Embedding Excel table into a StoryMap

[YosefBodovski1]

Hello, I am trying to embed excel online table into one of the tabs within StoryMap template. The link is public and I can open it directly, but when I try to embed it into a StoryMap it gives me an error message. I tried to use both MS sharepoint and Google docs to host my excel table, but none of them work. In both cases I am getting the error message: 'Sharepoint/Google refused to connect'. Am I missing something? Thanks!

[BernSzukalski]

I can't help but ask - why is this something that is needed for a story? There may be a better way (chart or table graphic) to present the excel data within your story. Keep in mind a story is all about creating excitement and interest in a particular topic. An Excel table in a story just doesn't excite many viewers... Just saying...

The above said, I did try to embed a spreadsheet and other documents in my Google Docs account in a StoryMap and also got similar results. It might be likely that these (like some websites) are prevented from being embeddable, but am not entirely sure. I will defer to other answers from The Community.

[LarsArneson]

@BernSzukalski @YosefBodovski1 @OwenGeo I'm working on trying to add a table to a StoryMap right now. I find it odd that I keep finding so many posts of people asking for this and then getting pushback from ESRI staff saying that it isn't needed. I want to be able to have the text in a table so that it will automatically scale regardless of the device it is on. If I were to use a screenshot of a table it could easily be compressed to a point where it is difficult to read when viewing it on a mobile device.

[OwenGeo · Accepted solution]

@LarsArneson, @YosefBodovski1 -- It is possible to embed spreadsheets in stories. Make sure the spreadsheet is shared publicly and be sure to use the specific embed option the hosting service offers. In MS Excel this is under File > Share > Embed, and in Google Sheets it's in File > Share > Publish to web > Embed.

If you just use the regular link to embed a spreadsheet your readers will see all the spreadsheet editing tools, which is overkill and adds a lot of unneeded noise to your story (I think this is what Bern was getting at with his comments). The embed options provide a focused view that's more appropriate for viewing; however, it still might not be ideal since the table might not fill the embed frame the way you expect.

Here's an example of a Google Sheet embedded in a story:

We do also recognize there is a need to present simple tabular information in StoryMaps in an accessible way that matches the theme of your story. In fact, we are currently working on adding the ability to create simple tables in a story. This feature is planned for release in Q3 of this year.

Here's a sneak peek of a mockup of the design. This is subject to change since it's still in development, but we're planning to support tables with up to 10 columns and 50 rows. The tables will be themed to match your story, will be accessible for readers using assistive technologies, and will also work well and look good on small screens.

Let us know if you have any thoughts on this upcoming feature.

 

[LakshmiDas]

Is it possible to merge cells in tables that are available in story map?

[OwenGeo]

@LakshmiDas -- Merging cells is not available at this time, but I would suggest that you add this as an idea to the Ideas Board so others can vote for this request.