Future Breaking Change: JavaScript SDK Widgets Are Being Removed

[JeffreyThompson2]

Major breaking change alert. The JavaScript API team is going to start removing API widgets in 2026. If your Experience Builder widgets call in any API widgets they will start to break. If you are building any EXB Widgets that use API Widgets now, you should be using Components.

[youknowww]

Thanks for the post!

We're porting some our features into custom widgets now as we migrate to experience builder.

Can you please help me understand the language? When it says "widgets will be deprecated in favor of web components" does that mean custom widgets need to be moved to custom web components? If so, is there a documented dev process to make custom web components like the documentation and samples for custom widgets?

When I think of Widgets, I think of the Insert Widget tool in EXB. Are these going away or does "widgets" in the post in your screenshot refer to something else? We want to make sure we're going the right direction.

[Noah-Sager]

Here is an excellent blog with more information about the transition to components:

https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/js-api-arcgis/developers/javascript-maps-sdk-a-full-transi...

[JeffreyThompson2]

@youknowww The terminology here is confusing as both Experience Builder and the JavaScript API have things called widgets. A common programming pattern in Experience Builder is to call in an API widget inside an Experience Builder widget. Over the next couple of years the API widgets are going to be fully replaced with components which serve the same functions. Experience Builder widgets will still exist and work, as long as they don't contain API widgets. Does that clear things up?

[youknowww]

@JeffreyThompson2exactly what I was confused about. Yes, that's very helpful. Thank you.

[JaredPilbeam2]

Would you know if this transition would have any effect on apps built in the online version of ExB?

[JeffreyThompson2]

@JaredPilbeam2 The Development Team will be responsible for migrating all the built-in widgets. There shouldn't be any disruptions for anyone using Online or Enterprise without custom widgets.

[ODWC_GIS]

"The Development Team will be responsible for migrating all the built-in widgets. There shouldn't be any disruptions for anyone using Online or Enterprise without custom widgets."

I'm not a Developer, but your assurances do not alleviate my new set of worries.