After such a long wait and so much anticipation, it's incredibly disappointing to see the direction Esri has taken.
To promote the new Web Editor application, Esri has chosen to restrict basic editing capabilities that were once available through the Edit widget in Web AppBuilder. This functionality that countless loyal users, including those supporting public-facing applications, have relied on for years. We were doing quite well with what existed.
Removing or withholding such a fundamental feature from Experience Builder feels not only unnecessary but like a calculated move to drive users toward a paid solution. This decision comes across as short-sighted, cutthroat, and deeply disheartening. The fact that the original Edit widget still functions in Web AppBuilder, yet remains absent in Experience Builder, only adds to the frustration felt by long-standing users.
Worse still, this is happening at the expense of usability and workflow efficiency. GIS professionals and end users once enjoyed a user-friendly, streamlined editing experience in Web AppBuilder. Now, for the sake of licensing, that tool has not only been downgraded in Experience Builder; it has been moved entirely to a separate Web Editor application, further complicating workflows and causing unnecessary disruption.
Despite repeated concerns voiced throughout the Esri Community, it seems those voices have not been heard. What was once a core, inclusive capability is now gated behind licensing, effectively betraying the trust of honest, loyal, lifelong users who simply need to perform basic edits in the modern web environment Esri is requiring us to transition into.
Esri and its users have long enjoyed a very symbiotic ecosystem, where Esri provides the capabilities, and users contribute honest, thoughtful feedback. In tandem, we have improved and learned from one another. Let us keep it that way and make this a selfless pursuit of capabilities that help the science of geography thrive.
Esri is, of course, free to innovate and promote the new Web Editor as a premium offering. But we strongly urge you to also restore the original Edit widget, with its full capabilities, within Experience Builder, and make it available across user types, especially for Creators and Mobile Workers.
This is not just a feature request. It is a plea from a dedicated community that has supported Esri for decades and now feels disregarded.
Please do the right thing. Restore this essential functionality where it belongs.
Thank you,
Abi
