topic Re: FlexViewer, config.xml and GeoServer WMS in ArcGIS Viewer for Flex Questions

FlexViewer, config.xml and GeoServer WMS

StephenHallett — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:49:45 GMT

Hope someone can help. I am trying to get the FlexViewer (2.5) to use a wms feed from GeoServer (2.1.0) with no luck.
I am just trying to get one of the default GeoServer layers (tiger:tiger_roads) to show up

In the FlexViewer config.xml, an an operational layer I am trying:

<layer label="Tiger_Roads" type="wms" visible="true" alpha="0.6" skipgetcapabilities="true"
crs="EPSG:4326" format="image/png" visiblelayers="tiger:tiger_roads"
url="http://<server>:8080/geoserver/tiger/wms"/>

In Geoserver, the valid wms URL is
http://<server>:8080/geoserver/wms?service=WMS&version=1.1.0&request=GetMap&layers=tiger:tiger_roads&styles=&bbox=-74.02722,40.684221,-73.907005,40.878178&width=317&height=512&srs=EPSG:4326&format=image/jpeg

Menu item appears, but with no data and 'zoom to layer' zooms out to whole world. Any help appreciated!

Re: FlexViewer, config.xml and GeoServer WMS

DasaPaddock — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:07:33 GMT

Try adding version="1.1.0" to your layer tag.

See:
http://help.arcgis.com/en/webapps/flexviewer/help/index.html#/Layer_tag/01m30000000p000000/

Re: FlexViewer, config.xml and GeoServer WMS

StephenHallett — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:40:17 GMT

Dasa - thanks for your reply. Still no luck I'm afraid. Here is current, edited connection string:

<layer label="Tiger_Roads" type="wms" visible="true" skipgetcapabilities="true"
crs="EPSG:4326" format="image/png" visiblelayers="tiger:tiger_roads" version="1.1.0"
url="http://<server>:8080/geoserver/tiger/wms"/>

The Geoserver instance is on the same server as flexviewer to try to sidestep crossdomain issues. Geoserver is serving up wms data correctly using full url posted earlier. Is there any diagnostic I can use to see if FlexViewer is receiving anything?

Re: FlexViewer, config.xml and GeoServer WMS

DasaPaddock — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:29:38 GMT

Try a tool like Charles Proxy or HttpFox to see the HTTP request and response.

Re: FlexViewer, config.xml and GeoServer WMS

StephenHallett — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:04:47 GMT

Dasa - thanks, I solved my problem - in the end the usual issue of projections!!

First, Charles Proxy & HttpFox are good suggestions. I actually used Chrome which has similar http traffic inspection tool (F12 -> Developer tools -> Resources/Network). Great for inspecting responses from wms requests. Using this I saw the bounding box coordinates were the problem (for FlexViewer they need to be in projected web-mercator not geographic wgs84). Changing the FlexViewer wkid as below solved problem.

<layer label="Tiger_Roads" type="wms" visible="true" skipgetcapabilities="true"
wkid="3857" format="image/png" visiblelayers="tiger:tiger_roads" version="1.1.0"
url="http://<server>:8080/geoserver/tiger/wms"/>

The other useful clue was in the forum discussion on projections here http://forums.esri.com/Thread.asp?c=93&f=984&t=288607