topic Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear? in ArcGIS Field Maps Questions

What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

MikeSlattery — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 03:41:17 GMT

I am not sure exactly why, but the Form I built is gone in the Field Maps configure pane for the layer, and so is the "plus" button in the Field Maps app. This has happened before, but I am at a loss to pinpoint the before/after scenario.

I did update the popup in the beta map viewer, and I did add a field to the layer - but there is no indication of why the whole Form is gone as if I hadn't built one.

Once I added the new field to the feature item definitions for the layer, I could add/edit features in the web beta, but there is stlll no Plus button on the app.

To my knowledge no one used the layer in the non-beta map viewer.

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

KevinBurke — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 22:25:08 GMT

@MikeSlattery

Thank you for sharing that information with us.

I am not sure at this point if these two issues are related or not. In the absence of the smart form, you should still see the normal editable popup. The fact that you cannot edit, seems unrelated to the missing form, at least at this point.

Can you confirm that the layer loads successfully without errors in the Field Maps mobile app?

If possible, would you be able to share the web map/feature services with me to take a look on my end?

If so, please invite the user ArcGISFieldMaps into a group.

Thank you

-Kevin

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

MikeSlattery — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 01:01:22 GMT

Thank you Kevin,

I have added that user to the group.

I have since rebuilt a smaller form. (There were 89 fields before - the collapsing fieldgroups are very helpful to the user.) I can add and edit points in the map viewer beta using that form. The 'assets_and_tasks_beta' map loads in the mobile app and the points update when data changes. But the layer is ReadOnly. The definition and checkboxes say otherwise, but there is that layerOverride array which includes 'capabilities' which I am giving the side-eye to right now. I hope this is not RTM territory and I thank you for looking!

Group: '5539155f79d540988348b2064bdf6c0b'

Map: '82d3dcac9abd451fbb32dbeb20e9dc09'

Layer: 'edda2ce07ee346ee9a8c69927e16f4bd'

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

MikeSlattery — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 04:45:13 GMT

Looks like you are right - the forms and the ReadOnly issue are separate. This entry just follows up on the forms/fieldmaps info removals. A fresh layer remained editable throughout.

Looks like any save on the Map in Beta Viewer removes the form from the Field Maps configuration for that map. The Summary addition I made also disappeared which seems consistent.

I started fresh with a new layer and map. I configured a popup in the Beta Map Viewer, saved and looked on the Field Maps App. I could Add points there. I then engaged Field Maps to create a form from that popup. Then saved it. I found that I forgot one field, so I added it to the form in Field Maps and saved it. Then I went back to the Beta Map Viewer and added that field to the popup and saved. I went back to the Field Maps front page and selected the new map. The form was gone.

I could still add/edit in the Field Maps App. I went back and re-created the form via popup in Field Maps, and that form was visible in the Field Maps App.

I added more layers and changed basemap in the Beta Map Viewer and saved. Going back in Field Maps from the map list to the map to the config, the form is gone again.

I still see the Add button in the Field Maps App, but the form is gone there too after restarting the app.

I updated the Summary for the map in Field Apps, but that went away as well.

Thanks again @KevinBurke and team for your attention.

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

MikeSlattery — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 18:36:31 GMT

@KevinBurke - I am able to edit both sides of the Beta Map/Field Map pair in Firefox with a copy of the new map without the resetting issue, and everything behaves in the App so far. This might point to a browser/caching issue in Chrome?

Version 88.0.4324.96 (Official Build) (x86_64) on OSX 10.15.7 Catalina

(Using Chrome for the FieldMaps and Beta Map pages, launching devtools to show network activity with cache disabled for each page used, seems to behave as well.)

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

KevinBurke — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 01:11:41 GMT

Hi @MikeSlattery

Thank you for that detailed information.

On the topic of the layer being editable vs read-only for the assets-and-tasks-beta map, I can reproduce the issue using that map in Field Maps for both iOS and Android. However when I saved a new copy of map using the Map Viewer Beta, I could no longer reproduce the issue, as you've stated as well.

When comparing the JSON of the Web Maps, in your copy I noticed it shows:

authoringApp: "ArcGIS API for JavaScript"

authoringAppVersion: "4.18"

In the new copy of the map I saved, it shows:

authoringApp: "ArcGISMapViewerBeta"

authoringAppVersion: "8.3"

I am not sure this is the cause of the issue or not, but I am curious how your original map was created? Which application generated that original Web Map?

For the second issue with the clearing of the formInfo in the Web Map JSON, I am trying to reproduce this behavior but haven't so far. I have a few more things to try, so I will keep you posted on this one. However in general the form information shouldn't be cleared when saving the map through the Map Viewer Beta. It will, however, if saved through the Classic Map Viewer.

Thank you

-Kevin

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

MikeSlattery — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 01:28:35 GMT

Hi @KevinBurke,

I did briefly use the map in a Web AppBuilder app to try the edit widget on it, before I started on the Beta Viewer/Field Maps process. Maybe the Javascript API value came from that exercise?

And I have had problems with Chrome cache on Macs before on various apps - not just arcgis - all over the place including local dev. I should I have isolated that sooner.

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

kmsmikrud — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 18:54:42 GMT

Hello,

I just wanted to add that I am also experiencing forms consistently disappearing after I have configured/saved within the Field Maps web app. I've looked at the map viewer beta and have made changes, but then when I go back to the forms they don't exist and back to square one. I have repeated this process already way too many times this morning. Why are the forms being dropped over and over? I know this isn't quite the same issue as the post, but it partially matches. Thanks

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

KevinBurke — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 22:20:04 GMT

Hi @kmsmikrud

Thank you for the additional information. I am investigating which workflows in the Map Viewer Beta (MVB for short) cause the form to get removed from the web map.

Can you please provide me with your repro case(s) for where you've experienced the form being removed?

Thank you

-Kevin

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

KevinBurke — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 23:33:57 GMT

@kmsmikrud are you working with related tables in the map?

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

kmsmikrud — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 23:57:21 GMT

Hi @KevinBurke ,

Thanks for the replies! I'm trying to reproduce the issue with the form being dropped, but of course its not happening at the moment. I do have 1 related table in the map. Thanks for your willingness to look into this. Are there any known workflows for Map Viewer Beta (MVB) removing the form? I'm setting up a number of maps for field work and forms dropping were/are troubling in trying to keep up with it all.

Thank-you,

Kathy

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

KevinBurke — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 00:14:45 GMT

That's what I am currently trying to figure out, is what workflows are clearing the form information when saving through the Map Viewer Beta.

Obviously if you save the map using the current Map Viewer it will clear the form information, but you should be notified when opening a map that has a form already configured in that case.

Internally we've had folks report an issue where the form is removed after having saved through the Map Viewer Beta after they opened a previously created map with a custom popup from the current map viewer and made changes to the popup configuration.

I did reproduce this once, but not repetitively, so I am still trying to narrow it down.

But perhaps this happens when making changes for existing maps using the Map Viewer Beta version.

Thanks for helping to try and narrow this down.

-Kevin

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

kmsmikrud — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 23:13:03 GMT

Hi @KevinBurke ,

In creating another web map today in Map Viewer Beta and then configuring the form in Field Maps all was well until I realized I needed to add filters to the layers in MVB. After I did this, the forms were gone in Field Maps. I also wanted to add a label for one of the layers, this also removed the forms in Field Maps. I will let you know what else I find.

Thanks,

Kathy

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

KevinBurke — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 23:14:31 GMT

Thank you @kmsmikrud!

I will check this out on my end as well.

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

kmsmikrud — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 23:39:22 GMT

Much appreciated! I also just renamed the pop-up title for a layer in MVB and this also removed the form on all layers. It doesn't seem like it takes much of a change in MVB at all for the form to disappear. Thanks for your help.

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

KevinBurke — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 14:27:26 GMT

Hi @kmsmikrud

Would it be possible for you to share a copy of a map, that has a form already created, that I can test with to try and reproduce this behavior? So far I've tried editing maps in the MVB that have smart forms built but I cannot seem to reproduce the clearing of the form as easily as you can. Therefore perhaps it has to do with the map itself as oppose to a general problem.

If so, please share with the ArcGISFieldMaps user in a group.

Also, if you can share a quick video of the editing done in the MVB and then how the form is removed through Field Maps (web application) that would be very helpful as well in trying to narrow this behavior down.

Thank you for your help on this.

-Kevin

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

Peters_Amy — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 14:42:06 GMT

Kevin, I have experienced the same behavior but in the regular AGOL web map, not even the Beta Viewer. Any change to anything in the web map with a resave will cause the Field Maps form to disappear. If you change a popup, layer name, filter, symbology, etc and resave, the Field Maps form will be gone and you have to start over. I could share my project with you but I can't afford to risk it getting deleted again. I don't understand how to make copies of the items for you. Would you like me to share the originals and you can make copies for your testing?

Amy Peters

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

KevinBurke — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 16:53:43 GMT

Hi @Peters_Amy

Thank you for the feedback. When it comes to working with smart forms and using the current Map Viewer, upon opening the map you should receive a notification indicating that the map contains certain functionality that's not supported by that version of the map viewer. In this case the smart form configuration is not supported by the current Map Viewer and, as a result, will be removed upon saving.

Therefore this is expected behavior for the current Map Viewer, and what I am trying to determine based off previous reports is why/how for certain situations the form is also getting removed after re-saving through the Map Viewer Beta (MVB). The form information should remain upon saving in the MVB, and indeed it does in general, however I am trying to understand the situations when it doesn't.

If you've seen this happen using the MVB, then I would like to understand the workflow you did there and try to replicate on my end.

On a side note, if you have already configured a smart form for a web map and would like to make a copy of that map, you should be able to perform a Save As using the MVB and not the current map viewer and the form should be retained.

Thank you

-Kevin

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

Peters_Amy — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 17:20:57 GMT

Kevin,

This is extremely helpful, thanks for taking the time to explain. I will try that Save As using the MVB.

Re: What causes a Form and the '+" button to disappear?

kmsmikrud — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 01:33:49 GMT

Hi @KevinBurke ,

Apologies on the delay. I will follow up more on this next week as I need to create other projects with similar forms for different areas. I will take a video of editing and also share a map with the ArcGISFieldMaps user in the group. Thanks for the outreach!

Kathy