Survey123 Connect tool: Export to a map with forms (beta)
The ArcGIS Survey123 3.23 July release includes a new beta Connect tool called Export to a map with forms (beta) that exports survey questions and configurations to a web map form. This allows survey authors reuse some of the configurations they’ve made in their surveys in other ArcGIS apps.
Many workflows require viewing or editing data at multiple points in the workflow, from collecting data, reviewing data, and sharing with stakeholders. Often the requirements of each step in the workflow are best met by different ArcGIS apps. For example, a team may prefer to collect field data using the Survey123 field app and then review that data in a web app or dashboard in the office.
Even though the various steps in a workflow can be different enough to require different apps, there are still many consistencies in the way data is presented throughout the entire workflow. For example, if a description of a maintenance request is expected to be a larger amount of text, both the request submitter and reviewer will likely want this information to be displayed as a text box with multiple lines.
Before going further into the details of the tool, first let’s clarify the content that it works with:
Survey - A survey is an item created by either Survey123 Connect or the Survey123 web designer.
Map with forms – Web maps support configuring forms that are stored in the web map and that allow editors to view or edit fields within the feature layers or tables. These web map forms can be used by a few different ArcGIS apps, including ArcGIS Map Viewer, ArcGIS Field Maps, and ArcGIS Web Editor.
The tool converts Survey123 questions to their closest equivalent feature form element and properties. If a question type or question property does not have an equivalent in the web map form, that question or property will not be included in the form. For example, a rank question has no equivalent in the web map form. While the field associated with a rank question will still exist in the feature layer, no element will be added to the web map form. A detailed export summary lists which questions were converted, partially converted, or not converted, as well as additional conversion notes.
What happens when the tool is run?
The tool is located in Tools menu of Survey 123 Connect.
When the tool is run for the first time, it creates a new web map with the same name as your survey item and “Map” appended to the end. The new web map includes a tag (survey2mapform), summary, and comment that indicate that the web map was generated by the tool. The tool adds the feature layer or feature layer view to the map, as well as any related layers or tables. It then creates one or more forms in the web map. Multiple forms are created if the survey contains repeats, and the form is saved in the web map (not the feature layer). The saved form contains elements that are equivalent to the questions in the survey.
When a survey author runs the tool again, the generated map is updated with any applicable survey edits. The tool checks the survey's related web maps for the unique tag (survey2mapform) to determine if there is a corresponding map to update; otherwise, it creates a new map.
After the map is created or updated, the tool displays an export summary with the count of converted, partially converted, and not converted questions. It also provides a link to a detailed export summary that lists the status and conversion notes for each survey question.
Conversion notes
Not supported
Several survey question types are not supported in a web map form, including select multiple, geopoint, geotrace, geoshape, username, email, device id, and rank questions. The tool skips these question types and the author can decide which web map form input type is the best alternative.
Nested groups are also not supported in a web map form. Instead of skipping the nested groups, the tool places all the questions in the parent group and includes an element with the nested group name before the questions that were in that group. This helps maintain the flow and organization from the original survey.
Partially converted
Some survey questions can be partially converted. For example, if a survey has a text question with a geocode appearance, the tool creates a text input in the web map form. The geocode appearance would be skipped since there is no equivalent in a web map form but the rest of the question would be converted.
Different user experience
There are also several survey configurations that have equivalent configurations in web map forms but are implemented in a way that provides a different user experience than in Survey123.
Repeats – In Survey123, editing related layers and tables is done with a repeat. In a web map form, this is done using a related record element input. The tool supports this conversion and also adds related layers and tables to the web map. An important difference in the two editing experiences is that in Survey123, related data is added at the same time as data for the parent record, while in a web map form the related data must be added after the parent record is created.
Defaults – In Survey123, a default value automatically populates a question with the set value. The web map equivalent is a feature template. If your survey has defaults set, the tool will export one or more corresponding feature templates.
Expressions
XLSForm expressions are used in Survey123 to control the default behavior of questions, such as to calculate a question value or to determine whether a question is required or read-only. The tool converts simple XLSForm expressions to Arcade, which is the web map form equivalent. You should always review the exported Arcade expression to verify that it results in the intended behavior.
The conversion notes listed above are not exhaustive since there are too many features in Survey123 to cover here, but they cover some of the main approaches and considerations taken in converting between a survey and a web map form. We encourage you to try out the beta tool, and also to check out the Survey123 Early Adopter Community, where you can add questions or feedback to the forums and also explore other Survey123 beta features.
Prerequisites for running the tool
See below for the prerequisites for running this tool:
- Survey123 Connect 3.23.48 or later.
- ArcGIS API for Python 2.4.0 or later configured in Connect. (The ArcGIS API for Python 2.4.0 is included in ArcGIS Pro 3.4.0.)
- Access to beta capabilities in your ArcGIS organization. (You may need to ask your administrator to disable the ArcGIS organization setting “Block Esri apps and capabilities while they are in beta.")