Maintain view extent when scrolling in sidecar?

[Anneka_France]

Is it possible to keep the same zoom level in the map as the user scrolls though the sidecar and explores the map? We want the user to zoom into their area of interest and then see the different data for that area as they scroll through the story.

[OwenGeo · Accepted solution]

Hi Anneka -- That's not possible at the moment. As designed, each sidecar slide has a specific map configuration that gets shown when the reader gets to that slide. We could look at adding an option that would allow the author to choose to keep whatever extent was showing, but we'd need to think through some workflow questions about how that would work in different situations.

[Anneka_France]

Hi Owen - that's really disappointing and frustrating. This is one of the most basic functionalities of the StoryMap Journal template and is essential when you want someone to see multiple datasets for their area of interest. We can't even add StoryMap actions to allow users to turn different datasets on/off, as they still aren't supported in the new builder. StoryMaps should be dynamic and interactive - not static and difficult to use. We want people to scroll through stories with ease and not be deterred by repetitive actions like zooming in repeatedly. At this point, we may as well create a series of pdf maps or a powerpoint presentation!

[OwenGeo]

Hi Anneka -- Thanks for your feedback, and we're very sorry this current limitation is frustrating for the type of story you are building.

The first public release of this product was only in July, so we are only three months into its life. Please know that our team is working very hard to bring lots more capability to the new ArcGIS StoryMaps! This includes familiar features from the classic storytelling templates as well as brand new features never before available in classic templates. Story actions and other features that will directly help your situation (like the ability to place a configurable app in a sidecar media panel) are planned for release this year.

What is a basic or commonly used map behavior for some authors is not necessarily what is expected or what works well for most authors. Our plans are to prioritize experiences and workflows that our experience and research show are what provide a good, simple storytelling experience in most storytelling situations. Then we will enhance the builder to support other experiences in later releases. In this case, we've prioritized a directed, choreographed experience over the exploratory experience that you are looking for.

We appreciate your feedback because we need to know which of your storytelling needs we are not yet meeting. I've added your comments to our planning documents so we can further consider how to address your request in a future release beyond what we are already planning.