Copying existing asset or observation not working.

[AnooshehTarassoly]

Hello:

As far as I can tell, copying an existing observation (including the location and attributes) is not working as stated in the documentation. When I attempt to copy a feature, Collector captures the observation at my current location rather than the location of the copied feature. 

The documentation suggest that this can be addressed by configuring (assuming this is the feature layer config) the observation as a read-only or "only allow attribute updates" to rectify this issue. However, when I configure the feature layer as instructed, there is no option to collect or copy a new feature. Am I missing something? Looking forward to your response.

Thank you!

[Kylie]

Hi Anoosheh -- Does your map contain another layer that allows new features to be created? You need to have a layer that the feature can be copied into.

[AnooshehTarassoly]

Hi Kylie -

The goal is to copy the feature (including attributes and location) into the same feature layer. Collector Classic provides this functionality through the Copy  and "Like this one" option -- retaining both location and attributes. I have tried various configurations of setting in the new Collector to no avail, including the option you suggested, which does not seem to provide the intended result. Looking forward to further suggestions.

Thanks again!

[AnooshehTarassoly]

Yes, the map contains an editable layer. We use this same layer in Collector Classic to achieve the desired result.

Thank you.

[AnooshehTarassoly]

Hi -

Any additional suggestions or resolutions to this question? Please let me know if you require more details.

Thank you.

[Kylie]

Hi Anoosheh -- Copying the location and form of an asset within the same layer isn't currently supported in the new Collector app. Could you give me details of the workflow where this is used?

[AnooshehTarassoly]

Hi Kylie -

We have several use cases where we need to copy attributes and a location into an existing layer. This functionality is particularly important for maintaining consistency of a data set where most of the attributes in the form and location are unchanged across data collection events. For example: many features have a predefined ID (or other value) which may be unknown (or unfamiliar) to the individual collecting data in the field. It is also important to maintain the same spatial location -- since the feature location is fixed and does not change. Collector Classic provides the required functionality and we have been using this successfully for several years. With Collector for ArcGIS (new Collector), we would have to copy the feature and then update all the attributes in the form. This is problematic for the following reasons:

1. If the field is locked or hidden in the underlying feature layer, this is not possible

2. This introduces the possibility of data entry errors for each entry 

3. Significantly increases data entry effort/time

The new features and functionality in Collector for ArcGIS are fantastic. Unfortunately, many of our workflows depend on this feature that is only available in Collector Classic. So...we are currently using Collector classic ONLY. 

Thank you.

[RandyWeaver]

I will concur with Anoosheh, that this workflow is critical to our data collection efforts. I really hope that ESRI can bring this feature back, because otherwise the new shiny tool will never get used. For now, we just use the Classic app, luckily that is still an option, and I hope it continues to be an option until everything is ported over to the new Collector app. And as mentioned previously, this workflow allows the data collector to work with large/cumbersome datasets without having to enter in all of the fields, and alleviates data entry errors.

[ShawnCapararo]

I also require the ability to Copy Shape from one feature to another. This is a valuable feature in Collector Classic (see screenshot below) doesn't appear to work, or is not intuitive in the latest version of Collector.

I would appreciate advice on whether this function is working in the new Collector and if so, how to enable it.

Thank you.

[Kylie]

Shawn -- If you are working with points, you can copy the location by using "Collect here" from the details of the feature. From your image, it looks like you are working with polygons? Can you share the scenario where you want to copy the polygon but not the details in the form?

Thanks,

Kylie