topic Re: Downloading Attachments in ArcGIS Collector Questions

Downloading Attachments

SarahO_Rourke — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 18:54:10 GMT

Hello,

I want to use the collector app to collect attributes and photos for various structures. I have been able to create a feature service with attachments turned on, everything looks good with the app and the AGOL map but I can't seem to save the feature service back to my ArcGIS desktop version. I can open the feature service on the desktop and with 10.2 and can now see the attached images however I don't see a related table. I want to be able to see which pictures are attached to which point in an offline setting, is this possible?

Thanks
Sarah

Re: Downloading Attachments

RussRoberts — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 19:00:30 GMT

In 10.2 you can create a local copy for editing in ArcMap and this will pull down the attachments. Once you do this you should see a fgdb under the folder FeatureServiceLocalEdits. You do not need to enable sync on the hosted service to be able to pull it down for local copy.

Cheers
Russ

Re: Downloading Attachments

SarahO_Rourke — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 13:48:39 GMT

In 10.2 you can create a local copy for editing in ArcMap and this will pull down the attachments. Once you do this you should see a fgdb under the folder FeatureServiceLocalEdits.

Hi Russ,

I was able to create a local copy for editing but it doesn't look like the attachments came with it. When I load the feature service into my map and use the identify button I can open the images attached to each point however when I create a local copy and use the identify on the same points I no longer see the attachments. Am I missing a step? There doesn't seem to be an associated table for the attachments.

Thanks for your help,
Sarah

Re: Downloading Attachments

RussRoberts — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:07:21 GMT

Did you enable sync on that hosted service? There is an issue with 10.2 Desktop if you had enabled sync on your service and try to create a local copy of the service the attachments will not get pulled down. This will be addressed in the 10.2.1 update.

Russ

Re: Downloading Attachments

SarahO_Rourke — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:06:05 GMT

I just retested to make sure that the sync option was disabled. I am still not getting my attachments.
Does it matter that the feature class was created and attachments were enabled in 10.1?

Re: Downloading Attachments

RussRoberts — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:17:20 GMT

I don't think so but I have not tested this out. Are you trying to create the local copy in 10.1?

Re: Downloading Attachments

SarahO_Rourke — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:37:11 GMT

No, I am using 10.2 to make the local copy but everything else was done in 10.1. My company hasn't made the move to 10.2 yet so I have it installed on one computer to test the collector app. It would be very helpful to get the attachments working. Here is my work flow to ensure I'm not missing anything.
-Create a feature class, use the enable attachment tool.
-Share as a service, publish a service
-Capabilities, Feature Access
-Feature Acces, create, delete, query and update
-Add feature service to a new map and save
-Use the collector app to take a picture at a point
-Add the hosted service to desktop map document
-Right click, create copy for local editing.

Re: Downloading Attachments

RussRoberts — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:57:05 GMT

Can you share your service with me and I can do a quick test against it?

thanks
Russ

Re: Downloading Attachments

SarahO_Rourke — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 17:00:55 GMT

I just made my service public: http://cbcl.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=2c21d8f7a9c84573aa07779149e73d69

http://cbcl.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=cacbc74f37df48c790909cdd35d37976

Re: Downloading Attachments

RussRoberts — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 19:55:59 GMT

I am able to view the attachments from the service in ArcMap and also pull down a local copy and view attachments on my 10.2 machine.

My workflow
Open the item URL to the hosted feature service > then choose to open in desktop > identify one of the features. This is where I see the hosted service attachments

Then I right click on the layer > create local copy > add the layer from the newly created gdb from the ArcCatalog panel in into Contents panel and I can identify the same point and see the same attachments. I also see the attachments table in under this gdb.

Let me know if you have any further questions. I would also recommend posting a question in Online forums and/or in the Desktop forums where other people might have similar questions.

Russ

Re: Downloading Attachments

SarahO_Rourke — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 16:11:53 GMT

I still can't see the attachments, there is no related table in the local copy gdb. I don't know what I am missing.
I have looked at the other forums and it seems like I'm not the only one who has this problem.

Re: Downloading Attachments

CarynAshbay — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 13:13:48 GMT

I still can't see the attachments, there is no related table in the local copy gdb. I don't know what I am missing.
I have looked at the other forums and it seems like I'm not the only one who has this problem.

Sarah, were you ever able to figure out the attachment issue? I am having the same problem. Cannot see attachments and there is no related data in the related table.
Thanks!

Re: Downloading Attachments

AidanMallamo — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 15:28:28 GMT

Sarah, were you ever able to figure out the attachment issue? I am having the same problem. Cannot see attachments and there is no related data in the related table.
Thanks!

I am still having this problem on 10.2.1. I have a feature service that I created a while ago. The downloaded copy still does not contain attachments.

I need to republish to change the schema, but I cannot do so because I will lose all the attachments.

Re: Downloading Attachments

CarynAshbay — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 12:22:31 GMT

#1-You need to be running a Desktop Standard or Advanced license to work with attachments. Not Basic.
#2-I finally got mine to successfully run when every feature had at least one attachment. I had some features that did not have attachments and that bombed it out.
Hope that helps!

Re: Downloading Attachments

JessicaGooch1 — Thu, 15 May 2014 13:21:23 GMT

I am still having this problem on 10.2.1. I have a feature service that I created a while ago. The downloaded copy still does not contain attachments.

I need to republish to change the schema, but I cannot do so because I will lose all the attachments.

Have you been able to figure this out??? I need to republish a HFS to change the schema and I also can't because I will lose all the attachments...I have some points that have photo attachments and some that do not. Not all of my points need attachments.

Thanks!
-Jessica

Re: Downloading Attachments

RussRoberts — Thu, 15 May 2014 15:32:11 GMT

I would recomend you posting this issue in the Desktop forum to see if they have a resolution for downloading the attachments from a hosted service. You can also try this python script which will pull down the features along with the attachments.

https://gist.github.com/oevans/6992139

Russ

Re: Downloading Attachments

NanettePratini — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 22:42:22 GMT

I have tried all of these solutions and am still having similar issues. I am able to create a local database that includes a table and a relate for the attachments, and in ArcMap I can view the attachments in a popup window just fine, but it looks like the attachments (photos) are still in the cloud somewhere.

I can see that a local copy of the photo is created in my /temp folder when I view it or right click on the filename, but that all goes away when ArcMap is closed. I want to be able to have everything local, including the attachments, to give to the client when the project is over.