batch attribute editor widget won't commit nulls?

[TimMinter]

Anyone notice the batch attribute editor failing to set a text field to null?  I can do this:

• select a bunch of features
• set the text field value to some text, e.g. "this works just fine"
• save
• click around for popups and see that the text is being returned
• select the same bunch of features
• highlight and delete the "this works just fine" text
• save
• click around for popups and see that "this works just fine" text is still being returned (<< grrr)
• select the same bunch of features
• edit the "this works just fine" text to be "this works just fine, too"
• save
• click around for popups and see that the "this works just fine, too" text is being returned

I can use the edit widget to set the text field to null... one at a time.  This suggests that the problem may lie within the batch attribute editor widget and not in the service or SQL Server 2012 database underneath it.

thoughts?

[MarkSlaten1]

I am also seeing a similar problem when using the Batch Attribute Editor tool.  When making batch attribute edits with the tool, everything seems to work fine at first, but after closing the tool and trying to select a single feature that was not batch edited, the batch attributes come over to the non-edited feature when selected. It seems like there is a failure for this tool to clear the selection "memory" when closing the tool??

[TimMinter]

Since asking the community, I've opened an Esri support case.  The support specialist was able to reproduce the behaviour, and is working internally at the moment.  I'm hoping that the ArcGIS Online SaaS model proves its value in this case...  I'm imagining a bright and shiny world where the dev team fixes the widget code, pushes the fix to ArcGIS Online, the support specialist emails me to try again, and POOF! it's fixed .

[TimMinter · Accepted solution]

Alrighty then.  We got YAB... Yet Another Bug.  This one is described more accurately as:

• BUG-000095301  Batch Attribute Editor Widget in Web Appbuilder Application does not allow attributes of a feature to be left blank.

That's a wrap for this week.  A whole lot of blocked tasks and product backlog items.  It would be awesome if WAB widgets had quality badges and/or community ratings and a direct link to a current bug list in the Help documentation.  Maybe just a live scroll-able panel with the open bugs listed at the top of the help page.  I could have a look at the proposed solutions for requirements before committing to a PBI and decide whether or not the likelihood of meeting my commitment existed.

Off to achievable tasks like building chicken coops.

Happy Friday all

[ChrisEdwards]

Is anybody else still having this problem?  The Bug referenced above shows a fix in AGOL 4.2, but I still can't delete values...

[TimMinter]

Hi Chris,

Did you configure a new WAB app using the batch attribute editor widget and it's not working, or did you fire up your previously configured WAB app?

Also, which WAB edition did you use?  ArcGIS Online, Developer Edition, Portal for ArcGIS.  There's a release delay noted by Esri staff that goes something like this:

• ArcGIS Online
• 3-5 weeks later WAB Developer Edition
• ?? later Portal for ArcGIS

I did a quick, incomplete test when the ArcGIS Online June 2016 update dropped which indicated initial success.  I have yet to get back to that blocked task and do a full test, so you may be on to something.

tim

[ChrisEdwards]

Thanks for tip, Tim.  The AGOL version works as expected...  that will tide me over for a while.