the data will not be available.
As an alternative you could have a local ArcGIS Server REST service running, or use custom built layer types that can read from local data when using WPF.

Offline use-cases is definitely on our radar as a potential feature in a future release. If you can share your use-case, it will help us a great deal with envisioning future features.

DuaneWhistle

We created a Custom WPF application with ArcGIS Mobile using Microsoft Studio 2010 VB.Net, none of this code is straight out of the box but it works totaly offline. We created tiled map cahes from the imagery and the feature classes are in mobile map caches that sync using ArcGIS Server. Some data is one way sync and some is a two way sync.

The user collects attribute data on structures and the data is synced back to a file geodatabse. Tha application collects GPS values with Range Finder offsets and the performace is great. ESRI needs to get to Microsoft Studio 2010 and support VB.Net and WPF Controls.

SimonFisher

I am also interested in offline support. Like another user above, the use case is fieldwork on a tablet where users are disconnected most of the time. Yes of course engine or mobile would work, but these come with hefty licensing/deployment fees on a per seat basis, and if the app is mostly for map display, current location, and simple querying, these fees make the app cost too much. The app is not centered around maps or GIS, they are supplemental, not every app is gis centric and needs to do everything arcobjects offers.

SomeGISGuy

I don't know the mobile API that well, but if there is an API call that allows you to generate/render a map image based on an extent, width and height, I don't see why you couldn't create a custom dynamic layer that does this for you (you inherit from DynamicLayer, set FullExtent and SpatialReference in override Initialize() { } and override GetSource(...) where you will generate an image based on the parameter parsed to you).

EricDaniel

Couldn't yet another option be mixing WPF for the UI and the ArcGIS Mobile API?

SomeGISGuy

For what its worth, people have been able to mix the WPF and Engine API together, so the WPF API drives the UI, but Engine drives a custom layer type in the map.

MichaelRutkowski

I'd love to get offline support for the Silverlight/WPF control. We want to use the WPF control exactly like we use the ArcEngine Map control(s). We need to read local data (directly from an mxd). We need to be able to map, query, and potentially edit data. Redline maps. Our use case would involve utility inspections in the field with a tablet PC.
We much prefer WPF over a windows forms application because of the richness of the UI and the databinding (i.e. it would be slick to bind the center mapview to the result of a query on an parcel address coordinate.

EricDaniel

Robert,

I am curious as to what type of computer devices you are using for your offline mobile users? Is it just laptops running Windows, or are you using some type of mobile device (Windows Mobile 6.5)?

Since Microsoft looks to be moving way from Windows Mobile development based on the .NET Compact Framework which only supports WinForms. In addition to some subtle announcements that they may be dropping it, I think it's clear they are when it didn't make it into the Visual Studio 2010 product. Thus, ArcGIS Mobile SDK developers have to use Visual Studio 2008.

Although I have heard no clear direction from ESRI on this, I would think will move away from this as well, even though their new version 10.0 ArcGIS Mobile SDK is based on this. They have said they plan to eventually release an API for Windows Phone 7, which requires Silverlight. I would think ESRI would use at least a subset of their current Silverlight/WPF API for the Phone API. This will be out-of-browser for the Windows Phone device, since it has to be and hopefully it will support offline use and editing.

I think it would be huge if they did add offline support for not only the Web API but also the Windows Phone API. I think that would make many of us very happy and provide an upgrade path to better technology for customers like yourself using the current Mobile SDK for offline support.

I need WPF Offline capabilities as well.

We currently are using the mobile ADF in 9.3.1 for our windows application which allows for checking in and out data from a mobile service. We also have web applications using the Web ADF.

For ArcGIS 10 we would like to move toward silverlight for the web and WPF for the windows applications. Our users need to be able to work in both Online and Offline modes using the windows application. They need the ability to check-out data and go into the field/jungle edit data and then check-in that data when returning to the office.

Can I use the Silverlight/WPF API and create a cache/work offline? Or do I need to use the Mobile SDK to create a WPF application for offline use and if so, how do I port that to silverlight?

JenniferNery

This feature is not currently supported in ArcGIS Silverlight/WPF API v2.

Jennifer

RobertSutherland

I need WPF Offline capabilities as well.

We currently are using the mobile ADF in 9.3.1 for our windows application which allows for checking in and out data from a mobile service. We also have web applications using the Web ADF.

For ArcGIS 10 we would like to move toward silverlight for the web and WPF for the windows applications. Our users need to be able to work in both Online and Offline modes using the windows application. They need the ability to check-out data and go into the field/jungle edit data and then check-in that data when returning to the office.

Can I use the Silverlight/WPF API and create a cache/work offline? Or do I need to use the Mobile SDK to create a WPF application for offline use and if so, how do I port that to silverlight?

EricDaniel

And ArcEngine wont do the job for you?

I'm asking for more specific use-cases. Ie what type of application are you building. What type of data are you pulling in (tiled, dynamic, featurelayer etc... and what kind of data is in them?). Do you require editing while offline, or will it do with disabling editing? Could you live without some data while offline? Do you require just a subset of image tiles? etc etc etc. This is a huge project, so we'd like to get the 80% use-cases solved first. So in other words, if you had to choose, what feature would then be most important, which are "only" nice to haves, what could you live without etc.

Thanks for the replies. Our use case is to develop a simple GIS user interface with the ability to enter many data driven records over time, and a few geoprocessing tasks such as interpolating point data. The problem with an always connected solution is our user base is often disconnected and/or has poor internet connections. The interest in the Web API over ArcObjects would be the simple design and use concept of it and the ability to reuse such a large amount of code for both an online Silverlight based web site and an offline WPF or OOB Silverlight app. ArcObjects would likely be way more functionality than needed for offline use.

Offline editing would be important and something we would not want to live without. Feature layers would probably be the most important to have offline. In addition it would be nice if vector data could be added while offline as will as small raster images. The tiled and dynamic layers would be nice to have offline, even if it was just a small subset of data that is specific to the users geographical area. We could definitely live without some data while offline. I would expect any of the geoprocessing to take place while online.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you want me to clarify anything more.

SomeGISGuy

And ArcEngine wont do the job for you?

I'm asking for more specific use-cases. Ie what type of application are you building. What type of data are you pulling in (tiled, dynamic, featurelayer etc... and what kind of data is in them?). Do you require editing while offline, or will it do with disabling editing? Could you live without some data while offline? Do you require just a subset of image tiles? etc etc etc. This is a huge project, so we'd like to get the 80% use-cases solved first. So in other words, if you had to choose, what feature would then be most important, which are "only" nice to haves, what could you live without etc.

DanielWalton

I second that motion... We need offline support often for customer demos in locked down facilities or where the internet speed is horrific. It would be great to be able to have a local cache of some map tiles and data feeds.

SomeGISGuy

As it is right now (v2.0), all the API's rely on REST services, and if these are not available, the data will not be available.
As an alternative you could have a local ArcGIS Server REST service running, or use custom built layer types that can read from local data when using WPF.

Offline use-cases is definitely on our radar as a potential feature in a future release. If you can share your use-case, it will help us a great deal with envisioning future features.

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