topic Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online in ArcGIS Online Questions

Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

JoshWhite — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 15:37:12 GMT

I am testing out a feature service for use in web editing, primarily through Collector. I am testing in ArcGIS Online. I tried to edit an existing feature and there are a couple of fields that have a yellow triangle and with an exclamation point next to them and a popup that states that this value is required. I cannot seem to figure out how this property is set. The two fields in one particular feature that are marked as required aren't really required and other fields that should be required are not required. How do I change the property of this? In the feature class it seems the only thing you could change is whether or not a field is nullable but that doesn't appear to affect anything else. The template doesn't have an option for requiring fields either. ArcGIS Online nor Collector have any options that I can find to alter this either. The service properties don't reference required fields either.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

NickHetrick — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 16:32:58 GMT

I noticed the same issue as well and I am also having issues that I think are related to this as well when it comes to adding new features. It seems like ESRI currently knows this is an issue based on the forum posting below since it is not reading the REST endpoint settings for non-nullable fields. I still don't get why ArcGIS.com editing is showing an icon for fields that are not required as well.

https://community.esri.com/message/320756?sr=search&searchId=4d3af6bf-8ab4-4458-9606-0392d8090869&searchIndex=3#320756‌

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

JoshWhite — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 16:55:38 GMT

I posted a reply in that forum thread as well. Thanks for bringing it up.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

AlexandraWalrath — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 19:04:28 GMT

Has there been any progress on this issue? I'm searching for way to control which feature service fields are marked as "required" in ArcGIS Online/Collector.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

JoeFlannery — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 14:48:10 GMT

I see the behavior in AGOL that you are describing when I assign a Domain with Coded Values to an attribute field of a featureclass in a feature service.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

KeithGerhartz1 — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:58:33 GMT

Me too. It appears that the API assumed a field to be required if a coded domain is specified.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

SamH — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 20:07:46 GMT

I just want to revive this thread and ask if anyone knows the exact step to set required field in arcgis online ? I tried replicating by assiging a Domain with coded value to an attribute field of a fc in a feature service, but did not see the same result as what others have mentioned about seeing the required field show up in AGOL ?

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

JoshWhite — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 21:50:27 GMT

I haven't worked with this much since. I would recommend that Esri just make the required property editable in AGOL. It seems this would be a quick fix. Plus this would give you options to require fields that the REST endpoint says are nullable if desired.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

NickHetrick — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 23:50:13 GMT

I totally agree the flexibility to control the required value property in AGOL would be a really nice enhancement. I would also like to see the ability to include date/time stamps for inserting vs updating data configurable within AGOL as well so I don't have to use the editor tracking functionality within the database.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

JoshWhite — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 13:07:01 GMT

I agree on the editor tracking, I've really only used Collector in a test state so far so I'm not sure how it is working. I have noticed that when I used the editing feature in my Flex webmap using a feature service, the editor always showed up as Esri_Anonymous which is completely useless. Of course there isn't a log in required so that might be what causes that. I just wish it would use Windows credentials.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

Anonymous User — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 18:43:42 GMT

An enhancement request has been logged for this: http://support.esri.com/en/bugs/nimbus/role/beta10_1/TklNMTAzMzk5

This issue has been fixed in Collector for ArcGIS version 10.2.4! Hopefully this is helpful. If this issue is still happening at version 10.2.4 for anyone, let us know - get in touch with Esri Support and we can take a look at it

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

JoshWhite — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 18:59:53 GMT

Julia,

My original problem was really the opposite of that and yes some of the issues are likely resolved for me in 10.2.4. I want the ability to require fields have a value regardless of whether they are nullable. Others have mentioned domain fields. Sometimes these would be required, sometimes not, depends on the feature.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

Anonymous User — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:05:32 GMT

Hey Josh -

I see, so currently the workflow is that the yellow exclamation marks will appear if no value is entered in a field and the field is set to non-Nullable. You would like the option to have those yellow warnings appear even if the field is nullable, is that right? With our products, setting a field to be nullable/non-nullable is the property you use to set the field requirements. Granted, there are a few bugs out there for our APIs (ArcGIS Online, Collector iOS, Collector Android) but the theory is:

NULLABLE = "not required"

NON-NULLABLE = "required"

We are actively working on the issues surrounding this particular setting (i.e. enforcing the setting in the APIs), but that's the gist of it.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

NickHetrick — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:26:09 GMT

It was showing up in any field with a domain value which was confusing users. Also the ability to change the attribute for a column that the editing template uses to symbolize is also an issue which then clears out fields that do not have a default value. This behavior does not exist in Arcmap, ArcGIS mobile so it is very confusing to users.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

JoshWhite — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:27:18 GMT

The problem is it that it is difficult to change whether a field is nullable or not after the fact. I would rather have the ability to control this through the app. Of course, if a field is non-nullable then that would override any settings in the app until the field could be changed.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

NickHetrick — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:41:25 GMT

I totally agree having this functionality as configurable within the web would be the optimal solution. Having to change items on the backend within the database is much less flexible especially when services are being consumed by multiple application.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

Anonymous User — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:41:35 GMT

Yes, the issue with all the domain fields was a bug that was fixed. Check out "Collector for ArcGIS 10.2.7 Updated" and specifically NIM103404 on this site: Collector for ArcGIS 10.2.7 Updated! | ArcGIS Blog . I'm not sure I understand what you mean when you say the ability to "change the attribute for a column that the editing template uses to symbolize". Can you explain what you mean by that?

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

Anonymous User — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:44:40 GMT

Josh - yeah I can see how changing the required/nullable settings on the app itself would be helpful. I recommend posting about it on our ideas page if it's not there already so the Esri Development team can see that you and other users are interested in seeing this functionality.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

ANRGIS — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 13:47:43 GMT

I posted a similar idea today:

ArcGIS Idea - Collector - Independently select fields as required.

Re: Setting required fields for a feature service in ArcGIS Online

JoshWhite — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 14:16:38 GMT

ANR,

That link doesn't seem to work correctly. It requires a separate log on that isn't the same as the Esri Global ID.