Continue Hosting StoryMap Code on Github. Please Support Open Source.

[BlairDeaver3]

I noticed that the new StoryMaps code is not hosted on Esri's Github site.  It appears that only the 'classic' StoryMaps are hosted on Github.  I would like to request Esri consider please continuing to support open source initiatives by hosting all web application code on Github.  Our organization uses Portal but does prefer to host web applications on an isolated web server or via S3/CloudFront.  We are not able to do this with the new StoryMaps.  Furthermore there are style and branding changes that we would prefer to make with the original CSS and HTML rather than via the StoryMaps configuration.  Thank you for your consideration.

[CameronIrvine]

I vote for this as well

[OwenGeo]

For those of you who voted or commented on this idea that are interested in hosting code solely for the purpose of customizing the URL of a story, please see this article that provides some suggestions related to this request: Customizing your StoryMap’s URL (esri.com)

[BlairDeaver3]

Thank you @OwenGeo  for your suggestions.  I would still like to find a way to separate and isolate the web application files from the server.  This would involve hosting the files on a separate web server or CDN from the GIS Server.  This was an option before.

[WilsonIonara]

I vote for it too!

[KayceeFaunce]

I vote for this too. Because of my organization's strict visualization identity standards that we are unable to meet using the lack of customization ability in the new builder and the disapproval of iframes, we are being encouraged to seek alternatives to Esri StoryMaps unless the code is made open source.

[OwenGeo]

@KayceeFaunce -- Thanks for your note about this idea. Could you please provide more information about the customizations you require that are not currently supported in the theme builder or story builder?

Also, can you provide more information about the disapproval of iframes so we can better understand that restriction?

[KayceeFaunce]

@OwenGeo - Hi Owen, my organization requires very specific branded headers and footers on all products (specific pixel dimensions of header, footer, and logo; specific logo placement; specific links in footer) that cannot be adequately re-created using the theme builder. In the past, we have used iframes to insert StoryMaps between our header/footer templates, which also allows us to display the product on our own domain. However, iframes are viewed as a security vulnerability and our organization is encouraging us to move away from their use. In our specific use case, we either need code that we can deploy on our own server with the required customizations (like we can do with the classic templates) or much more flexibility in the builder itself in terms of the customizations we can make.

[OwenGeo]

@KayceeFaunce -- Thank you for the additional information! That is very helpful.

We are planning to add more flexibility into the theme and story builders over time. Do you have a link where we could see a header and footer used by your organization? That would help us understand the types of customization options and layouts that we might provide.

I understand your organization's concern about the security of iframes. If it's helpful, there are many ways to more safely allow iframed content rather than simply disallowing them.

iframes have a "sandbox" attribute that provides a low-permissions environment that blocks potentially malicious activities. Specific pieces of functionality can be unlocked on an as-needed basis. ArcGIS StoryMaps uses the sandbox attribute on all iframes. There are also content security policies (CSPs) that can be used to allow only embedded content from trusted sites. A CSP could be used to allow only content from storymaps.arcgis.com, for example.

There are a lot of great resources on the web about iframe security. Here's an article that I found generally helpful: Play safely in sandboxed IFrames - HTML5 Rocks

[BlairDeaver3]

@OwenGeo- Awesome feedback.  Thank you.  I would like to also reiterate the benefit of being able to isolate the StoryMap deployment files on a server or CDN outside of Enterprise/Portal instance from a maintenance, DevOps, and scalability perspective.  Are there any plans for the option to download a compiled and minified version?  This would be fantastic.

[LefterisKoumis]

Owen thank you for providing the link "Customizing your StoryMap’s URL (esri.com)" but the main reason for the idea is to host out custom StoryMap app on our servers. Why not providing a developer's version like the WAB or ExB?