topic Re: WebGL Contexts Error in ArcGIS Online Questions

WebGL Contexts Error

joerodmey — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 17:23:11 GMT

Get this error when adding layers to my AGOL web map:

What's causing such a problem?

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

Anonymous User — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 21:23:55 GMT

1. Is the layer a vector tile layer hosted in ArcGIS Online?

2. Are you adding this to a previously created map that already contains other layers? If so:

a. What other types of layers are in this map?

b. How many of each type are in the the map?

3. Do you get this message if you add the layer to a new map?

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

joerodmey — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 21:44:40 GMT

Yes to all

There are tile layers and other vector tile layers. I've followed this process previously with success.

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

Anonymous User — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 21:46:42 GMT

How many layers?

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

joerodmey — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 21:51:52 GMT

When I got this error I had about 20 total layers...in the end I will probably have around 100 layers

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

MikeMinami — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 23:43:43 GMT

WebGL (Web Graphics Library) is a JavaScript API used to draw 2D and 3D graphics in a web browser. The ArcGIS JavaScript API 3.x and 4.x use WebGL to draw some layers.

The short answer

You've reached the limit of the number of layers you can add to your map for layers that utilize WebGL.

The longer answer

The web browser has a limit of about 16 WebGL Contexts and the ArcGIS JavaScript API 3.x, upon which the map viewer is currently built, utilizes one context per layer. A vector tile layer will always utilize a WebGL context and a feature layer may utilize a WebGL context (if editing is disabled, there are no labels and a few other things AND a context is available). To maximize the use of WebGL contexts, I think you can add the vector tile layers first. So, the limit will be 16 vector tile layers.

The long term solution

When the map viewer is redesigned using the JavaScript 4.x API--which utilizes WebGL contexts differently--you won't encounter this limit.

Mike

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

DavidColey — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 15:48:09 GMT

Hi Mike - so is there a work around on this? For us this happens alot when we use the human geography basemap, and a recently created local base map that uses the Light gray base, a local base vector tile, a local detail vector tile as a reference, and a copy of the light gray reference vector tile as a reference.

How do I stop or otherwise disallow my hosted feature layers in the agol or portal map viewer to not utilize webgl? Is that possible?

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

MikeMinami — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 00:01:59 GMT

How many layers do you have in your map? Are you approaching 16 layers? Could you make separate maps with less layers?

Are you using the map viewer or have you written your own custom app? If you're using AGOL map viewer, there's not much you can do, other than remove layers. If you're writing your own app, you could disable WebGL for particular hosted feature layers but not others, or alternatively write your app with the JavaScript 4.x API.

Mike

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

DavidColey — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:43:31 GMT

Hi Mike - some of our sections have to have data explorer and lookup maps with lots of layers. Think utilities. Most of staff uses the online web app builder and other online templates so that's not really an option for them. The WebGL usually behaves in the developer edition of the web app builder (in that you can see all your layers and not lose them during a basemap switch in the app) and in any online webmaps that use a raster base.

A workaround may be that staff has to save a map with a raster base in order to have 16+ visible (but scale-dependent) layers, or that more layers have to be set not visible. Either seems to work for the most part. Awaiting the 4x map viewer.

Thanks,

David

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

JohnBoyd — Wed, 19 May 2021 01:18:24 GMT

Is this ever going to be changed? We just migrated all our web apps off a web server and have discovered this limitation on a hosted and federated portal platform 10.8.1 using the embedded WAB in portal.

Kind of makes life miserable if you published feature services across your viewers or you are trying to consume another service off your platform like FEMA or USGS who have published their services as feature layers. We went in and changed them all to map services. It is driving our users to perform analysis using the actual portal and not in a WAB, but some users dont like having to hop between 2 processes when they could do everything in a PRO session or ARCGIS desktop.

We also are using the most current version of WAB as imbedded in the portal. This seems like a education problem as well for most of the community of publishers that ESRI is not effectively socializing

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

DavidPhillips3 — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 04:03:49 GMT

We (a government organisation in Australia) are also experiencing this error in apps built using the web app builder. We are running ArcGIS Enterprise 10.8.1. We have also observed that feature layers and vector tile layers appear to deplete the available Web GL contexts.

The web map builder doesn't prompt us a warning when adding too many layers to a web map. Rather, when a user opens a Web App (built using the web app builder), some layers do not draw, and this error image appears at the top left of the Web App's map frame.

This error image is often obscured by the Web App's zoom in/out buttons. However, if you click and drag the map, the error image moves with the map, allowing you to bring it out from underneath the zoom buttons.

We have also noticed that this warning message appears in the browser's F12 console screen:

This is causing some real headaches with our vector basemaps and feature layers not displaying correctly. Is anyone aware of a time frame for the long term solution @MikeMinami mentioned regarding rolling out Java Script 4.x API to ArcGIS Enterprise?

Many thanks,

David

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

MikeMinami — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 21:44:51 GMT

@DavidPhillips3

The JavaScript 4.x API is available for ArcGIS Enterpise. Apps built with Web App builder use the JavaScript 3.x API. You might try using Experience Builder, which uses the 4.x API.

Here's a matrix that compares Web App Builder with Experience Builder.

Mike

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

DavidPhillips3 — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 04:59:03 GMT

Brilliant! Thank you @MikeMinami. Will start building some apps with Experience Builder and see how it goes.

Do you know if there are any plans to move Web App Builder to JavaScript 4.x API to resolve this web GL error?

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

MikeMinami — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 19:20:25 GMT

@DavidPhillips3 I don't believe there are any plans to move Web AppBuilder to JavaScript 4.x.

Mike

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

AndrewThompson2 — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 18:29:39 GMT

That is a shame to hear. I feel like WAB is much more intuitive for a quick and easy App. I feel like most general users will want to stay with WAB. Unless there are plans for WAB to go away in the future it seems like it should be updated to the latest javascript api.

I comment on this because I just came across the issue in this posting.

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

JYI — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 02:28:20 GMT

Hi @MikeMinami We just found that in our PROD enterprise Portal 10.9.1, which is deployed on Azure, with Windows 2022 VMs, we have serious WebGL issues with our dashboard, where, the error is like "Too many active WebGL contexts. Oldest context will be lost." Our dashboard has 26 web maps, which are all changed to use the Topographic raster basemap. I attached one screenshot with browser MS Edge, from one of the enterprise Portal Azure VMs. The web maps are loaded randomly when navigating the tabs, e.g., one web map does not load 2 seconds ago now gets loaded this time. The same dashboard works well in our 10.7.1 enterprise Portal on Azure though. Do you have any suggestion how to resolve the issue? Thanks.

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

nev — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 02:16:48 GMT

We have this problem also, not with AGOL but a javascript api page with some times > 16 maps. "Solved in js api4.x" doesnt seem to be the case and reduce the number of vector tile layers does not help either. I remove the basemap from all maps entirely leaving only one or 2 dynamic layers in each map and still get the error. There is ways to share webgl contexts https://github.com/greggman/virtual-webgl but i'm not sure how, or even if possible to implement this with the esri js api.

Without a solution we are going to have to use OpenLayers

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

BlytheSpendlove — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 15:39:48 GMT

@MikeMinami What are the "few other things"? I'm having this issue and am trying to find a way to fix the map without removing more layers. I don't have 16 vector tiles, I have about 7. I do have a lot of feature layers though.

Thanks,

Blythe

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

David_Brooks — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 10:28:48 GMT

for those of you experiencing the WebGL Contexts error when you don't have more that 16 vector tile layers; we also have the same issue. In fact we have been getting it even when we only had 1 vector tile service in there beforehand.

Our workaround was to open the map in New Map Viewer, add the vector tile layer into the map, Save and then switch back to Map Viewer Classic. But it seems like a bug.

Re: WebGL Contexts Error

JeffreySchmidt3000 — Tue, 16 May 2023 20:24:46 GMT

I see this issue in web app builder applications. Does it come with symptoms like layers not loading or widgets that discontinue to function? I am mostly concerned because we use the editing widget quite a bit. I want to know how serious this would be we allow it to continue. We are 'stuck' in 10.9.1 Enterprise. New Map Viewer and Experience builder are not very functional. Web App builder/map viewer classic are really the only solutions for us. Thanks for looking.

Edit: looking back in the thread I see that it is described that layers may not load.