Briefings (beta): Known Issues and What's Coming...

[OwenGeo]

Briefings are in beta, so we've got a lot more planned. This is a short list of issues you might run into and also a preview of what's planned.

For more information about the ArcGIS StoryMaps Briefings tablet app, see ArcGIS StoryMaps Briefings Tablet App (Beta): Know... - Esri Community

For the latest on what's been added to briefings and all of ArcGIS StoryMaps, see these What's New posts.

What's coming

Here are some things we are working on or considering for future updates. Recently released items are shown in bold.

• Add a briefing to a collection (added Aug 30)
• Navigate a briefing using the keyboard (added Aug 30)
• Support slide remotes/clickers (added Sep 14)
• A companion mobile app that enables you to take briefings offline (v1 released Sep 27)
• Add a link to a web page (aded Oct 11)
• Add a link to another slide (added Oct 25)
• Configure offline content for maps and embeds (released Jan 2024)
• New slide layouts (released Jan 2024)
• Autoplay (released Jan 2024)
• Resize text (planned for Feb 2024, released Jan 2024)
• Duplicate a slide (planned for Feb 2024, released Jan 2024)
• Swap content between slides on double-panel layouts (released Feb 2024)
• Print a briefing to a hard copy or PDF (released Mar 2024)
• Additional content types like table, code, and gallery (released Q2 2024)
• Undo/redo (released Jul 2024)
• Map actions
• Slide transitions
• And lots more...

Known Issues and limitations

We wanted you to know we're aware of these issues and looking to address them in a future release...

• Updating an uploaded file attachment removes the link and attachment (fixed)
• Briefings are not available when using a free, public ArcGIS account  (fixed)
• Several tooltips reference collections or stories where they should refer to briefings. (fixed)
• In some situations, the briefing slides' aspect ratio may not always be as expected, and text may scale in an undesirable way when the browser window is resized (fixed)
• When viewing a briefing with a lot of slides, the table of contents may not scroll on some screens (fixed)
• Briefings with several maps may crash when viewed on a mobile device (fixed)
• Navigation controls are not available when a briefing is embedded (fixed)
• Heading links copied while viewing a briefing do not work as expected (fixed)
• Autoplay reset button does not work (fixed Feb 7)
• ArcGIS image items viewed as attachment links are not centered (fixed Feb 7)
• "Learn more" link in offline tab doesn't point to documentation (fixed Feb 7)
• Quotes are not shown correctly in the briefing table of contents (fixed Feb 28)
• Swipe maps may not be configured for offline use (fixed Feb 28)
• GIFs are not supported as ArcGIS image item attachments
• ArcGIS Content and Web Page attachment links cannot be configured for offline use

Updated 8/5/24 5pm ET

[AaronKoelker]

Looks great so far! We are really excited to use these for our State Geospatial Coordination Call meetings for emergency response. I see under the 'Attachment' option for text there is currently the greyed out option for a Webpage link. We hope this is high on the to-do list, as it will be vital for what we want to do.

[OwenGeo]

@AaronKoelker -- Yes, the webpage attachments are something we'll be working on soon.

Could you share what type of webpages you are looking to add as attachments? It would be useful for us to know more about how you want to use this feature.

[AaronKoelker]

@OwenGeo   Maybe I've misunderstood the webpage option—is that more intended for offline usage? We would just like to be able to hyperlink text for use in an online environment, and realize that they wouldn't work in the offline mode.

In the past when we've done these meetings, we'd screenshare a Power Point presentation through a webinar that included some different resources and data feeds available to the community. We'd then share out the slides afterward which contained all those URL links for folks to follow up on. Links to Open Data sites, web apps, maps, AGO groups, best practice guides, etc. Some of those things like the web maps/apps will be nice to embed directly within the Briefings and save us from having to swap between a bunch of tabs while presenting, but other things really just need to be hyperlinks for folks to follow-up on later.

Some examples of the different resources we share with attendees can be seen here. (This is a final accumulation of resources/notes over a couple dozen calls throughout the event—we wouldn't stuff all of these into a single Briefing)

EDIT: I see now that a couple of the example Briefings have hyperlinked text, but there doesn't appear to be an actual option within the builder when highlighting text to add a hyperlink like there is in the StoryMaps builder. However, I did just realize that if you paste hyperlinked text from elsewhere into the Briefing, it will work. Sorry for the confusion.

StoryMaps:

Briefings:

[OwenGeo]

@AaronKoelker - Thanks for the additional info about your use cases. Yes, there will be a way to add links to other websites, but we'd like to make the way that those links open more helpful...

We've all observed other presenters (or done it ourselves) who open one or more links and then can't find the new tab or have to jump around to different tabs/apps trying to get back to the original presentation tab. This can be distracting for the audience and can fluster presenters. 

If you add an "attachment" to a briefing using the paperclip icon, those links will open in a full-screen browser in the same window as the briefing. When you close the window you are immediately back at the briefing and the slide from which you opened the link. We believe opening these pieces of content like this (rather than in a new/different browser tab) will make for a much smoother experience when presenting in front of an audience or even when a briefing is sent to someone and they are viewing it on their own.

Currently, you can add attachments by picking a piece of content from your ArcGIS content or by uploading an image or video. In the future, you'll be able to add a website link and upload PDFs to add as attachments.

We'll be sharing more resources about using attachments on the ArcGIS blog in the future as the beta period continues.

[OwenGeo]

We've just updated ArcGIS StoryMaps with some new enhancements and fixes. The post above has been edited to reflect the latest status of known issues and planned features.

For more info, see What’s new in ArcGIS StoryMaps (August 2023) (esri.com)

[Sien_NL]

It would be very handy if the slide overview on the left side would show previews of the slides. Now I have to navigate through all the slides to find the one I want to edit. Not sure if this functionality is already included in the list above. 

Overall very happy with the coming of Briefings and looking forward to the developments!

[leahmaps]

It would also be great if we could see slide headings as we are navigating through! I like how when it is published, you can see the titles of each slide on the side, it makes it really easy to navigate. somehow adding those headings into the editor sidebar would be a huge help since we can't see any content on the slides.

[BlaireSmith]

I'm really looking forward to being able to print or export a Briefing to PDF. Currently, this limitation is preventing me from using Briefings. Any idea when this feature might be available? Thanks!

[OwenGeo]

@BlaireSmith - We are looking to get printing added in March 2024.

[leahmaps]

Hey @OwenGeo ! I noticed this today, but apostrophes in slide titles do not translate to the content list. can that be added as a future fix? 

[OwenGeo]

@leahmaps - We have already addressed that bug with quotes in our development environment, and the fix will be deployed in our next update on Feb 28.

[DerekMStrout]

Is anyone else unable to advance Briefings when they are presented as part of a Collection? Am I missing something?

Thanks!

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/43a987f6351d4ecbaf20a13e663c08c6

[OwenGeo]

@DerekMStrout -- You can use the keyboard arrows to advance slides in a briefing when it is included as part of a collection. You just need to make sure focus is placed on the briefing by clicking anywhere on the briefing first.

We are looking to add the header back so the arrow buttons are also visible. That will be added in an upcoming release later this month.

[DerekMStrout]

Thanks, @OwenGeo. I thought I had tried that, but maybe I only tried the spacebar. And thanks for the constant updates; always looking to take advantage of the new features and I'm happy to be able to share Briefings as a PPT alternative.

Derek