Field Maps Smart Form Attachments Widget not Offline Compatible

[laurentideicesheet]

Previously, if you wanted users to have the ability to add photos to their data collection in Field Maps, the add attachments feature would appear in the Field Maps app simply if attachments were enabled on a layer

With the June 2026 arcgis online update, if a user is configuring Smart Forms for their layer, the user is now required to add an attachment form element to see the option to add attachments in the Field Maps app. Forum post about this here: https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-field-maps-questions/arcgis-fieldmaps-photo-attachment-new-work...

When I have added this element to my forms, the map is no longer offline compatible. Is this true or am I doing something wrong?

My workaround: if you do not configure forms on your layer, the add attachments component appears in Field Maps (and the map is offline compatible). Further, without a configured Smart Form, Field Maps will use your layer's popup settings for data collection. I now configure the popups for the fields I want users to utilize.

This is a temporary solution. I want the full capabilities of Smart Forms; I am getting by for now so my users aren't dead in the water. Please fix this.

(If it's a me problem, sorry about the emotionally charged language!)

[MarkBockenhauer · Accepted solution]

There is a new attachment fields setting that goes along with the feature attachment elements in the form authoring.  Take a look at it.  When enabled the feature attachment elements in the form should work offline.

[laurentideicesheet]

Thanks! This worked. Is there a reason this is not enabled by default?

Adding words for the next time I google the same thing to have this forum appear:

What previously said "the form contains unsupported data" in the offline version now works.

Before checking the box, this is what my offline version showed when trying to add data:

After checking the box and creating a new offline area. This is the attachment showing in my offline version now!

[laurentideicesheet]

Further, does this now require the user to use Field Maps Designer for getting their smart forms offline compatible with attachments? Previously, I could Configure Forms from the web map view to set up my form and could offline enable my map without entry into FMD. Not a big deal to have a few extra clicks, but a little annoying.

[ColinLawrence]

Hi @laurentideicesheet , the same tick box is available in the Item Details > Offline Options page for the Web Map so you should not need to open FMD if that is not typically part of your flow. 

[LindsayRaabe_FPCWA]

This is extremely frustrating. Lots of our maps are offline enabled. The most recent update added the default attachment element in Field Maps designer and it continued to work....until I made a change to the smart form then it failed. I've only just discovered this new setting that has NOT been enabled by default for these forms meaning that all our maps need udpating. 

Esri support have created BUG-000186061 which states that the behaviour is by design! Urgh - what a nightmare!

[HollyTorpey_LSA]

I 100% agree, especially now that I just spent four hours trying to figure out why I was getting an error saying "This form contains unsupported data" in an offline map, while a field crew twiddled their thumbs at the project site. This is with a data collection template layer that has been in use for years without issue.

I took apart my map and forms multiple times, each time having to wait for about 10 minutes to repackage, download, and sync the offline map to test the change only to find that the error was still there. I finally figured out that removing the attachment question eliminated the error, and then I found this thread.

The main problems here in my view are these:

1. Esri added the attachment question to existing forms automatically but did not make this "include attachment information" question enabled by default.
2. The "This form contains unsupported data" error message gives no hint of what the real problem is.
3. Field Maps does not give any sort of error when an attachment question is added to the form, but this box is not checked. If this combination of factors renders the layer unusable offline, then it should trigger an offline compatibility issue that prevents us from packaging an offline area.

[LindsayRaabe_FPCWA]

Great summary at the end Holly. Fully agree with all 3 points. 

[DebSF]

Thanks for raising this, it wasn't something I was aware of until this post as I haven't edited my Field Maps forms for a few weeks! 

A couple of questions for Esri, @ColinLawrence maybe you can help:

- What happens with existing smart forms that don't yet have the attachment question added, i.e. because I haven't made any updates to the forms since the update? Should they continue to work with the old attachment setup? How long for? I already have attachments enabled on the layer.

- I have some layers that are Feature Layers brought in from an external Enterprise 11.5, i.e. are not "Hosted" Feature Layers. Attachments are enabled. In Field Maps Designer I don't have the option of adding an attachment question. There is a message "Form elements not available. Fields cannot be added to layers you don’t have privileges to update or that aren’t hosted" - presumably this includes the attachment question type. Will these ones continue to work with the old attachment setup? How long for? There are no plans for the Enterprise version to be updated any time soon.

[ColinLawrence]

Hey @DebSF , existing Smart Forms on hosted layers that have attachments enabled will have a "General" attachment element added by default when accessing the Form builder following this update. The General element is intended to maintain compatibility with previous versions of the Field Maps mobile app, and ensures all attachments are assigned a general keyword for consistent handling. This will be supported and continue to function indefinitely. Support to configure attachment elements has been added in Enterprise 12.1. Feature services on older versions, with attachments enabled, will continue to work as they did previously when it comes to attachments. Please let us know if you are experiencing something otherwise.