Collector 10.2.2 Offline Syncing:  Syched attachements will not open from desktop

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03-19-2014 03:41 PM
JohnTownsend
New Contributor III
I have been trying to use the collector app offline capabilities.  All seems to work well for the most part.  However I am having an issue with attachments when syncing them back up to my AGOL account.  When I attach a photo in online mode, things work as expected.  I am able to open my web map from my desktop and see my attachment and access the file. It is saved with the file extension .jpg.

When I perform the same action from my ipad in offline mode and sync the map back up, the features are updated and I can see the attachment, but it does not have a file extension and when I try to open it via my browser on my desktop it will not open.  The attachment opens fine on my mobile devices. I cannot open the attachment when I open my feature service in Arc Map either.  The only work around I have found is trying to open the file through arc map, then saving the file and physically typing in .jpg in the file name.  This is far from practical. 

Is this a known bug or can anyone offer a solution?
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10 Replies
RussRoberts
Esri Notable Contributor
Are you using iOS and/or Android?

Thanks
Russ
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JohnTownsend
New Contributor III
Update*  After further testing, this problem only occurred at my work computer.  When I accessed my AGOL account from a different machine, i was able to open the attachments fine.  This must be an issue with my computer not recognizing the attachment without the file extension as a .jpg. 

In this instance, I am using iOS on an ipad air.  Here is what I have discovered:

When I collect an attachment in collector from ipad when online, it names the attachment Photo1.jpg, Photo2.jpg, etc.

When I do the same in offline mode the attachment is named Photo 1, Photo 2, etc.  with no file extension

When I collect on my android device it names it consistently both online and offline but with a completely different naming schema something like MapName_169_0_ArcGISApp_110990398400934.jpg.

This brings up the issue that depending on which device and what mode you are collecting attachments, the result will be different file naming schemas and in the case of the offline ipad, a file without an extension.  I would imagine that my work computer is not the only one out there that will have difficulty recognizing a file without an extension. 

I do not see any way that I can define the name of the attachments which would alleviate this problem.  I had posted a question about pulling attachments out of the application on a different post.  If I have attachments for 500 features and each has a photo called Photo1.jpg, this could cause some headaches.

It would be nice to know if others are seeing this same behavior on their mobile devices.
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KevinWatt
New Contributor III
Try taking the picture first with your phone's camera, then switch to collector and attach from "gallery" instead of choosing the "camera" option.  It adds an extra step, but the attachment and file extension probably wont get renamed.
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RussRoberts
Esri Notable Contributor
We are currently looking into this. Thanks for reporting it.

Russ
JesseHopkins
New Contributor III
Hi,

Any update on this issue?  I'm also having the same problem with the attachments not having a file type associated with them when they are collected in offline mode. In the attachments table under the field [ATT_NAME], the value for a sample picture is just "Photo 1" not "Photo 1.jpg" (which is how it is when collected online). Weird.
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RussRoberts
Esri Notable Contributor
Yup this issue is fixed in our upcoming 10.2.3 update. Attachments taken in a disconnected map will have .jpg with the attachment. This update should be coming out very soon.

Russ
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JesseHopkins
New Contributor III
Awesome, thanks for the quick response.
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JoeSepulveda
New Contributor
I'm performing an inventory of 400 features, each one with an attachment. My attachments all read Photo1.jpg for each one of my locations. This is causing problems when referencing the photos later. Is there a way to have Collector uniquely name each attachment in the inventory?
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RussRoberts
Esri Notable Contributor
We currently do not have support for this right now but it is something we are planning on improving.

Russ
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