topic Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported? in ArcGIS Viewer for Flex Questions

Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

MapEnglish — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:27:37 GMT

Hi:

This webmap has an operational layer that points to a csv file on a web server:

http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=abc34ec59ee44df59be59850700e6592

If above url is truncated, itemid is: abc34ec59ee44df59be59850700e6592

The ArcGIS Viewer for Flex 3.0 does not appear to recognize the layer. Can you confirm that this is by design or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks,
Matt English
Esri Canada

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

BjornSvensson — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:56:14 GMT

This webmap has an operational layer that points to a csv file on a web server:

Hi Matt,
Support for CSV (on a web server) both in web maps and as an operational layer will be part of 3.1.

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

MapEnglish — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:59:57 GMT

When can we expect 3.1?
Cheers, Matt

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

AaronNash1 — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:22:34 GMT

I had a similar issue and what I did was to write a phython script to change the CSV to a shapefile and then published a webservice hitting the shapefile. I wrote the script pretty quick and didn't have time to set anything up in SDE, but I used windows scheduler to run the script every 5 minutes and then added an auto refresh on the dynamic web service in the flexviewer. The end result was one server sending the current calls out of the police dispatch system as a CSV file every 5 minutes, and then my computer translating the CSV file to a shapefile and then consuming the data in a web service. So whoever was access the webpage saw all the current open calls related to Hurricane Sandy and it was updated every 5 minutes. Let me know if you are interested I can updoad the script

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

RhettZufelt — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:02:07 GMT

You didn't say if you wanted it to load dynamically, or if you wanted the capability to add a csv file to the map.

Not exactly what you are after, but he AddExcel widget will let you add an xls file to the current map:

http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=b8d2f6a9063e44669eddfdd2d32244e8

pretty easy to convert a csv to xls.

R_

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

LaurynasGedminas — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 19:26:00 GMT

I would like to See that script Aaron.
I did similar thing with Bouy data, downloading txt file, making shp file, and loading it to SDE
Thanks,

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

AaronNash1 — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 19:45:49 GMT

attached is the python script

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

NolanAlbarelli — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 16:36:04 GMT

Hey Aaron,

I dont see anywhere in the code where it is republishing the service....

didnt you say that it did that?

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

AaronNash1 — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 17:12:20 GMT

Hi Nolan,

the script does not need to republish the webservice. All the script has to do is update the shapefile, the refresh in the Flexviewer is what is refreshing the content on the end users screen so they are looking at the most recent content

Aaron

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

NolanAlbarelli — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 17:28:10 GMT

In my experience, when i "publish a webservice that hits the shapefile," all of that data behind the shapefile (in the dbf) is cached.

In other words, if I publish a shapefile as a service and consume that with my flex viewer, the data behind the shapefile is merely stored with i share/publish. So if I go into arcmap and update that shapefile and save it, nothing changes to the actual rest service im pulling into the viewer. The service isnt automatically updated. I need to share (republish) that shapefile to overwrite the current service.

You must know how to do something i do not...

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

AaronNash1 — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 18:34:07 GMT

not sure why that is happening to you. When I wrote the script and executed the scheduled process it was almost 3 years ago and a much older version of ArcServer. I have not needed to do anything similar using a shapefile since then. I now use GeoEvent Processor to create geometry from non-spatial features and that has worked very well.

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

NolanAlbarelli — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 18:43:52 GMT

I just went through the steps again.

Opened an MXD,
Added a SHP file to MXD
Shared (published) as service (this is when it stores the data in a temporary file, do i need to do something else with the stoprage of data?)
Consumed and displayed in my flex viewer
Returned to mxd with shapefile.
Edited shapefile (changed names of features)
Saved changes in editing session.
Closed arcmap

Went back into my flex application that pulls in the published layer and there was no change at all, feature service shares same old data that i published in steps above.

I dont understand how updating your shapefile dynamically updates your map service. I've just never heard of that.

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

AaronNash1 — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 20:31:21 GMT

I was looking over the script (wrote this 2.5 years ago) and it was creating a layer file from the csv, also it was copying the layer file to our webserver and it was not updating the file but replacing it. There is definitely a difference in our workflows. I am not condoning using a shapefile or layer file for a webservice, this script was created as a temporary solution during a hurricane that hit our community. We have since then moved on to more advanced processes to support our workflows.

Re: Web Maps with CSV Operational Layers not supported?

RhettZufelt — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 14:28:43 GMT

Nolan,

Are you using an older version of Server?

In previous versions (at least 10.0 and older) you could do this, but not sure now.

My experience shows that using the map service publishing toolbar from ArcMap doesn't give you this ability as it publishes as an msd and you would need to re-publish the service to re-create the msd file.

However, if you save the mxd file in ArcMap, then, in ArcCatalog, right-click the mxd and select publish as service.

This will publish it as an mxd service, and, if you modify the mxd or the data the mxd is utilizing, you will see the updates in the web service automatically (at least, once the server cache has cleared).