Groups that allow members to update shared items (collaboration groups)

[LauraBertran]

Hi,

I've been working with groups in which all members can update shared items. The functionality is really interesting since group work is very common in my organization, and this really solves the problem of having only one person applying changes.

I've read that so far, apps cannot be shared with this type of group because they do not support this functionality yet. Does anyone know when will it be supported?

Also, I've encountered some trouble when two users work on the same map. User1 creates and shares the item with the group, and then User2 can make changes on it. However, if User1 uses https and User2 does not, User1 cannot edit the map after User2, unless User1 changes to http. If User1 stays with https, everytime a map is opened in the map viewer a new blank map loads, never the saved one. I have not tested whether this behaviour stays when working with other item types.

This is a bypass to this problem, but not a real solution. Also, some of the users in my organization are new GIS users, and this issue becomes a handicap for them to use ArcGIS Online. Is this a bug or a configuration issue?

Thank you guys in advance!

[MegHoole]

sounds like mixed content issues (can happen if you don't enforce https for your AGO subscription - see settings).  You could prevent that happening by enforcing https.  If map won't open try replacing http with https in URL or visa versa and map should display.

[KellyGerrow]

Hey Laura Bertran‌,

Are your users editing data in a web app or modifying the actual web app? 

If they are editing the data in a web app, consider using feature layer views with specific editing privileges that give only members of a specific group editing privileges instead of update capability groups. This will enable editing just for users in the group through a web application or web map and can prevent users from opening https layers in an http environment.  

Check out this blog about creating a view and edit application using the same dataset:

https://vdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=84c75208e15e49e48ca2a05410996c7f 

Let me know if this will work.

-Kelly

[LauraBertran]

Hey Kelly,

Users are editing apps and maps, not the features loaded in them. I know your suggestion would work if users wanted to edit the data iself. It would even work for crowdsource app, that requires validation of new contributions... and validation is just a field value.

Cheers!

[KellyGerrow]

Thanks for the update Laura,

Can you provide a description of your intended workflow? Currently, it isn't possible to have multiple editors of an application but I would like to understand what you would like to accomplish with this workflow from a user collaboration standpoint.

-Kelly

[MegHoole]

Hi Kelly, we have a number of work units in our organization who are waiting for similar functionality - where they can make changes to an application that is owned and shared to group by another member. 

Business problem:  WAB App developed for an emergency situation.  3 staff members are responsible for maintaining the application.  Currently, only the owner of the application can make and save changes to the app (change web map, add/remove widgets, modify App configuration and or widget configurations etc).  If the app owner is away - no one else can maintain the app unless the owner of the app is changed to someone else, which may require tracking down an admin for assistance (or another  member with appropriate privileges).  This quickly becomes an annoyance and inefficient - especially in situations where efficiency is critical and time is scarce. 

Let me know if you need more examples... thanks, Meg

[LauraBertran]

Hey Kelly,

Our situation is very similar to Meg's. We have various groups of small people who should work on the same content, but only the one owning the items can do so. In our organization, this translates into sharing users: people give their passwords to their workmates, which we want to avoid. We thought groups with shared update capabilities would solve that, since updating a feature layer was already possible before by using an edit template and sharing it with a group.

Another example is the crowdsource storymap we've been using for one of our projects. One user alone needs to take care of approving new submissions, if someone else wanted to do so it had to be done

Anyway, right now the only group work possibility we found so far for apps is either they share users or the administrator has to keep changing items' ownership. 

Thanks!

[LauraBertran]

Update for KGerrow-esristaff‌ !

I realized that I cannot change item owner when the item is shared in a group with update capabilities, even if both old and new owners belong to the same group and have the same role. I need to do so, since owner is no longer a member of the organization and someone else needs to take care of the items.

Does this mean that in order to change an item's ownership, the item must be un-shared, changed and shared again? Is there an easy way to do this for 60 items?

Thanks...

[MegHoole]

Hi Laura.. I've run into this a few times, and have logged cases/bugs with Esri.

You need to find the group (another bug you might run into, is that the item shows as "not shared", when in fact the item is shared to a group with update capabilities), add yourself to the group, and unshare the item(s).  Then, after you've changed owner, you'll need to reshare the item(s) to the group.

Related cases, bugs, enhancements:

Esri (Canada) Case #02043421

BUG-000089698

ENH-000109858

BUG-000108808

BUG-000100789 (marked as fixed, but fix doesn't work for custom roles)

[KellyGerrow]

Thanks for posting Meg!

We'll check into these issues and update you. It may take a couple days as I'm at the developer summit. Feel free to drop by the Online showcase if you want to chat about this in more detail/meet.

-Kelly