Latest Contributions by ChristinaHoddinott1

For the long names of the exported FGDB, you can easily right-click and rename them without it affecting anything (that's what I do to help keep things more organized). I know you can import the feature classes from the exported FGDB into a new FGDB and it will bring the associated relationship classes and tables with it. So you could make a giant geodatabase that way. However, I've found that it's not easy to continually be moving things back and forth between one large geodatabase and AGOL. I suppose if you are only doing it a few times a year, it wouldn't be a big issue, but since I am doing it weekly, it's just too much for me.  If you did put everything in one big FGDB, then you could add new data to a feature class from an AGOL exported FGDB using the Object Loader tool (see How To: Use the Object Loader to load data into a table). With that tool though, you must be careful to set a definition query to prevent it from creating doubles. If the feature class you're loading data from has some of the same features of the feature class you are loading data into, it doesn't recognize that. It will just add eeeeverything from one feature class into the other unless you create a definition query. I haven't messed with this a ton though to ensure attachments are coming along with it, but it certainly wouldn't take long to figure that out. If you are simply making edits to existing features in AGOL though, I haven't found a way to easily update those same features in a master FGDB. You could also just delete the old feature class in the master FGDB and import the new, updated feature class from the AGOL FGDB. You would lose your symbology and whatnot though. For me, that's just too much to do every day/week, which is why I just keep every map in its own FGDB instead of having a master FGDB, but it may be just fine for you! Wow, I hope some of that made sense. haha ... View more

This is what I have been doing... When I want to download features from AGOL, I go to the hosted feature layer export it as a file geodatabase (FGDB). I then download the FGDB, which can then be opened in the ArcMap. If you look at the FGDB in the Catalog, you will see that for each feature layer that has attachments, there will be a a table and relationship class file. These are your attachments!  Then I do whatever edits I need to do in ArcMap, save the map, then share as a service, overwriting the existing service. This will replace the old hosted feature layer but retain your attachments, so long as the layers in your map are from your FGDB. I do find that, for whatever reason, if the feature layer is in a map it needs to be deleted from the map (or the map deleted) and added again for the changes to be viewed in the map.  Basically, everything needs to remain in a FGDB with the corresponding relationship class and table features in order for the attachments to stay with the features. If you import a feature class from your original FGDB to a new one, you'll notice that those two features go with it.  Now, instead of having one large FGDB with Feature Datasets, I have multiple FGDB for each hosted feature layer. For example, I do a lot of work with utilities. So I made a map in ArcMap that has multiple feature layers relating to the electric utilities. I published the map as a hosted feature layer, which has 10 or so layers within in it. So it's not like I have a FGDB for every single layer I ever use (that would be insane). Instead I have one for electric, one for stormwater, one for gas, etc and each has many layers within it. That's how I keep my maps organized on AGOL too, so it's not as messy as it sounds. I collect data out in the field, and just download the FGDB from AGOL on a regular basis (with a date in the name) so that way I always have a hard copy on my computer. See attached picture to see what I mean...  I'm sort of new to all this, so perhaps there is a better way, but this is the best way I've found thus far to keep everything attached and updated. If you lost your attachments to your feature layer, I honestly don't know how to get them back other than manually adding them back one by one. But this will keep you from losing them in the future! ... View more

I see this post was from a long time ago, but I have a few questions about the virtual directory.  Our ultimate goal is to be able to click a link in an attribute table of a feature in AGOL and take it to a file folder on our server. We want various staff using different devices to have access. Our IT team has set up a virtual directory to be able to link to the files. They just asked me which ports need to be opened. They are assuming ports 80 and 443, but I have absolutely no idea what this even means or if it's correct. Do you know if those are the correct ports supported by Esri? And do you have any resources for securing it so that not everyone can have access? Thanks! ... View more

Okay, got a look at the AGOL Health Dashboard and there seem to be system-wide issues here. (I had no idea this existed! Three pages deep into Google and I stumbled upon it.) ... View more