Ability to turn off attachment editing in field map forms

[TD1]

Ability to turn off attachment editing in field map forms. When using field maps forms there is no ability to turn off attachment editing/deleting in the field maps app. This is very problematic and good data could be accidentally deleted.

Am I missing something. Is there a way to do this?

[VenkataKondepati]

You’re not missing anything — this is currently a limitation of ArcGIS Field Maps.

• The app honors the layer’s attachment capability. If attachments are enabled on the feature layer, users in Field Maps can add, edit, or delete them. If attachments are disabled, they won’t see the option at all.

• Unfortunately, there is no granular control to allow view-only attachments while preventing editing/deleting.

Workarounds you can consider:

1. Permissions via Hosted Feature Layer Views

   • Publish a hosted feature layer view with Update disabled, but Query enabled.

   • Users can still view existing attachments but won’t be able to edit/delete them.

   • You can reserve an “editor view” only for trusted editors.

2. Field Maps Smart Forms

   • Forms let you control attribute editing visibility, but do not extend to attachment permissions yet.

3. Split Layers for Workflows

   • For field staff who should not edit attachments, share a read-only view.

   • For staff who manage attachments, give them access to the editable source layer.

4. Esri Idea / Enhancement

   • This has been a frequent request. Many users have logged it on Esri’s ArcGIS Ideas page. Worth upvoting so product team prioritizes fine-grained attachment permissions.

 In short: You can only enable/disable attachments at the layer level, not restrict edit/delete separately inside Field Maps today. The cleanest workaround is to use feature layer views with read-only access for users who should not touch attachments.

[TD1]

@VenkataKondepati can you point me to the Ideas on this so I can upvote? Also how can you "Publish a hosted feature layer view with Update disabled, but Query enabled"

[VenkataKondepati]

Field Maps doesn’t yet give us granular control over attachment permissions, but you can achieve the same outcome using Hosted Feature Layer Views. The trick is to separate your editing and viewing audiences:

• Create a hosted feature layer view – Esri doc

• Manage editing capabilities – turn off Update and Delete while keeping Query enabled so users can still see attachments but not touch them. Esri doc

• Data access and editing explained – overview of how source and view layers interact. Esri doc

In practice, I usually:

1. Publish the source layer with attachments enabled.

2. Create a read-only view for field users (Query only).

3. Keep the editable source private or share it only with trusted editors.

This way, staff in the field can still view photos and documents, but your good data can’t be deleted accidentally.

[TD1]

@VenkataKondepati  where is the query option? Please see my screenshot below:

[VenkataKondepati]

Query option is enabled by default, and you don't need to do anything if you only want Query.

If you want to edit, you can do it.

[PaulSweeney3]

@TD1 see here please upvote 
https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-field-maps-ideas/allow-attachments-to-be-named-and-made-require...

[TD1]

@PaulSweeney3  voted thanks for sharing

[TD1]

@VenkataKondepati  but if i want the user to query and only edit the feature (and not the attachments) there is no way around this?

[VenkataKondepati]

I think you are miss understanding the functionality.

You want to user to perform a query to get required features on map and then edit?

If it is correct, you can use definition query and set the criteria, so it only displays the required content on map.

Please let me know if this helps you.

Regards,

Venkat