Updated download cards are coming soon in ArcGIS Hub
Updates
- Update on Tuesday, July 9th: In order to perform additional testing, this release will be pushed to later Tuesday in July August 12, 2024. Please check back here for an updated target date and stay tuned to our changelog at https://hub.arcgis.com/pages/changelog. You can continue to test the changes before the full release (see details below).
- Update on Wednesday, July 31st: Additional change that CSV items will no longer support filtered downloads.
Summary of changes
We are excited to announce that targeting August 12, 2024 ArcGIS Hub will release the next download experience update for all map services, feature services, and image services on dataset content views. We understand how important it is to share your content simply and reliably. This release marks the next step in a process to promote confidence and reliability around downloads.
The current download card is being replaced by a smaller and simpler card with a single download button. Important changes include:
- File generation: Hub either immediately downloads a up-to-date cached file (if "editor tracking" is enabled), or begins generating an updated file,;
- Progress: Cards display file generation statuses including "Downloading", "Pending"/"Processing", "Converting", and "Download complete";
- Spatial reference: Files use the service's spatial reference instead of 4326*. The obsolete "Local projections" Hub site setting will be removed following this release;
- No files on your account: Downloading private items no longer creates files on your account, freeing up precious storage;
- Download API: Requests are made to a new Hub `v1` download API. In a future release this API will be documented for public consumption.
- CSV items will no longer support filtered downloads. Instead, content managers should publish items based on services with table layers just like feature and map layers.
Once released, these enhancements will be available on items from non-hosted services and services hosted in Enterprise. These enhancements are already generally available for items hosted in ArcGIS Online with "extract" enabled on the service. Note that the download cards will no longer support downloading a previously cached file or display metadata including the file size and the creation date of the cached file.
* With the exception of KML and GeoJSON which at this time are only supported in 4326.
How can I try the changes today?
Visit your content's explore view, append the following parameter to the URL and refresh the page, open the download panel, and test out the updated download cards.
&pe=temp:hub:content:downloads:unifiedList
Want more? We released an opt-in beta of an upcoming change to the ArcGIS Hub management experience. In this release, content managers can 1. review an activity log containing recently encountered download errors, and 2. schedule when Hub checks for content updates and updates download files. See how to try out workspaces today!
Why make these changes?
- Remove unused and confusing features: You spoke and we listened. You have noted that certain download features are confusing, rarely used, and contribute to technical complexity. Examples include warnings around file generation times, confusing creation date metadata, and the option to download an outdated cached file.
- Generalize download functionality: ArcGIS Hub is continuing to offload responsibility and generalize download functionality to the ArcGIS platform. This opens the potential for other client applications besides Hub to offer a simple and reliable download experience.
- Strive for cimplicity and reliability: By calling the `create replica` operation on services, Hub is reducing technical complexity, which will mean faster troubleshooting and responses to support cases.
What is coming next?
This work is the next step in a series of improvements we've made to the download experience over the past several years. In February 2024, we released these features for certain items that are hosted in ArcGIS Online and have the "extract" setting enabled on the service.
- Rearrangeable download formats Customers can showcase the most valuable formats at the top whether they are out-of-the-box supported formats like CSV or Shapefile, or the custom links you've added to your metadata distributions.
- Public download API: Use public documentation for the download API to programatically download content. This will be the first time that a download API is documented and supported for direct use.
- Enhanced error messages: Finer-grained error messages on the download card.
- Support on Enterprise Sites: Expanding these features to Enterprise Sites.
Keep an eye out for this release (targeting July 9th) and get ready for a more streamlined and stable download experience for you and your and data users.