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!)

[DebSF]

Thanks @ColinLawrence. My question is more around what is happening in the forms before I access the form builder for the first time following the update. I.e., I've got lots of web maps that I haven't yet needed to edit since the update, so I haven't been into the form builder and therefore the "general" attachment element has not been added and saved into the map. Or has it technically already been added?

As far as I can see these maps are still working fine in Field Maps, which is great! Just trying to get my head around how it all works.

[ColinLawrence]

I see, sorry I misunderstood the question. Maps with existing Forms (but not updated post updated) or Maps without Forms configured at all should continue to work indefinitely. 

[KenBottoms]

This "General Attachment" is not added by default to old or new maps for us. We have thousands of field maps that no one can add pictures to anymore due to the update. We have to manually go into FMD and drag this into each layer that has attachments enabled. For new maps, we now have to make sure to drag it in the layer before we share them with our field workers, even though attachments are enabled. I opened an ESRI ticket and they suggested to manually go through the maps when we have time. I'm a one person team, and like I said, we have THOUSANDS of maps, so this isn't feasible. Is there anything I can do to make this better for us, since construction has to stop multiple times a day until I can edit the FMD. 

V/R, 
Ken

[LindsayRaabe_FPCWA]

Yeah thats not cool at all. Any update that may impact on existing products should ensure that the existing functionality is enabled by default. Really starting to see the case for going Enterprise so we can control update cycles. 

[KevinBurke]

Hi @KenBottoms,

Thank you for the info. I understand your question is around how to update all of these maps more efficiently, however before we get there I would like to know more about these maps and the scale with which you're having to make these updates. 

A few questions:

- You're working with ArcGIS Online hosted feature services correct?

- Regarding what you said `This "General Attachment" is not added by default to old or new maps for us.` are you referring to Field Maps Designer or the mobile application?

- Did all of these maps have existing forms configured prior to now having to modify them to include the attachment elements?

- Have any of the forms for any of these maps been recently modified/saved or newly created since late June/early July? 

- Would you be able to share one of these maps with me to take a deeper look? I can share a username you could invite into a group if possible. 

Thank you

-Kevin