Offline map area fails to package using POINTS hosted feature layer added to AGOL. LINES work fine. POINTS work fine when added via Arc Pro.

[Y2AdminConsultants]

I only know enough to get myself in trouble so bear with me.

I am taking shapefiles created in civil 3d of points and lines and adding them to AGOL as hosted feature layers. I can add these to a map and everything appears correctly in the classic map and field maps. When I try to create an offline map area in field maps where the area in question includes lines that I've uploaded, it works fine. When the area includes points that I've uploaded it fails to package. I can't use offline maps when points that I've uploaded are in the offline map extents.

Interestingly, when we were adding data directly to the map via "add from file" the resulting layers were not able to be synced and were preventing the map from working at all in collector/field maps on mobile devices. We figured that out by adding data to AGOL first, then adding those layers to the map.

Now if our GIS folks upload the data via Arc Pro (I think this is "feature service publishing") rather than uploading to AGOL there are no issues with points and offline maps.

Is there a solution, fix, workaround for this issue so that we can add points via AGOL and not ruin our offline maps?

Update: I was able to get an offline map to work if the Point was originally created in Arc Pro, then uploaded to AGOL, then I created a hosted View layer from the hosted feature layer, and added that to the map. The original hosted feature layer did not work. And following the same process with a point I created in civil 3d did not work.

[David_Brooks]

@Y2AdminConsultants well you've certainly done a fair bit of testing.

Firstly, is there any reason why you prefer not to go via Pro?

Secondly, the shapefile is an open source file format. Consequently, certain software will author shapefiles with different restrictions to ESRI. For instance, in QGIS you can have field names with spaces between words, which is unheard of in ESRI software.

Without seeing the data, my hunch is that there is a rogue field or geomatery in the point shapefile that's incompatible with the Runtime geodatabase that's created when the map is prepared for offline use in AGOL (if it's a point, then perhaps it's a multipoint shapefile?). However, when you publish from Pro, there's probably some pre-processing being achieved during service publishing.

Consequently, your best bet it to either keep working through Pro, or identify the rogue field/geometry before uploading the shapefile to AGOL. 

Another solution would be to copy the data via Pro or load into File GDB and back out to shapefile, to see if that irons out the kink.

[Y2AdminConsultants]

Thanks for taking the time to review and reply. 

The reason for not using Pro is that we have limited licenses and don't want to train everyone to use it. AGOL is far more convenient for the things we're trying to do.

I figured what you are describing to be the case - something about the way C3D exports the shapefile isn't perfect from AGOL's perspective. Interstingly, I noticed that C3D does not create XML or SBX files. I looked into that and the internet tells me it shouldn't matter. I have a feeling it's all related to C3D's capacity to export all the right bits and pieces for full compatibility with ESRI products. I guess it's good enough that it works almost all the time. 

I was hoping for a workflow we could use in C3D that would solve the broken field/geometry, whatever it is, and allows us a workaround. I'm less optimistic that one exists, and we will need to continue going through our GIS department for these processes.

[David_Brooks]

@Y2AdminConsultants if you can send me an example shapefile I would be more than happy to look at it and see if I can find the offending issue.

[Y2AdminConsultants]

See attached for an example of a C3D shapefile export that causes issues with offline maps.

[David_Brooks]

@Y2AdminConsultants I've tried a few things, but have been unable to publish the shapefile from Pro at all.

Further to that, when i try to run the Feature Class to Feature Class GP tool it wont even convert the point feature! I tried to repair geometry, rebuild the spatial index, and even tried zipping just the shp,shx,prj and dbf to ensure the other ancilliary files weren't causing issues.

However, I do have a solution for you...

Open the shapefile in QGIS, and save out as a new shapefile. This version works first time, no issues, no complaints.

Just don't tell the bods at ESRI 😜

[Y2AdminConsultants · Accepted solution]

Thanks for your efforts. I had a feeling "cleaning up" the file would work but hadn't though to use QGIS.

I also discovered a new solution - we can use the autodesk connector for arcgis tool to publish directly from civil 3d to AGOL. I just gave it a try and so far it worked. It's a little clunky but may be our best solution.

[David_Brooks]

Good stuff. At least you have a couple of solutions there to be going on with.