Unable to open any shapefile other than .shp

HeatherLansky

I'm new to GIS and downloaded ArcGISExplorer to decide if I need the full ArcGIS product.  I have received several shapefiles from colleagues but I'm unable to load them in the Explorer.  I have files with extensions .dbf, .prj, .sbn, .sbx and .shx.  However, when I click Add Content:Shapefiles, and navigate to the folder only the .shp file can be uploaded.  This creates a boundary, but no metadata.

Any advice or help would be much appreciated.

EllenBryson2

Hi Lansky.8

You should be able to load shapefiles in ArcGIS Explorer. You're off to a good start to make sure that you received .dbf, .prj., .shp and .shx. Those are absolutely necessary. If you try to add them, and AGX displays the .shp file, you know then that you have all necessary files. (If you don't have some of the files, ArcGIS Explorer won't even show you that in the file dialog. If you don't have the .prj file, it will allow you to click .shp, but it won't add, you'll get an error, Unable to add, or similar.)

Regarding metadata, might you perhaps mean the attribute data? You can click on any feature in the shape and get the attribute data for that shape. If you're working with ArcGIS Explorer and you have 2500, you can view the attribute table as a whole. (Click on the layer in your Contents area, then Tools, then Attribute Table.

If you did in fact mean metadata, I'm not sure of a way to display that in ArcGIS Explorer. I just tried updating my metadata for a shapefile in ArcMap but was not successful my new metadata in AGX. Anyone else?

Hope this helps a bit and Good luck

~Ellen

I'm new to GIS and downloaded ArcGISExplorer to decide if I need the full ArcGIS product.  I have received several shapefiles from colleagues but I'm unable to load them in the Explorer.  I have files with extensions .dbf, .prj, .sbn, .sbx and .shx.  However, when I click Add Content:Shapefiles, and navigate to the folder only the .shp file can be uploaded.  This creates a boundary, but no metadata.

Any advice or help would be much appreciated.