Latest Contributions by OwenGeo

Collections are an engaging way to share a set of related StoryMaps. There are several layouts and navigation styles you can choose from to customize the appearance and behavior of your collection. You can even include a map so readers can browse and open items using their location. To provide more flexibility in the way you and your audience use collections, two new collection modes are now available. Currently, these modes can be activated only by URL parameters (see last section, below). We'd love to hear your feedback about these modes as we evaluate where to take them in the future.  If you aren't familiar with collections, be sure to check out our tutorial: Create your first collection with ArcGIS StoryMaps. For inspiration, you can explore several dozen example collections others have made in the StoryMaps Gallery. No-navigation mode  If you’ve ever found yourself wanting to simplify the experience of using a collection, the new no-navigation mode may interest you. It transforms the collection into a straightforward launch page by eliminating its navigation controls and integrated “viewer” (the part of the page where the collection items are shown).  No-nav mode has the following effects on a collection:  All navigation controls in the header are removed (arrows, tab bar, back to overview button, etc.).  The “Get started” button on the cover is removed  Clicking an item opens it in the same browser tab, so you can use the browser “back” button to return to the collection. Essentially, no-nav mode turns the collection's item cards into standard links. That means you have control over whether the items open in the same tab (the standard behavior) or a new tab. You can right-click an item link and choose Open in a new tab or use browser shortcuts to manage how the links open. For example, here are some of the link-related shortcuts available in Chrome.  No-cover mode  No-cover mode may interest fans of the classic Story Map Series template. When this mode is enabled, the cover is hidden. When you visit a collection with no cover, you’ll immediately see the first item in the collection. The collection's navigation controls are still available in no-cover mode. This mode can be useful when you have an introductory item you always want to show, such as a briefing or video that explains the purpose of the collection, a story that serves as part 1 of a longer narrative, or a simple cover image.  Enable a collection mode  These modes can be triggered by adding a URL parameter to a collection, either navigation=false OR cover=false. Here are example links for each mode:  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/d34681ac0d1a417894a3a3d955c6913f?navigation=false  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/d34681ac0d1a417894a3a3d955c6913f?cover=false  Since collection modes are currently triggered by URL parameters, they are most effectively used with your own collections. This is because sharing the URL of a collection with others doesn’t guarantee that the URL parameters will be preserved, so someone you share the link with may access the collection in its normal mode depending on how they open or interact with the collection. As noted above, we are gathering feedback on whether these modes are useful and how you might use them so we can consider if or how to add them as options in the collection builder. Please add a comment below with your questions or feedback. ... View more