Edit widget // Snapping functionalities // Preset in backend. Do not show on front end.

[elpinguino]

Hi ExB Team,

I am an avid ExB user. My clients are primarily non-GIS users, so I find Experience Builder to be a great interface for them- simple and easy to use, and less clunky than WebApp Builder. Gets the job done.

With the latest release, the Edit Widget has come out of Beta and Snapping capabilities have been enhanced. I've found the enhanced Snapping capabilities to confuse our users and fluster them. There's too many options about things they don't care/should be thinking about. I would really like to see the snapping function and what to snap to be something we the builders configure on the backend.

1. It takes up unnecesary real estate.

2. It unnecessarily flusters the user.

3. Web apps are for (at least for me) built for people who are not GIS users and need something really, really simple. If they were GIS users and wanted all the options, they'd be using Desktop GIS. 

Please like my idea people or add some feedback so we can constructively move this forward.

As a side note, I noticed the snapping options in Map Viewer Forms and Experience Builder are different. If we can't hide the snapping functions on the backend, could we at least make it clearer on the front end? If multiple layers are turned on at once, then the user has a whole lot of snapping options to choose from.

Map Viewer Edit

Experience Builder Edit widget

Video here

ExB doesn't have the group layer names like Map Viewer Edit does.

[elpinguino]

Hi @Jianxia and @TianWen  , thanks for making this fix! I've gone in and checked it out in my projects. This is a good step forward. I think it could be even better for my  clients if when I turn on Geometry guides and Feature to feature on the backend the snapping settings do not show up on the front end in the user interface.

The having to turn snapping settings on and off is what confuses them. They don't understand what Geometry guides and feature to feature means. Those aren't terminology they are used to. And seeing these words they are unfamiliar with (and learning too many new things)  flusters them. I'd (and I think they would too) prefer I decide these things for them so they can focus on what they need to focus on.

[wayfaringrob]

@elpinguino  agree with you.

[CamWallace]

Would it be possible to allow for default layers to be set along with the snapping preferences, so that the user doesn't have to go in and re-select the layers every time?

[GISUser74305830]

I agree. Also I would like to be able to set Snapping settings just once in the Web Map and then have those settings preserved in ExB every time the user loads it. Right now the user has to check all their snapping layers every time they refresh the map. Unless I'm missing something ...

Snap Settings in Map Viewer:

Snap Settings in ExB:

[Calvin_Wong]

I would also like to see the ability to enable snapping defaults on the backend so users don't need to set them every time. Basically, replicate how snapping works in WebAppBuilder, please!

[Adam_Bourque]

Anyway snapping can be saved through experience builder? I agree with everybody on this thread lol.

[GISaaS]

I'm like the others, I build apps for non-GIS users. Many are field workers. Asking them to drill down into a tool to set settings should not be necessary. Let us hard-code appropriate features to snap to in the builder settings, please.

[GTueller]

Yes, enabling default snapping layers would be very useful!

[JoeEastman1]

I agree completely with others on having the ability to preset snapping layers. I too have frustrated users who don't want to drill into settings every single time to choose layers.

[Adam_Bourque]

Is there an Idea for this functionality to be supported we can upvote? If not might try to submit one, I'm surprised there is still not a way to save snapping layers setting so you don't have to choose layers to be snapped.