We have a dataset of records that contain a geometry and several attributes. We serve this data as Features through a Koop server. The records include fields that contain lists of urls (pointing to media files) which, after many failed attempts, we resorted to outputting as a count of items in a “String” attribute (i.e. “1 item” or “7 items”). Now we're ready to take another pass at it and make the data in these fields accessible from within ArcGIS tools via a Feature Service.
The Koop docs state that only String, Integer, Double and Date are valid “esriFieldType” values. However, digging through the code reveals options like Blob and XML exist as well, but these still don’t seem appropriate for lists of files (or urls to the files). Attachments are too “flat”, as each Feature has multiple “attachment” fields (think “photos from inside”, “photos from outside”, “photos from above” and even “photos from below”, each with 0 to n photos).
At this point, using a Table that links to the Features seems our best option. This would allow us to include the media files and/or urls. But before we head down this road, I’m wondering if this is the right path to take. Are there other options we should consider? Any suggestions, ideas or words of warning are much appreciated!
