Labels not showing in Collector Map

[RichardAbram]

I have a published map on ArcGIS Online with labeling turned on for 1 feature class.  I can see the labels in the map in ArcGIS Online but the labels do not display when viewing the map in Collector.  Is this a limitation of labeling?

[MohamedNabil1]

Dear Russell,

Are there any plans to support the labels in the collector app?

[DagmarParnell]

Hi Richard,

A work around you can use for labels in Collector is to convert the labels to graphics or annotation....

Once you have your labels designed appropriately, right click the layer in the Table of Contents and select Convert Labels to Annotation.

Next use the Feature Outline Masks tool to convert the geometry of the label outlines to polygons in a new polygon feature class (Set the Mask to zero and the Mask Kind to EXACT).

Then you can publish as a service or export the data as a shapefile to add to ArcGIS Online to use in Collector.

I hope this helps.

Dee

[DaleKersten1]

Dagmar,

I have tried the approach as outlined and was able to create an annotation layer that I want to import into a map in AGOL.  When I open the map in ArcMap 10.2.2 the layer is visable in the table of contents and will show up in the database file  having 0 kb and a LOCK designation.  When viewed using windows explorer after closing out of ArcMap the annotation layer disappears from the database file. It seems the annotation layer I created is some sort of ghost file and cannnot be imported into a map in AGOL. Once I isolated the annotation layer in the table of contents after following the above instructions I was able to publish the service and see my labels in collector. This worked for me!

Sincerely,

Dale

[peterNOTMEknoop]

Richard, if you're starting with your data in ArcMap, and publishing from there, then you can go through basically the same process that Dagmar describes, but using ArcMap.  (It is similar to the way you had to do labeling before support got added to ArcGIS Online.)  ESRI provided a couple nice blog posts back in the day describing in detail how to do this:

• Adding labels to ArcGIS Online web maps: Part 1
• Adding labels to ArcGIS Online web maps: Part 2

[Anonymous User]

ArcGIS Online has a feature now for labeling features. However Collector still does not.

[RaviSingh2]

label now appears in offline data in collector if webmap is prepared with labels.

[RochelleAdministrator]

This is a known bug/limit for Collector. Feature services (hosted or otherwise) do not show labels in Collector, UNLESS the map is taken offline. Then they show up, which is weird. Labels are added to the feature service in ArcGIS online, they look great in the webmap and webapp but NOT Collector. Esri's Flagship app for field data collection. Here's the annoying Rub: There's no plans to fix this. See for yourself. NIM103494: The Collector for ArcGIS application for Android doe..  and NIM103495: Add label support to Collector for ArcGIS ap..  same Bug for different mobile platforms. Scroll down and you can see that any fix is "Not in Current Product Plan" this bug is two years old it's not going to get fixed. I'm pretty sure there's a new app in development that will combine Collector and Explorer. But that's pure speculation on my part. 

Hack Workaround; Use a map service of your Same Exact data with pretty ArcMap labels and NO symbology. Result is that you have two layers in your web map pointing to the same data on your ArcGIS Server one is for editing (I always add a "EDIT" to the name) and one if for labels. ("TEXT") This is how we have to work around the negligence. 

[KenBuja]

We've run into a bug when using multiple layers pointing to the same data in offline use:

The Collector for ArcGIS app incorrectly applies a filter created in the web map to all copies of a feature service when downloaded for offline use.

1.       BUG-000093841 (iOS)

2.       BUG-000096568 (Android)

3.       BUG-000096569 (Windows)

[MTorres]

@Rochelle Administrator this method works for me very well, thank you for the tip!

[DaleKersten1]

I found that converting the labels to annotation and converting labels to polygon feature class may be great for fixed data; but, too burdensome for data that needs constant updating.  Not sure I understand the above workaround but will give it a try.  My solution was to use a  GPS receiver that allows editing of the labels.  Not an online system in this case; but, having data point labels and being able to edit data point labels in the field is a necessity.