idea Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields in ArcGIS Experience Builder Ideas

Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

LJackson29 — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 22:39:26 GMT

The Edit Widget in Experience Builder needs to allow for multiline text for text fields that are long. We have a feature layer that has a project description field that is 500 characters which is difficult to edit in the small box provided in the Edit Widget. It would be nice if a multiline expandable box were available.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

KarinaLivingston — Tue, 10 May 2022 18:59:48 GMT

We are looking for the same functionality.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

JodiWalters — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 22:30:03 GMT

We have this problem as well and have opened a case with ESRI - hopefully they will address it soon.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

Jesse_WI_DNR — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 15:08:42 GMT

Also hoping for full ExB parity with the WAB editing widget soon!

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

AndreasLorentzen — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 09:08:56 GMT

Quite frustrating.
Is this featured as an idea as well?

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

LJackson29 — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 16:51:48 GMT

Hi All -

I recently learned a work around for this option - it's not ideal but it helps. If you add a webmap that contains the layer you want to use to your Data tab in Experience Builder (EB), you can then select "New Editable Source" in the Edit Widget and select the layer from your web map. Under "Configure Fields" you will then see an option "Use Webmap Settings" (see snapshot below). In your webmap using the new map viewer, you need to configure a form using the Form tool (see snapshot below) for the layer you are using. In the Form window, you will be able to set properties for each field. For text fields there is a multiline option under "Input Type". This creates a slightly bigger box that allows the text to wrap. It also allows you to expand the box to the right when in Experience Builder, but that doesn't really work well. Ideally you would be able to expand the box down within the Editing window in EB. Ideally, you would not have to jump through all these hoops and would be able to select multiline in the EB Editing Widget and indicate how big the box should be so large text fields could be viewed better.

WARNING: If you already have your app all setup and have actions, you will likely need to change all the widgets over to the webmap layer I think. I basically had to recreate my whole app to implement this 😞

Hope this helps a little,

Leila

Edit widget settings

Webmap Form Tool

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

JamesFotyAPD — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 16:34:05 GMT

@LJackson29

Thanks for the suggestion, Leila, on using the webmap form settings with the multiline input.

I've reached out to ESRI support about the inability to expand the multiline text box vertically. This seems to be an issue with the CSS theme files and that control. If ESRI updates the CSS in the future, it should allow vertical expansion of these multiline inputs.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

LJackson29 — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 13:32:52 GMT

@JamesFotyAPD

Thanks for reaching out to ESRI. Hopefully we will see an update in the future - it is a feature our users would really like to see implemented.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

KevinMayall — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 20:32:05 GMT

Really looking for this too. I'm already using the Smart Forms in Map Viewer and displaying in the ExB Edit widget. Still, the "multiline" form fields do not respect the design (vertical size) in Smart Forms in Map Viewer.

Esri, bring that CSS update please!

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

shannon-julius — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 17:13:58 GMT

This functionality is important for our users too. We have an app where users edit a "comments" field which can range from 100 to 1,500 characters, however the edit window for this item only shows about 50 characters. We are trying to migrate the customer from a spreadsheet to a much better, map-based experience in experience builder, however the function needed most frequently (edit the comments) is not an improvement over Excel. Opened a case with Esri which was logged as an enhancement.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

ChristopherGillett — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:20:16 GMT

Can I also add my voice here,

I also need users to enter comments of hundreds of characters and I need a fix for multi-line to be enabled in the edit widget.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

HMarcks — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 18:32:26 GMT

It looks like this can be accomplished in the General Settings of the editor widget under Save Settings "Switch to multiline input when field length exceeds X" turned on. I know that does not seem very intuitive and to be honest I am not sure what else it is doing but I was just messing with the settings and it seems to have fixed the display.

default single line display

change setting

multi line display

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

LJackson29 — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 19:36:10 GMT

@HMarcks Can you clarify where you are taking those snapshots. I don't have anything that looks like that in the Experience Builder Edit Widget or Map Viewer Forms.

Thanks!

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

KevinMayall — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 19:40:10 GMT

That looks like Web App Builder, not Experience Builder.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

EmmaCurran18 — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 15:15:59 GMT

Agree with the above comments, looking for this functionality built into the Experience Builder interface and not via a web map workaround.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields - Status changed to: Already Offered

AlixVezina — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 21:52:56 GMT

For multiline text input in the Edit widget, you need to configure a Form for the editable layer. You can do this directly within Map Viewer. Configure forms for attribute editing (Map Viewer)—ArcGIS Online Help | Documentation

When you add the text field to the Form, make sure to choose the Text - Multiline input type.

Then, when you edit attributes for the features, you'll see that multiline input and will be able to expand it.

Re: Experience Builder Edit Widget needs multiline option for text fields

JFisch — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 21:08:14 GMT

I agree with all the above posts! We do need easily accessible multiline functionality in the edit widget.

Does anyone have a workaround when the edit widget is interacting with the list widget? The map form doesn't seem to have any affect when those two are linked together.