I recently ran into an issue where a feature service worked correctly in Map Viewer and Experience Builder, but features would not display properly in ArcGIS Field Maps. After extensive troubleshooting, I found that the root cause was related to subtypes in the feature class.
Environment
- ArcGIS Pro: 3.7
- ArcGIS Field Maps: (Observed in the current production version at the time of testing)
- Hosted Feature Service published from ArcGIS Pro
- Feature class contained:
- Domains
- Attribute Rules
- Contingent Values
- Approximately 33 Subtypes
Problem
The feature service was functioning as expected in:
- Map Viewer
- Experience Builder
However, in Field Maps:
- Features were not consistently displaying.
- Geometry would fail to appear.
- Forms and inspections experienced intermittent failures.
Since the service worked in web applications but not in Field Maps, the issue appeared to be specific to how Field Maps was handling the dataset configuration.
Troubleshooting Steps
1. Verified Versioning
Based on a recommendation from a colleague, I first checked whether versioning was contributing to the issue.
Result:
None of the tables involved in the service had versioning enabled.
2. Published a New Feature Service
To rule out publishing-related issues:
- Created a completely new feature service.
- Republished from ArcGIS Pro 3.7.
- Added the new service to a fresh web map.
Result:
Geometry displayed correctly initially, indicating the publishing process itself was not the problem.
3. Reviewed Web Map Configuration
I inspected the web map and noticed references to both the old and newly published services.
Actions taken:
- Removed outdated references.
- Reconfigured layers.
- Retested in Field Maps.
Result:
Issue persisted.
4. Disabled Attribute Rules
Since attribute rules can impact Field Maps behavior, I disabled them and tested again.
Result:
No change.
5. Disabled Contingent Values
Next, I disabled contingent values.
Result:
No change.
6. Removed Subtypes
As a final test, I removed all subtypes from the feature class.
Result: ✅ Issue resolved immediately
After removing subtypes:
- Features displayed correctly.
- Geometry rendered properly.
- Field Maps behaved as expected.
Additional Issue Found
After resolving the display issue, another problem surfaced:
Inspection Forms Were Failing
The inspection forms contained several Arcade expressions generating HTML output.
These expressions included:
- Complex FeatureSetByPortalItem functions
- Multiple Arcade calculations
- HTML generation within pop-ups
In Field Maps, these expressions were causing form failures.
Resolution
The pop-ups were simplified by:
- Replacing complex Arcade-generated HTML with direct HTML formatting.
- Consolidating Arcade logic into fewer expressions.
- Rewriting FeatureSetByPortalItem-based calculations where possible.
Result:
Inspection forms began functioning normally.
Final Working Configuration
The feature class is currently configured with:
✅ Domains
✅ Attribute Rules
✅ Contingent Values
❌ Subtypes Removed
After reconfiguring the pop-ups and removing subtypes, the application is working successfully in:
- ArcGIS Field Maps
- Map Viewer
- Experience Builder
Key Takeaway
If you encounter a situation where a feature service works correctly in Map Viewer and Experience Builder but fails in Field Maps, consider testing the following components individually:
- Versioning
- Attribute Rules
- Contingent Values
- Subtypes
In my case, the issue was ultimately tied to subtypes, even though approximately 33 subtypes had been functioning elsewhere without issue. While I cannot confirm whether the subtype count itself contributed to the problem, removing subtypes completely resolved the Field Maps behavior.
I'd be interested to hear whether anyone else has experienced Field Maps issues related to large subtype implementations and whether there are known limitations or best practices around subtype usage in mobile workflows.
