Latest Contributions by MichaelBranscomb

Judith, In principle that's exactly what you would do. There is a GetBitmap() method on the MapDisplay class (http://resources.esri.com/help/1200/arcgisexplorer/componenthelp/index.html#/_/0003000001t6000000/) which will perform the same task as the Copy To Clipboard button on the ribbon. This image could then be added to any document you like - which could include documents templates. Bear in mind that the exported map will include the attribution (copyright), scalebar, and navigator. The navigator could be considered a North Arrow though and the scale bar is generally desirable, although if required it can be switched off. It will not be possible to remove any attribution/copyright text. Regards Mike ... View more

Judith, We're in the final stages of getting 1500 ready for release - but unfortunately there's not a specific date I can announce at the moment. The goal is some time in the next few weeks. Regarding 1200 Add-Ins - the vast majority will just work but as ever it depends on what the developer has done specifically. All the Add-Ins which are posted on the Explorer Labs area are tested by the team (http://www.arcgis.com/home/group.html?owner=arcgis_explorer&title=ArcGIS%20Explorer%20Labs). Regards Mike ... View more

Judith, This is all excellent feedback - thanks. If I have the time to evolve the Add-In then I will attempt to do so. I already have another version planned - but this will be specific to the next version (due in the next couple of months) to highlight one of the new features. Of the enhancements you suggested... - Allow user to enter actual grid ref number instead of characters - probably not complicated but would require a little time to work out. - Title/caption too long: I can change this easily - if I have time I will alter and update the Add-In online. - Zoom to 10 or 12 figure grid ref: This could quite easily be added - again - if I have time I'll look into this. Regarding the point that is displayed - it is actually the centre point of the grid cell reference. Once the conversion is complete, an additional amount is added to the new coordinates to obtain the cell centre point - but I agree this may not always be desirable. It would be easy to provide an additional option allowing the user to choose whether the point is added at the centre OR the lower left corner. Regards Mike ... View more

Judith, Unfortunately I'm not aware of an Add-In that offers zoom to previous/next extent - I'll give that some thought. You may also be interested in some of these other Add-Ins: http://www.arcgis.com/home/group.html?owner=arcgis_explorer&title=ArcGIS%20Explorer%20Labs&start=1. Notably probably the Query Plus and Table Viewer Add-Ins. Regards Mike ... View more

Judith, The coordinates are being displayed as a direct conversion of Latitude & Longitude - i.e. the opposite way round to X,Y. This is probbaly considered "as designed" - but I'll enter an enhancement request to swap the coordinates to correctly represent the X,Y order. I assume you're a UK customer - any UK-specific feedback you have is much appreciated. You may also be interested in a couple of Add-Ins I posted recently: Zoom to Map Scale: http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=dd68c3836cb24d6d9d5030f6837e61a2 Zooom To British National Grid Reference: http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=c328c0e8aad6449898362859a75de366 Regards Mike ... View more

Other than the suggestions already made (titles, image overlays) there is no OOTB way to achieve what you're looking for. The best approach from here would be to consider creating a custom print "Add-In" like the one referenced below - available at http://resources.esri.com/arcgisexplorer/1200/index.cfm?fa=codeGalleryDetails&scriptID=16518. This would certainly resolve the white space issue. Unfortunately there is no way to generate a legend for the contents of the map - although I'm going to give this some more thought - if i have any more information on this I'll post an update here. Regards Mike ... View more

Jerry, The graphics card spec info came from the system requirements website for ArcGIS Explorer: http://wikis.esri.com/wiki/display/agxpsr/ArcGIS+Explorer+System+Requirements. Regarding the graphics card test - this test runs in the 3D display mode and animates the globe for approx 30 seconds to determine the frame rate, in frames per second. I advise running it several times to determine an average for your machine. >30 frames = Excellent >15 frames = Good <15 frames = Poor (http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisexplorer/1200/en/test_graphics_speed.htm) If your client would like to do a lot of work in 3D within ArcGIS Explorer then I would certainly advise looking at the recommended spec rather than the minimum: - CPU = >2.4 GHz (although that's based on a baseline Intel P4 / Xeon whereas the newer, multi-core processors have lower clock speeds but are usually rated higher e.g. my Intel 2.4 GHz Core2Duo seems to be rated at 4GHz) - RAM = >2GB - VIDEO = >256MB with Pixel & Vertex Shader 4.0 - DISK = >1GB free Regards Mike ... View more

Hi, I can confirm that the forthcoming 1500 release addresses an issue relating to the use of ArcGIS Exploer behind/through a proxy server - the symptoms you are describing sound similar to the issue that has been fixed. It's also worth noting that if you have ArcGIS Server within your organisation that you are entitled to tech support for ArcGIS Explorer (since it's a client of ArcGIS Server). Regards Mike ... View more

Mark (or anyone else who can help), Is it possible for an individual user to "publish to a service"? What does this mean? Is there a help file you can recommend for me to read? Essentially, I want to know: If I am an individual user with a single ArcGIS Desktop license, is it possible for me to add my locally stored shapefiles to ArcGIS Explorer Online? Is there anything I can do to make this possible? Eliza, While it's not currently possible to publish a Shapefile directly to ArcGIS.com and have that consumable by users of web applications, you can however create Layer Packages with ArcGIS Desktop (right click on a Layer or Group Layer in the Table of Contents in ArcMap) which can then be easily used by ArcGIS Explorer Desktop and ArcGIS Desktop users. If you really want to upload Shapefiles you try zipping them up, but that would create an extra hurdle in their use by people downloading them - Layer Packages are a much better option). Unfortunately we're not quite at the point of anyone being able to upload a Shapefile and in return receive a link to a new map service - but what you can do is start preparing for that future scenario - so rather than Shapefiles I would suggest migrating to the newer File Geodatabases and familiarising yourself with Layer Packages since they are a much better mechanism for bundling up some data with associated information such as copyright text and a description. Regards Mike ... View more

Melanie, Apologies for the delay in replaying to this - unfortunately I didn't get an alert. The types of ArcGIS.com content which can be opened in ArcGIS Explorer 1200 are: - ArcGIS Explorer maps (.nmf) e.g. http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=7eceb949d93a4f5cbea1cb2ecb2ccee9 - ArcGIS Explorer content files (.nmc) e.g. http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=8a0b4a7ea9db45daa4785c721c5fb861 - ArcGIS Layer Packages (.lpk) e.g. http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=eae8dd68007e4462af9d3836fbeb4600 - ArcGIS Server services e.g. http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=f2498e3d0ff642bfb4b155828351ef0e You can also add content directly from ESRI's ArcGIS Online map servers by adding the URL http://services.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/services as a new connection under GIS Services in the Add Content menu. Lastly - you can change what happens when you open some of this content (i.e. open in existing Explorer instance or fire up a new one) by double clicking ArcGISFileHandler.exe in C:\Program Files\Common Files\ArcGIS\bin. The imminent ArcGIS Explorer 1500 greatly improves the integration of ArcGIS Explorer, ArcGIS Explorer Online and ArcGIS.com. Regards Mike ... View more

Amy, If you have used ArcGIS 10 with those File Geodatabases and upgraded the schema to the 10.0 schema then ArcGIS Explorer 1200 will not be able to read them - the imminent 1500 release will resolve this. However, if the schema remains unchanged from when you used them in 9.3.1 then my suggestion would be to try reinstalling ArcGIS Explorer 1200. Regards Mike ... View more

Mel, You can set this up within the map properties dialog - see http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisexplorer/1200//en/map_properties_data_access.htm#authentication for more information. Regards Mike ... View more

There's a print button accessed via the ArcGIS Explorer menu/pearl button in the top left of the application (see http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisexplorer/1200//en/dialog_print.htm). Alternatively you can use the Copy To Clipboard button then paste your map into another application (see http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisexplorer/1200//en/copy_to_clipboard.htm) Also - there's a print developer sample available on http://resources.esri.com/arcgisexplorer/1200/index.cfm?fa=codeGalleryDetails&scriptID=16518 - but you'll need some basic developer knowledge to get this running. Regards Mike ... View more

Thoralf, Thanks for posting your machine spec - everything appears sufficient for running ArcGIS Explorer - although it looks like there's a warning on the recommended tab of the system checker web page. It's not possible to comment on the other software you have installed - although I suppose it is possible that there could be a conflict over a shared resource on the system. Another suggestion would be to follow the steps on one of the many Vista optimisation articles - here's one from Microsoft themselves: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Optimize-Windows-Vista-for-better-performance - to see if that makes a difference. Regards Mike ... View more

Jerry, ESRI don't recommend any specific graphics cards. The recommended spec is to have a 24-bit capable graphics accelerator with at least 256MB dedicated video card memory (rather than shared system memory) which supports OpenGL 2.0 or higher. The system requirements checked mentions Pixel & Vertex Shader 4.0 if you can get that level of detail from a graphics card fact sheet. If you're planning a lot of 3D work in Explorer then you'll want as high a spec as possible on the above recommendations. I've always had NVidia cards in my office laptops and enjoyed a good experience in ArcGIS Explorer but we do have staff using other brands. Regards Mike ... View more