topic Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button in ArcGIS Experience Builder Questions

Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

ksm-hh — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 12:14:58 GMT

Hello all,

I have loaded a web map with different layers into Experience Builder to create a WebApp. In this web app, individual layers of the web map should be able to be switched on and off with a button or a switch.

Is this possible and do you have any tips on how I can implement this?

Many greetings

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

GavinRehkemper — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 15:32:04 GMT

Hi, when adding the map widget to your Experience, there is an option to enable the "Layers" tool which will allow the end user of the app to toggle visibility of layers.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

BrandonGuo — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 04:51:30 GMT

It's different with a button that quickly turns on/off a layer. If a map has multiple layers, users might want a quick button to turn on a frequently used layer.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

blairtinker — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:09:21 GMT

Out of curiosity did you figure out a way to do this. I sort of have a hacked method using the filter widget but it's not pretty. The people we are making the map for really don't like the layer widget, they want easy to click buttons.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

HalleyGrundy — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 17:22:05 GMT

I am also interested in this - especially if you can create a button that will turn a group of layers on/off.
@blairtinker, how did you do this with the filter widget?

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

MargrietdePender — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 14:46:41 GMT

Im not sure if the question is still active, but you can add the Widget Map Layers.

You can connect this Widget to Interact with the map widget (choose the correct one).

It also has an option 'Toggle layer visibility' if you switch it on, you have an additional option to use tick boxes.

Now you users of the app can easily switch layers on and/or off.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

BAdejumo — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 20:18:50 GMT

Hi,

I tried this hack method but didn't work. How did you do it?

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

MargrietdePender — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 06:54:20 GMT

After adding the layers widget to the map you can activate the option Toggle layer visibility.

With that option you can also activate the new option Use tick boxes:

Then users get on or off switches per layer:

This is much understandable for the users.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

blairtinker — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 20:48:04 GMT

Holy cow this is really old and am just seeing this now- sorry. I went back to see how I accomplished this and couldn't actually find the application where it was implemented. We eventually went a different direction so it just went away. If I recall it was setting up filters that would filter everything/nothing when enabled so instead of actually turning off/on the layers it was really filtering all the features. I know there are other posts about layer widgets and whatnot but people still seem to want big ol' buttons to turn things on and off.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

AaronPDXPaul — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:41:15 GMT

Has this been solved? We can use a button in Dashboards to toggle layers. But not in ExB. Is that the case, or is there a way to do this? We want something similar to a button. That when clicked, it displays a filter of the layer, or toggle layers off and others on.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

KristapsKaugurs — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 09:35:22 GMT

It is a shame this hasn't been solved by now - I see many people asking for a button to trigger a single or multiple layers at once. We are using maps with rich content of 20+ layers. However, people usually need only 3 "scenes / scenarios". Instead of force-feeding us Layers widget, just PLEASE make a button action to toggle different layer states ON/OFF with a single click.

Some workarounds / ways to do this despite ESRI:

Filters are a workaround, but if you enable all of the layers, then filter them invisible, it sacrifices a lot of performance and seams pointless.
How to: Layers in question should be loaded on start (e.g. toggled ON). Then Filter widget can be styled like a button with a custom icon and all. You should add reverse SQL expression --> like asking to filter for something that's not there. I use this: (OBJECTID IS NULL)
Finally, make sure to toggle "Apply this filter automatically" for it to be applied on load.

@HalleyGrundy , @blairtinker @BAdejumo
Separate maps in different pages are another hack, but this makes me create, store and maintain 2-3 sets of maps literally adding an exponential load on map creators gis engineers.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

AaronPDXPaul — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 14:25:18 GMT

There's a solution to this. Using Bookmarks. But the Bookmarks are very limited in ability to style. So the Bookmarks don't match the style of the App. Bookmarks should have the same styling capabilities as buttons. That said. Add a Bookmark. Configure the Bookmark to display only the layer(s) you want displayed when Bookmark is clicked. I have real life Apps that I won't use Bookmarks, because of the lack of styling issue. If looks aren't as important as functionality, or you can change the entire style of the app for one widget. Bookmarks are a solution.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

JeremyUmlauf — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:10:27 GMT

I have found bookmarks to be great for this however do you know of a way to make the bookmark show a specific filtered layer, it seems to not carry the filtered status of the specific layer when setting up the bookmark. I swore I got this to work before but have not been able to get it to work since?

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

AaronPDXPaul — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:20:27 GMT

It should work as you described. In the Web Map, duplicate layers. Then Filter the layers. In the Bookmarks. Choose what Layers show when the Bookmark is clicked. My biggest issue with tis is the styling. The look of buttons can't be styled to look like other items. Besides that, it works great

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

CS_VT — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:06:12 GMT

Thanks everyone for the workaround with bookmarks. It's helpful.

One item I would add to the dream list here would be, if not for buttons to change layers, for there to be a setting in bookmarks to NOT CHANGE extent when you switch bookmarks. This setting would effectively make that layer button dream come true without needing to change much else...

If this is possible and I'm just being silly and haven't noticed it, I would gladly be corrected on this.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

AaronPDXPaul — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:14:29 GMT

@CS_VT

I believe your dream is a reality 🙂

You do not have to change the extent of a Bookmark.

Instead, you just change layer visibilities, without changing the extent.

This is not intuitive, as a Bookmarks main purpose is usually to change the extent.

But in this case, just don't move the map, and your dream will come true.

Enjoy, Aaron

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

CS_VT — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 16:40:58 GMT

Thanks @AaronPDXPaul!

I actually stumbled into your clever solution the other day and continued on my merry way without a second thought to the forum!

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

blairtinker — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 19:20:55 GMT

This is very close to the functionality that I'm looking for, but I can not see a way to have a bookmark not change the extent/zoom. I can successfully set the layer visibility but the map interface to set a bookmark makes me choose what the map is showing. Once it's live if I zoom and pan around in the app, then click a bookmark, it will zoom to that extent (while successfully turning the right layers off). What am I missing here? A checkbox somewhere?

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

MauryT — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:30:06 GMT

Looks like this has been solved. Select Layer widget and it is under Options.

Re: Switch on individual layers of a map with a button

AaronPDXPaul — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 15:18:51 GMT

How is this solution any different than toggling layers in a Layer List Widget? Maybe this is a solution for you. But it is nowhere near what I'm trying to do. Unless I'm missing something. The Bookmarks solution isn't really a good solution either. It doesn't have Triggers and Actions to widgets like List or others. Can you explain what I'm missing?