Latest Contributions by OwenGeo

HI Allison -- Currently the Story Map Builders do not support URL parameters for video links, but we are considering adding this in an upcoming release. For now, you can follow the procedure outlined in this Geonet thread to add a video with URL parameters. However, be aware that browsers (currently Chrome and Safari, but others are likely to follow) are blocking videos with sound that are set to autoplay. See this article on the Google Chrome developer site for more info. If the reader doesn't have a history of interacting with content or if they don't interact with your story by clicking on the page before reaching the video (for example, if the video is in the home section of a Journal), the video won't autoplay even if you add that URL parameter. ... View more

Hi Richard -- Yes, that is a recent change we made to Cascade related to web browsers implementing stricter policies on autoplaying videos with sound. We are working on a blog post related to this, but to summarize...as of last week, Chrome has updated its autoplay policy to block autoplaying videos with sound (for some additional technical info you can see this article on the Google Developers site). In Cascade Builder, the audio configuration options for videos added as immersive background media are now Button to Enable and Mute (previously, the options were On and Mute). Since Chrome (and likely other browsers in the future) is now blocking apps from autoplaying videos with sound, Cascade stories now initially mute audio for any videos that autoplay. This applies to videos added as immersive background media. There is an unmute/mute button in the lower right corner that can be used to toggle sound on and off. There is no change in how videos in narrative sections or panels work; they continue to require the reader to click the video to play it and sound will begin immediately. If you have a video with narration we recommend that you add it in-line in a narrative section or panel so readers don't miss any of the narration. You can configure the size of a video in a narrative section if you want it to be larger. Background videos in immersive sections work best when they set the mood rather than have narration (which splits the reader's attention between the panel text and the video narration), so there's no change in how we'd recommend you'd use background video. For example, see this story from the Fish and Wildlife Service that uses background video with ambient sound very effectively. Please let me know if you have any questions. ... View more

Steve -- Thanks for your feedback. Currently, story map apps have two modes -- builder and viewer. When you are signed in and view one of your own stories we give you an Edit button shortcut to quickly enter builder mode. When you are done making changes in builder mode you can click Preview in the toolbar to see your story as it will appear to your readers. This opens your story in another tab, leaving builder open in the previous tab so you can easily return to it if you need to make more changes. Does that help improve your workflow? ... View more

Hi Charlie -- What is the first part of the URL? If you are using your organization's URL (e.g., https://myorg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/...) and the org doesn't allow anonymous access, then you will be prompted for a login. Check the org settings (or ask an admin if you're not an admin) to see if the org allows anonymous access. If it doesn't, you should use the generic  https://www.arcgis.com/apps/... URL. Also, I'm just curious about the reason you are editing the URL -- in the vast majority of cases you shouldn't need to edit the URL of the item page. ... View more

Hi Patricia -- Unfortunately, those websites restrict embedding. When I try to embed them in a story map I see these errors in the browser console. These errors are described in the troubleshooting blog I mentioned above and indicate the website does not allow itself to be embedded in other web pages, such as story maps. If you have been able to do this successfully in the past the sites' policy must have changed, and I suggest you check those stories because they likely won't be working either. Since this is a decision the website owner makes there's nothing we can really do about this. In these cases we recommend that you include a link in the text of your story to open the web page in another browser tab.   ... View more

Hi Etolie, It is possible to copy a story and all its content across organizations; however it can be time consuming if the story has many feature services that need to be republished in a different organization. Also, any images you upload into the story are not copied over and would have to be re-added to the story. You can read about the process in this article. What I'd recommend is that you simply obtain an account in your client's organization and build the story there. Once the story is completed, the story map as well as any maps, scenes, layers, etc. used in the story can be transferred from your member account to one of the customer's member accounts so they can manage those items. Owen ... View more