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Generate/send email when a feature is added to a hosted service

ChandreyeeLahiri

Is it possible to have an email sent (to a list of recipients) whenever a point is added to a hosted File GDB on a public web-app?

The idea is to originate a permit application process from a web-map/app: applicants can add a point for the location they need a permit for, enter their information and apply for a permit (of particular kind). An email alerts officials that a permit has been applied for. The rest of the approval process flow from there and the hosted data is used to collect applicant information (including location for permit) as well as flag the status of the application as it makes its way through various stages of the approval process.

Any ideas on how to have edits trigger emails?

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Accepted answers

JakeSkinner

Hi Chandreyee,

If you are tracking edits within the hosted feature service, you could have Windows Task Scheduler check the service at a given time interval (i.e. once an hour) and check for any new features that were added within the last hour.

Below is an example on how to do this. The service is tracking edits, where new features are recorded in a field called 'created_date'. The script queries the service and checks this field and compares it to the current time (minus one hour). If the time is greater than the current time, it will send an e-mail of the OBJECTIDs of the new features.

import urllib2, json, urllib, datetime, time, smtplib
from datetime import timedelta

oidList = []

URL = 'http://services.arcgis.com/Fz6JUji5ArUSDM/arcgis/rest/services/Airports/FeatureServer/0/query'
params = {'f': 'pjson', 'where': "1=1", 'outfields' : 'OBJECTID, created_date', 'returnGeometry' : 'false'}
req = urllib2.Request(URL, urllib.urlencode(params))
response = urllib2.urlopen(req)
data = json.load(response)
for feat in data['features']:
    createDate = feat['attributes']['created_date']
    createDate = int(str(createDate)[0:-3])
    t = datetime.datetime.now() - timedelta(hours=1)
    t = time.mktime(t.timetuple())
    if createDate > t:
        oidList.append(feat['attributes']['OBJECTID'])

FROM = 'sender@hotmail.com'
TO = ['receiver@yahoo.com']
SUBJECT = 'New Feature Added'
TEXT = "Features with OBJECTIDs " + str(oidList) + " were added."

message = """\
From: %s
To: %s
Subject: %s

%s
""" % (FROM, ", ".join(TO), SUBJECT, TEXT)

smtpObj = smtplib.SMTP(host='smtp.hotmail.com', port=25)
smtpObj.sendmail(FROM, TO, message)
print "Successfully sent email"
smtpObj.quit()

All comments

JenAmes

We're starting to use the Crowdsource platform for citizen requests, but many of the employees where I work are used to receiving emails when a citizen request comes in. I tried using this script to do this, but I'm receiving an error message that I'm unsure of what it means or how to fix it.

Error message:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "C:\Users\james\Desktop\Pothole Email.py", line 33, in <module>
smtpObj.sendmail(FROM, TO, message)
File "C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.5\lib\smtplib.py", line 735, in sendmail
self.rset()
File "C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.5\lib\smtplib.py", line 469, in rset
return self.docmd("rset")
File "C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.5\lib\smtplib.py", line 394, in docmd
return self.getreply()
File "C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.5\lib\smtplib.py", line 368, in getreply
raise SMTPServerDisconnected("Connection unexpectedly closed")
SMTPServerDisconnected: Connection unexpectedly closed

Any suggestions? Thank you!

RyanNosek

Definitely agree with both Daniel Hjorth Christensen and Jake Skinner, however, the GeoEvent Processor is a very expensive option for many Org's, esp compared to writing some python and scheduling a task to accomplish nearly the same task.

JakeSkinner

I would agree with Daniel Hjorth Christensen‌. The best and easiest approach would be to use GeoEvent Server. The following help document for the Citizen Problem Notification app discusses the steps to set this up:

Real-time Problem Notifications - Citizen Problem Reporter | ArcGIS for Local Government

Daniel_HjorthChristensen1

This is not really related to the python part, but I would still like to suggest using the GeoEvent Server, with the input connector "Poll an ArcGIS Server For Features".

It can be configured with queries, e.g. to only get the rows with something like a "MissingPermit" status set and then update that status when the email has been sent (GeoEvent Server can send emails too with en output connector).

EdwardHankins

Check! I actually figured it out by hitting the query web page and trying various combinations but thank you very much for your answer!

Anonymous User

If you haven't figured this this out already the correct syntax should be:

params = {'f': 'pjson', 'where': "(REQUEST_TYPE)='PW (SM)-Potholes'", 'outfields' : '*', 'returnGeometry' : 'false'}

Hope that helps

EdwardHankins

What is the format for crafting a query with your script. Say I had a field named STATUS and a field named TYPE and I wanted to query records where: [TYPE] = 'POTHOLE' and [STATUS] = 'OPEN'

I have tried various combinations like below but have had no luck. Is there any chance anyone has done this before and could help. Thanks!!

params = {'f': 'pjson', 'where': "1=1 and 'REQUEST_TYPE' = 'PW (SM)-Potholes'", 'outfields' : 'OBJECTID, created_date, SUMMARY, ADDRESS1', 'returnGeometry' : 'false'}

Remi_Foicik

First, Thanks you for your answer.

I'm actually trying with the service shared with everyone.
Unfortunately, I get this when I'm trying to run the script

JakeSkinner

Hi Remi,

This should work with Portal for ArcGIS as well. You will just need to update the URL (line 6) to the feature service you are monitoring.

Remi_Foicik

Hi Jake,

I'm really interested by using this script for many of our features services but our datas aren't on Arcgis Online, They are on a 10.4 Portal.

I'm really new in python but i'm asking if this is possible to do the same on non-public feature service. And if this is possible, have you some tips please ? I don't really know when I have to place the token generated etc..

thx in advance,

Best Regards

Rémi

RyanNosek

Jake -

Thank you for posting this as an example! Not sure why your response was not marked as the "correct answer", but nonetheless the OP's question and your response helped me tremendously.

Just wanted to add that if someone were to implement your code as-is and set up a scheduled task to run every hour, the script would generate an email every hour regardless if there were new features added or not. Or maybe I've set something up wrong with the scheduled task? Regardless, to fix the problem I encountered - I simply added an if-else statement that checked to see if the list was empty, if so, do nothing, if not, send the email.

This is an extremely useful piece of code and saved me tons of dev time and head-banging, and have implemented it for a few of our data collection projects that use our locally hosted ArcGIS Server secured feature services (not esri hosted feature services). E.g. Very useful for services involved in our Crowdsource Reporter apps to generate emails to relevant Programs when new features are added. Thanks again for your post, Jake.

- Ryan

ChandreyeeLahiri

Of course. 🙂

That app doesn't fully address our needs though (rather, it has bells and whistles we may not want to pay for) so I'd like to see what other closer solutions exist. Right now, I've only tried out the free ESRI apps that i get when I go to make an app from a web-map in AGOL...was wondering if there are others like that anywhere else.

I take it that's it for freeware?

Will definitely do the free trial as you suggest. The annual cost might still be more cost-efficient than contracting out for a solution (since we don't have much app development skills in-house).

AndySmith

Hi Chandreyee, I don't think there is anything free that is comparable to QuestionWhere Builder at the moment, if there was, then people wouldn't pay for QuestionWhere Builder! You can check yourself by searching the Marketplace: https://marketplace.arcgis.com/

Get a free trial and test it out would be my suggestion, and you can make a decision from there as to whether you would like to pay for QuestionWhere, or spend time developing something yourself.

ChandreyeeLahiri

Thanks Andy.

This looks like a wonderful resource though the price tag is fairly steep. It gets to my goal of capturing information from the public using a map and using it in AGOL to follow a workflow.

Are there any ESRI free apps that come anywhere close to this?

Where do I go to browse the various free apps for downloads?

Thanks in advance!

ChandreyeeLahiri

This is excellent Jake!

Only I would need to tweak it to check for changes in certain fields + changes since the last time it was checked....which might just be daily (so changes in the last 24 hours instead of 1).

Could you tell my the syntax for setting up those queries (or point me to resources)?

Also, I'm not sure where to run this code from. I'm a bit familiar with Python but this doesn't look like it. A few pointers please on how to run this?

Thanks much!

AndySmith

You could also try using some of the Marketplace applications that have been developed to do this as well. For example, Esri UK have developed the QuestionWhere Builder that allows you to get the user to fill out a survey and add points to a map before submitting it as a new point to the feature service. This can also be used to send an email to an email alias or individual:

https://marketplace.arcgis.com/listing.html?id=ef411f82398b483a9ee2a421bb45bada

JakeSkinner

Hi Chandreyee,

import urllib2, json, urllib, datetime, time, smtplib
from datetime import timedelta

oidList = []

URL = 'http://services.arcgis.com/Fz6JUji5ArUSDM/arcgis/rest/services/Airports/FeatureServer/0/query'
params = {'f': 'pjson', 'where': "1=1", 'outfields' : 'OBJECTID, created_date', 'returnGeometry' : 'false'}
req = urllib2.Request(URL, urllib.urlencode(params))
response = urllib2.urlopen(req)
data = json.load(response)
for feat in data['features']:
    createDate = feat['attributes']['created_date']
    createDate = int(str(createDate)[0:-3])
    t = datetime.datetime.now() - timedelta(hours=1)
    t = time.mktime(t.timetuple())
    if createDate > t:
        oidList.append(feat['attributes']['OBJECTID'])

FROM = 'sender@hotmail.com'
TO = ['receiver@yahoo.com']
SUBJECT = 'New Feature Added'
TEXT = "Features with OBJECTIDs " + str(oidList) + " were added."

message = """\
From: %s
To: %s
Subject: %s

%s
""" % (FROM, ", ".join(TO), SUBJECT, TEXT)

smtpObj = smtplib.SMTP(host='smtp.hotmail.com', port=25)
smtpObj.sendmail(FROM, TO, message)
print "Successfully sent email"
smtpObj.quit()

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