Missing examples in API Reference.

[DavidChrest]

I noticed in the ArcGIS JS API Reference, some examples seem to be missing that used to be there when 3.12 was the current release.

For the FindTask, this wonderful example use to exist: https://developers.arcgis.com/javascript/jssamples/find_map_datagrid.html.

But now the only example is this: https://developers.arcgis.com/javascript/jssamples/find_nomap.html.

I found the first FindTask example by googling it but have no idea how to navigate to it from the API pages.

Same thing goes for WebTileLayer. This wonderful example used to be available via “Search for samples…” link within the class documentation: https://developers.arcgis.com/javascript/jssamples/layers_webtiled_many.html.

But now, the only example is this: https://developers.arcgis.com/javascript/jssamples/layers_webtiled_one.html.

Again, I found the first WebTileLayer example by googling it but have no idea how to navigate to it from the API pages.

Any idea why these example no longer are in the API site (https://developers.arcgis.com/javascript/) . These are really good ones and hate to see these and others go missing.

Thanks,

David

[KenBuja]

It seems with every update, some of the examples are "removed" from the list of samples. The examples still exist, but it's harder to find them. I had raised this a while back and the response was

We previously had ~270 samples in the TOC. This was a product of us consistently adding a few samples per release for 5+ years. Now we have ~100 and they're the samples we think appeal to the largest audience.

I still think there should be a page that lists all the samples.

[SteveCole]

Some older examples don't exist anymore. There used to be a few dojo layout template examples (TOC left side, TOC right side, etc) in the older APIs and they are no longer on any active, searchable site. The only way to get them is to download the older API version.

(sarcasm)ESRI really likes listening to its customers.(/sarcasm)

[TracySchloss]

I believe they went from being 'hard to find' to 'gone'.  I know they were getting dated, but if it weren't for the fact that I saved a few for my own use, I'd be lost.  I'm working through something right now that used to be an example.  Luckily I had my own version I'd created a year or so ago.

ESRI - please don't assume just because examples are old and dated they are useless.  Even if they aren't the latest and greatest, there were techniques that I continued to use that are now gone.  Can't you make an archive version or something?!

[KellyHutchins · Accepted solution]

As Steven pointed out you can always access old samples by downloading the SDK for an earlier version of the API from the Downloads page.  We maintain downloads of the API and SDK back to version 3.0 of the API.

https://developers.arcgis.com/en/downloads/

[DavidChrest]

Kelly, thank you so much! Just downloaded all the old samples. Very helpful.

[KenBuja]

I find this stance absolutely ludicrous. How is a new user suppose to even know that such samples exist?

A case in point: Last week, I wanted to help someone with a question about IdentifyTask, so I was going to include a link to a sample. I went to the IdentifyTask class page and clicked on the link in "Search for samples that use this class.". No results were found. However, a sample could be found by doing a Google search "sample identifytask esri". I wrote to the JSFeedback asking about this and got this reply

We periodically archive some of the older samples as we create new samples for the API. I have removed the sample you’re referring to from the archive so you may see it once again with the sample search. In the future, if you remember seeing a sample from a previous version that no longer exists in the current version of the API reference, you may download former versions of the API reference with your ArcGIS developer account to view these archived samples.

If I was a new user and clicked on the samples link, I would have been lead to believe that no examples existed for IdentifyTask. Why should a user have to go through all these extra steps to get these samples when they still exist on your servers? They haven't been "archived", the links have just been removed.

[TracySchloss]

It's interesting you should mention IdentifyTask, because that was the example I was referring to when I went looking too.  I think there's been a little too much housecleaning going on. 

Besides having to know that the samples are in the older SDKs that you must download, you'd have to have an idea of which version to go back to.   I imagine most people would give it up as a lost cause before they got very far.

[SteveCole]

Not only that, you have to remember what the sample may have been called because there's no easy search function for the downloaded bundle of API samples. I ran into this with the older samples that related to various dojo layout templates.