ESRI, Can you tell us about flexviewer 2.0

[Joshuacalhoun]

Hi ESRI,

Do you all plan on having  in the flexviewer 2.0:
1. An Identify Widget
2. A Hyperlink Tool
3. Zoom Previous Button

It seems to me that this current version of the flexviewer is a downgrade of the one that you all had previously. The previous version had better UI effects like the "radial pulsating icon affect" and widgets that loaded and lined up on the page without piling up on each other.  My boss wants to upgrade our .net app to a Flex app but that was before the 2.0 version came out.  

Now my boss wants to scrap my current Flex project until something better comes along. All that work for nothing.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the Editor, Splash Screen Widgets and the banner that stretches across page. I understand that it takes time to develop an API. I appreciate the template you all have put out there for us. I think the 2.0 version was released too soon.

[KeithPalmer]

Joshua,

You might want to dig a little deeper into the viewer.  Yes, it is "beta", but all the functionality you are asking for (except for the Identify) is already there.

1) "widgets that loaded and lined up on the page without piling up on each other" - Look at the <widgetcontainer> tag in the config files.  You can specify horizontal, vertical, float, or fix the widgets at specific locations on the viewer.  Much more flexible then before.
2) Hyperlink tool - It's there in the Search and Query widgets.  Just add the link field to the xml file.
3) Zoom Previous - Add "<navtool label="Zoom Previous" icon="assets/images/i_zoomprevious.png" menu="grpNav">zoomprevious</navtool>" to the ClassicController.xml file and you have it.
4) The red_glow.swf is there to use if you want.  Personally, I hate the thing so I'm glad it's not the default anymore.

If you really need the Identify now, you can always develop it using the samples other people are putting on the forums or cannibalize from the queryFeaturesGraphical portion of the Search widget.  That or just wait a few weeks.  I'm sure ESRI will get the remaining widgets out soon.

-Keith

[SimonMorgan]

Joshua,

You might want to dig a little deeper into the viewer.  Yes, it is "beta", but all the functionality you are asking for (except for the Identify) is already there.

1) "widgets that loaded and lined up on the page without piling up on each other" - Look at the <widgetcontainer> tag in the config files.  You can specify horizontal, vertical, float, or fix the widgets at specific locations on the viewer.  Much more flexible then before.
2) Hyperlink tool - It's there in the Search and Query widgets.  Just add the link field to the xml file.
3) Zoom Previous - Add "<navtool label="Zoom Previous" icon="assets/images/i_zoomprevious.png" menu="grpNav">zoomprevious</navtool>" to the ClassicController.xml file and you have it.
4) The red_glow.swf is there to use if you want.  Personally, I hate the thing so I'm glad it's not the default anymore.

If you really need the Identify now, you can always develop it using the samples other people are putting on the forums or cannibalize from the queryFeaturesGraphical portion of the Search widget.  That or just wait a few weeks.  I'm sure ESRI will get the remaining widgets out soon.

-Keith

We have been using the infopopup widget as an identify tool na dthe feedback we have got is that our users prefer to the need to click a widget before identifying.

[DerekLaw]

Hi Joshua,

Just to add onto what others have posted, especially some of the points mentioned by Keith - please review the online help documentation at the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex resource center.

Hope this helps,

[JoshuaKalov]

Hi Joshua,

Just to add onto what others have posted, especially some of the points mentioned by Keith - please review the online help documentation at the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex resource center.

Hope this helps,

While I think the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex resource center is useful, I'm not sure it really addresses the main issue.  As far as I've seen from my searching, there is no Roadmap or discussion about the plans for the Viewer.  Yes, the resource center is decent for telling you about the viewer in its current form, but what are ESRI's plans for the next beta, and the one after that, and the final release?

It would be very helpful for ESRI customers to be able to map out long term plans/development if ESRI did a better job of communicating its plans.  If I'm planning a long term project, do I use the Viewer as a base, or just start from scratch?  Its hard to make that determination without knowing what plans for the viewer are.  If ESRI is planning to have a XYZ Widget in the final viewer, I know that I don't necessarily need to start creating my own version of the XYZ Widget.

[DerekLaw]

... what are ESRI's plans for the next beta, and the one after that, and the final release?

The ArcGIS Viewer for Flex application is currently in beta. We are in the process of actively testing the software, addressing any issues/bugs, and collecting feedback from users. Depending on the outcome of the testing and feedback will affect our plans for the "next beta", and the one after that, ... up until final release. Similar to the ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs, the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex application will likely have a more fluid and dynamic release/update cycle.

If I'm planning a long term project, do I use the Viewer as a base, or just start from scratch?

This would really depend on the business needs of your project. You can use the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex application as is if you want to quickly deploy a Web mapping application. Or, you can use it as a starting template (aka. site starter) to create a custom Web mapping application. Again, since we are currently in beta, be advised that the software may change before final release.

Hope this helps,

[JoshuaKalov]

The ArcGIS Viewer for Flex application is currently in beta. We are in the process of actively testing the software, addressing any issues/bugs, and collecting feedback from users. Depending on the outcome of the testing and feedback will affect our plans for the "next beta", and the one after that, ... up until final release. Similar to the ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs, the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex application will likely have a more fluid and dynamic release/update cycle.

Thank you for the response.

I guess maybe this is a situation where ESRI is using the term "Beta" differently than how I've tended to see it be used.  It sounds like the Viewer is considered to be in more of an Alpha stage if you follow the release life cycle descriptions on wikipedia.  Usually by the time a release is in Beta, the final feature set is finalized. 

A good current example would be to take a look at the Firefox 4 Beta.  Not only do they discuss what specific features are new and included in Firefox 4, it also tells you what specific features to expect in future releases. The Firefox 4 Beta site has a "Features" page with clearly defined features along with additional current and future feature information on the "Technology" page. 

This would really depend on the business needs of your project. You can use the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex application as is if you want to quickly deploy a Web mapping application. Or, you can use it as a starting template (aka. site starter) to create a custom Web mapping application. Again, since we are currently in beta, be advised that the software may change before final release. 

Hope this helps,

You have to use the ArcGIS Viewer (either out of the box or customized) if you want to take advantage of widgets developed by ESRI and the great ESRI user-community regardless of whether you are working on a "quick" application or a more long-term project.  I would love to be able to quickly deploy all Web mapping applications.  I definitely wasn't able to use either FlexViewer 1.3 or 2.0 to quickly deploy a Web mapping application.  In both cases, undocumented (other than sometimes "documented" through Robert Scheitlin's excellent forum posts) "quirks" popped up that required editing files, re-compiling the viewer, and trial & error.   It is incredibly difficult to keep track of what works with what version of the Viewer, version of the API, or version of ArcGIS Server.  I think a chart along the lines of the Firefox Beta Technology page could be incredibly helpful to the ESRI user-community. (In reality, documentation expectations for paid software like ESRI  should be even higher than an open source free software like Firefox.)


Thanks,

Josh

[DerekLaw]

... I definitely wasn't able to use either FlexViewer 1.3 or 2.0 to quickly deploy a Web mapping application.  In both cases, undocumented (other than sometimes "documented" through Robert Scheitlin's excellent forum posts) "quirks" popped up that required editing files, re-compiling the viewer, and trial & error. ...

For the record, the Sample Flex Viewer v.1.3 was always a developer sample and never an officially supported ESRI product. FYI: there is a Flex Viewer v1.3 developer's guide written by ESRI available.

The ArcGIS Viewer for Flex 2.0 (beta) does have documentation available on the ArcGIS Viewer for Flex resource center. As with the Viewer, its contents is still in beta. Please let us know if you have feedback on improving the documentation.

Both are available as free downloads.

Hope this helps,