Story Map Shortlist - Linked Images Error

[TonyHerhold1]

I'm having a new issue loading images to a point in my shortlist story map.

For my app, I like to upload separate images for my thumbnail and main pictures.  This has worked fine for me in the past, but when adding a new point (over the past week), I paste two different web links into the image uploader and close the window, but the main image link always overrides and replaces the thumbnail link. I then have the same image for the thumbnail as the main info page.  I've even tried this using image links I know to have worked in the past, and the main image URL seems to always replace the thumbnail URL when I close the window.

This is strange, because before these new attempts, the image uploading via web link worked fine.  Both links were preserved, and I had separate images for my thumbnail and main picture.

Thanks

Tony

[RupertEssinger · Accepted solution]

Hi Tony

Thanks for alerting us to this. I can also reproduce the issue you found: in Story Map Shortlist the Choose Image dialog no longer lets me specify different images specified via URLs for the main image and the thumbnail image. Instead it uses the image whose URL I specify as the main image for both the main image and the thumbnail image. Sorry about this issue, because it is nice to use a different image for the thumbnail, such as a logo of a business or organization.  We'll look into it and see when we can get a fix for it released. I'll report back here about that. 

Workaround: this issue only occurs when you add or edit places interactively in the Shortlist Builder. Specifying different images via URL for the main image and the thumbnail image for a place is working OK if you define your Shortlist content in a layer in a web map and then create a Shortlist from that web map. If the layer you choose for your Shortlist has two fields storing the URL of the main image pic and the thumbnail image pic for each place, the Shortlist will correctly use those two images. This works in both our 'Import' option and our 'as-is' live-link option when you create open a map containing a point layer and create a Shortlist from that map. (See the What's In Story Maps for March 2017 for more about the 'as-is' option). Note that if you do set up your places in a layer with fields referencing their images via URLs and you use the import option to bring them into a Shortlist, you will encounter the same issue above if you try and change these URLs interactively via the Choose Image dialog, So this workaround demands that the images you reference in your data are the final ones you want to use in your Shortlist.

Rupert

Story Maps team

[TonyHerhold1]

Thanks Rupert!

I'll try this workaround today or tomorrow.

Any news/updates on when this app will move out of beta?

Also, will there be any additional customizable aspects (e.g. point graphics, widgets, other map options as in the other apps, etc.)?

Tony

[RupertEssinger]

Hi Tony

I'm seeing if we can include a fix to that issue you alerted us to in an upcoming 'patch' release.  

If you try the workaround of assembling your places in a feature layer (either using an existing point feature layer or creating a new one, or starting with an Excel spreadsheet of all your places you can just upload into a web map as a feature layer) I recommend that you use our Shortlist data template (click to download zip file). This will simplify creating a Shortlist from a web map and can be used with both the 'import' option and the 'as is' live link option.

Shortlist should be coming out of beta just before the User Conference this summer. We're having a look at what additional functionality to add for the next release. Feel free to let us know about any you'd like to see added. Perhaps start a new thread on the Story Maps Geonet forum, or alternatively add them into the ArcGIS Ideas area in Geonet.

Rupert

[TonyHerhold1]

Ok, so I was able to download and populate the shortlist_layer templates, but I'm having an issue publishing the shortlist app itself.

After creating the web map, I choose to share the map as a Shortlist Story Map, but I'm hitting another road block.

I can create the app if I select the "Yes, import them" button, but I am unable to create the app if I choose "Yes, use them as-is."

If I choose the as-is option, the process seems to hang up, and I'm stuck with a grey screen.  The app doesn't push to the next options and will not let me set it up. I've used a multiple different names for the csv file, including the original "shortlist_layer.csv."

I'd prefer the as-is option, so I can edit the web map and have more control over the main and thumbnail images.

Thanks!