Add splash to map journal

Question

I've created a map journal application that is hosted on esri's server (not my own) which I've configured through the map journal builder. I'm realizing now that a splash page would be incredibly helpful, but do not want to start over in order to download the journal, edit, and host on my server.

Can I add such a thing through either the json in ArcGIS Online Assistant or by attaching the right code in the journal's settings under "code attachment"?

Alternatively, is there a way to download my application's source code for the journal storymap after I've finished editing in the builder? I see this is possible for the cascade, but can't find the option for the journal.

Thank you!

VictoriaBeckley1 · Answer

I see, thank you for explaining that, I haven't done this in a while and forgot that it simply references the storymap's ID, phew.

Re: Cooper's blog

I want to generate a mobile friendly version because the one that I've created has a lot of "main stage content" buttons ("button" from here on) to layers in the map and the sections are each pretty long. This makes it so that on a mobile device jumping back and forth between the map content and the text becomes tiring. Also if you were to click a button lower down in the text, when you return to the text after viewing the map content you don't return to the same location in the text, but instead at the top, so then you have to scroll to get back to where you were. This is challenging to explain, but here's the link to my storymap, if you go to one of the longer sections and try to use all of the buttons you should be able to see what I'm talking about.

Additionally, in the mobile version the buttons don't work for the section "Downtown Transit Center" and for the last three buttons in the "Dumbarton Corridor Study" section--no idea why, they work in the desktop version.

For a mobile version I would take out the majority of the buttons and group the data that shows up for each button. I'd also probably reduce the text on some of the sections because it's lengthy.

Finally, I've included a lot of "please scroll down in this panel" text after watching many people be confused on how to use the tool. This text becomes kind of confusing on the mobile device where you swipe from section to section. So I'd like to only have it in the desktop version.

Thank you for reading this short novel of feedback. And thank you again for the quick response.

RupertEssinger · Answer

Hi Victoria,

When you download and self-host one of our apps, for example to customize the code, you are literally just hosting the source code of the application yourself, not the content, such as the images, text, maps, etc) in your Story Map. That source code simply points at the actual Story Map that you have created already. So the Story Map Journal you have been working on for 4 months would be displayed by the source code you have downloaded (because you'd simply reference it from your copy of the source code) rather than the source code that is hosted in ArcGIS Online.

I think you could use the same technique as is described in Cooper's blog post if you wanted to display two different versions of the story, but could you describe a bit more why you want to do that for your Map Journal. For Cascade we documented that technique because until the June 2017 release there were some limitations on mobile devices for Cascades. I've not heard of this being applied to Story Map Journal so perhaps describe the situation a bit more.

Rupert

VictoriaBeckley1 · Answer

Hi Rupert, thanks for getting back to me so quickly!

I know that I can download the source code for a new unedited map journal, but I am looking to download the code for the one that I've spent the last 4 months working on and am trying to avoid recreating. Is this possible?

Additionally, I read your colleagues article on dynamically loading different story maps based on the device and would like to be able to do this for the map journal (his example is cascade). His directions have you download the source code once you've finished your edits. So could I follow these steps for the journal as well as the cascade?

Thank you,

Victoria