idea Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs in ArcGIS Enterprise Ideas

Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs

MelanieWawryk — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 16:10:52 GMT

Group layers are useful in map services and show up in other applications. The warning message about them in the Server logs fills up the log file and makes it hard to read when there is nothing to be done about the error, and the groups are in the services for other reasons. Please remove the warning entirely or move it to the verbose or debug level or have a setting where you can select if you want to see the warning. It creates a lot of lines to sort through for little to no benefit.

Re: Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs

RiccardoKlinger — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 12:50:30 GMT

We face similar issues and we would love to see this "message" at a verbose or info level. Yet it should not be treated as a warning.

Re: Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs

EricJackson1 — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 19:27:12 GMT

I agree with both posts on this. I would like to see this message at the verbose or info level, not warning.

Re: Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs

Laura — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 17:44:27 GMT

Yes I hate scrolling through these trying to find my actual errors.

Re: Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs

CMV_Erik — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:54:30 GMT

Is this a bug? According to this, Group Layers are supported. https://enterprise.arcgis.com/en/server/latest/publish-services/windows/supported-functionality-in-map-services.htm

Re: Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs

Laura — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:32:14 GMT

@CMV_Erik we were all experiencing this prior to 11.5. I have not upgraded to that yet to see if it still occurs there or not. I'm currently on 11.2

Re: Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs

CMV_Erik — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:27:47 GMT

@Laura I think we're in the same boat. I am on 11.4, and this doc says Group Layers are supported there too. https://enterprise.arcgis.com/en/server/11.4/publish-services/windows/supported-functionality-in-map-services.htm

I'm guessing this was a leftover from a previous version and shouldn't be logged at all, so I opened a ticket with Esri asking them to take a look. If there is some value in logging this, I think it needs clarification; to me, it seems like it contradicts the documentation, so at least one of these things should change.

Re: Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs

JenaF — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 19:14:17 GMT

Testing in our organization shows that this message is only thrown when a service is published with a feature layer. Feature layers do not support group layers and even when it's just the map image layer being used, if there is a corresponding feature layer the underlying map service will throw an error. Annoying, but potentially not actually a bug: more like a poorly written error message that doesn't make it clear that it's the feature layer component causing the warning.

For us, it is a legit warning as we've seen some wonky behavior when a feature layer with a group layer is used in a web map. What would be nice is if the warning could only be thrown when the feature layer with the group was being used, not the map image layer with the group (which, as multiple folks have said, is supported).

Re: Remove 'Group Layer', which is not supported from ArcGIS Server error logs

JonM32 — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 12:56:27 GMT

Has there been any update on this? In terms of when the warning message might be displayed.

We have this issue as well in our log files, since our services were published as groups. The warning message seems to be pointless other than the point raised by @JenaF.

Thank you!