Latest Contributions by ChrisLeSueur

To maintain compatibility with current Apple App Store requirements we have released an incremental update to the Cloud Make service for ArcGIS AppStuidio 5.5. Cloud Make now supports XCode 15 for iOS and macOS builds, to meet the April 2024 App Store requirements. https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=fxu2qp7b The App Store privacy manifest requirement is now supported.   NOTE:  ArcGIS AppStudio 5.5 is a “Long Term Support” (LTS) release of the product and the last major release of AppStudio. Esri will deliver any updates to the product as hotfixes to address significant bugs, maintain compatibility with app stores, and comply with security requirements until the retirement date (February 2025). No new functionality will be added to AppStudio 5.5. Please review the ArcGIS AppStudio Retirement FAQ for more details.   ... View more

To maintain compatibility with current Google Play Store requirements we have released an incremental update to the Cloud Make service for ArcGIS AppStuidio 5.5.  With this update any Android builds generated with Cloud Make will be set to target Android 13 (API level 33) and will be compliant with Google Player store requirements going into effect on August 31, 2023.  There is nothing for AppStudio 5.5 users to download or install, the update has been deployed directly to the Cloud Make service. For more information about the Google Play Android target API level requirement please refer to this article:  Meet Google Play's target API level requirement    NOTE:  ArcGIS AppStudio 5.5 is a “Long Term Support” (LTS) release of the product and the last major release of AppStudio. Esri will deliver any updates to the product as hotfixes to address significant bugs, maintain compatibility with app stores, and comply with security requirements until the retirement date (February 2025). No new functionality will be added to AppStudio 5.5. Please review the ArcGIS AppStudio Retirement FAQ for more details. ... View more

This blog post will answer questions in detail about the ArcGIS AppStudio retirement plan.  Please see the “ArcGIS AppStudio Retirement RoadMap and Beyond ” blog post for more information about the retirement roadmap, the AppStudio 5.5 release, and the migration options available.   FAQ When will ArcGIS AppStudio be retired? ArcGIS AppStudio will be retired in February 2025. UPDATE: Starting March 1, 2024, ArcGIS AppStudio (Developer Edition) will no longer be available for new users. Existing customers with an ArcGIS AppStudio (Developer Edition) license will have support until February 2025.   What is the last release of ArcGIS AppStudio? On February 28th, 2023, we released ArcGIS AppStudio 5.5. AppStudio 5.5 is a “Long Term Support” (LTS) release of the product and the last major release of AppStudio. Esri will deliver any updates to the product as hotfixes to address significant bugs, maintain compatibility with app stores, and comply with security requirements until the retirement date. No new functionality will be added to AppStudio after the 5.5 release. Learn more about What's New in ArcGIS AppStudio 5.5 LTS (Feb 2023)    How do I download ArcGIS AppStudio Desktop and ArcGIS AppStudio player? Starting March 1, 2024, ArcGIS AppStudio (Developer Edition) will no longer be available for new users. Existing ArcGIS AppStudio customers can download the latest version of AppStudio Desktop and AppStudio Player from these links: Download ArcGIS AppStudio 5.5 on your desktop Windows x64 Windows x86 macOS Linux Download ArcGIS AppStudio Player 5.5 Windows x64 Windows x86 macOS Linux Android ARM v7 (32 bit) Android ARM v8 (64 bit) Google Play Store Apple App Store   Should I use AppStudio when starting a new app? Native mobile app development can be a lengthy process with expectations of a long app lifespan, with that in we recommend mind you choose an alternative solution to AppStudio when starting a new app project. See the “ArcGIS AppStudio Retirement Roadmap and Beyond ” blog for more information about alternative solutions and migration options.   Can I still publish my apps to the app stores (Google Play and Apple App Store)? The AppStudio Cloud Make build service will be retired in February 2025. Up until the retirement date you will be able to build (using Cloud Make) your app and deploy your apps to app stores (Google Play and Apple App Store). Depending on your deployment needs, the builds from Cloud Make can also be used to deliver apps directly to users via side-loading apps or using a mobile device management (MDM) system.   Will my custom apps stop working after February 2025? No, your app will not automatically stop working after February 2025. But, after this date, you cannot expect that you will be able to update your apps. If your app is in a public app store it is most likely that at some future date after 2025, your app will become incompatible with app store security and platform requirements.   Will AppStudio Player still be available? Yes, AppStudio Player will be still available to download from the app stores and the AppStudio resource page until February 2025, however, there will be no official support after that. We expect but cannot guarantee that AppStudio Player will continue to work for some time beyond February 2025 depending on app store security and platform requirements.   Can I still download AppStudio Desktop before retirement? Yes, the ArcGIS AppStudio Desktop installation files will remain on the AppStudio Resource page until February 2025.   Will I have access to Esri Technical Support for AppStudio? Technical Support for AppStudio will be available until February 2025.   Can I simply move my AppStudio projects to the ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt? The ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt (previously known as the ArcGIS Runtime for Qt) are the core mapping components that AppStudio is built upon. AppStudio developers familiar with Qt/QML should consider this product as a possible migration path for their app projects. But there is no simple way to port or migrate an AppStudio app project to the ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt. AppStudio app development relies heavily upon a set of cross-platform components that are part of the “AppStudio AppFramwork”. This AppFramework is not part of the ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt, and that means developers would be required to implement those components using the libraries and components offered by Qt. Also, developers must factor in an update to the underlying version of the Qt software. Some development effort would be required to move AppStudio apps built on Qt 5.x to the new ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt built with Qt 6.x. ArcGIS Survey123 and ArcGIS QuickCapture are built using AppStudio, will these apps continue to be available? Yes, updates to Survey123 and QuickCapture will continue their normal schedule and new features will be added to both products, across all supported platforms. These products will continue beyond the lifespan of ArcGIS AppStudio. Work has started on the next generation of Survey123 and QuickCapture using the Maps SDK for .NET MAUI and the ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET (MAUI)  which will better support the growth of the products in the future. The .NET MAUI versions of Survey123 and QuickCapture will be compatible with the Survey123 and QuickCapture projects you are using today. Subscribe to the Survey123 newsletter to stay tuned.   What about the developers leveraging the Survey123 add-in framework (Beta)? The Survey123 add-in framework will continue to work as documented on our Early Adopter Community website. No further development is planned.   What about developers leveraging the Survey123 and QuickCapture AppStudio enterprise templates to build custom versions of Survey123 and QuickCapture with additional functionality? Source code of Survey123 and QuickCapture is no longer available as an AppStudio Enterprise Template to ArcGIS AppStudio developers. However, access to the source code for the last versions supported by ArcGIS AppStudio can be requested using this form. Access to the source code is provided on a case-by-case basis.   What options does Esri provide for customers interested in internally deploying custom-signed versions of Survey123 or QuickCapture within their organization, or in deploying a custom-branded version of Survey123 or QuickCapture to the app stores? Esri is considering alternative options to deploy custom-signed and custom-branded versions of Survey123 and QuickCapture without the need to have developer skills. Please contact survey123@esri.com or quickcapture@esri.com respectively for details. ... View more

Today we are announcing that AppStudio 5.5 will be a “Long-Term Support” (LTS) release of the product and the last major release of AppStudio. The ArcGIS AppStudio product will be officially retired in February 2025. For information about the ArcGIS AppStudio retirement roadmap refer to this announcement: ArcGIS AppStudio Retirement Roadmap and Beyond Also,  we have posted an AppStudio Product Retirement FAQ with details about the retirement roadmap as well as what this means for Survey123 and QuickCapture users.   Updates included in AppStudio 5.5 ArcGIS AppStudio 5.5 includes many enhancements, bug fixes, and component updates to ensure our users have a solid and reliable platform for building native apps.   AppStudio 5.5 Release Video   Changes and updated features include: The ArcGIS Runtime for Qt has been updated to 100.15.1. AppStudio Cloud Make now supports XCode 14 for iOS and macOS builds, to meet April 2023 Apple App Store requirements. AppStudio AppRun is now installed in place of AppStudio Player when running apps on iOS simulators and Android emulators. Apps automatically run when launched on an iOS simulator. For apps targeting Android 13 or above, notification runtime permissions are now supported. On iOS, bitcode is no longer built into executables created with cloud or local Make. For improved security, Windows executables are now signed with a SHA256 algorithm. Issues addressed and Bugs Fixed include: Bugs were fixed regarding text misalignment, truncation, and character sets, when AppStudio is used in languages other than English. Bugs were fixed in which an error occurs when attempting to sign-in and retrieve an AppStudio Developer Edition licence. A bug was fixed in which the table of properties failed to appear for apps not created from templates. On Android, a bug was fixed in which app link URL scheme parameters did not work on some devices. On Android 12, a bug was fixed in which apps using indoor positioning would crash. On Windows, a bug was fixed in which the bin folder and contents are not deleted on uninstall of AppStudio. On macOS Ventura, a bug was fixed in which Qt Creator would not open. Updates to the AppStudio AppFramework: A bug was fixed in which the stayAwake property of the Platform component, failed to stop a device going to sleep whilst recording audio. For improved security ZipFileInfo, ZipReader, and ZipWriter components have been updated to use zlib 1.2.13 library. The network.proxy property of the AppFramework component can now be refreshed when system proxy changes on the device, without needing to restart the app. Newest iOS device names have been added to the systemInformation property of the AppFramework component. On iOS, a bug was fixed in which forward proxy settings were being incorrectly ignored when using the NetworkRequest component. On macOS, a bug was fixed that caused apps to crash when using the Battery component. Updated AppStudio Player ArcGIS Runtime has been updated to 100.15.1. Please refer to the “What’s new in AppStudio” documentation for a full list of updates and bugs fixed in AppStudio 5.5 and previous releases.   ArcGIS AppStudio 5.4 November Update In November of 2022, we released a product update specifically focused on fixes and feature enhancements to our app templates.  To learn more see the "November Update - AppStudio 5.4 Templates” announcement   Connect with Us Please reach out to us on Esri Community or using  appstudiofeedback@esri.com if you have questions about the 5.5 release or retirement of ArcGIS AppStudio ... View more

We are excited to announce the release of ArcGIS AppStudio Version 5.4 August Update. This release is an incremental update to the AppStudio 5.4 release in June.  This release includes enhancements and bug fixes to help you and your team create powerful geo-enabled cross-platform native apps. Read more about this update in What's new in AppStudio online documentation. AppStudio Ver. 5.4 August Update: ArcGIS AppStudio (desktop/core) Improvements and fixes when working with Integrated Windows Authentication (IWA) Fixes for installation process on macOS and Unbuntu Improvements to control of text elements with non-English languages (fixes for misalignment, truncation, orientation) iOS Simulator fix AppStudio AppFramework Activity Support for iOS and Android. The activities supported are "stationary, walking, running, and driving". This feature enables developers to build apps that collect information or provide a unique experience based on the end user's activity state. Image EXIF orientation fix Fix for forwarding proxy settings Improved video experience when using the CameraDialog or Qt Video component. Position source fix for Windows apps AppStudio Player (iOS) Improved consistency when using app links to launch apps Expanded platform information from the Diagnostics page AppStudio Templates MapViewer - improved layerlist and other minor fixes ... View more

ArcPad is retired as of January 1, 2022.  As a retired product, there will be no new development, patches/bug fixes, or live technical support.  Also, new and existing users will no longer be able to purchase ArcPad licenses, renew ArcPad maintenance, or receive technical support for this product. For organizations that require ongoing support for ArcPad, there may be support options with Esri Premium Support. For more information about the retirement status of Esri products see the Esri Product Lifecycle Policy.   Continued ArcPad Use ArcPad users can continue to use the ArcPad application with their existing product licenses, those licenses are perpetual and do not time-out. Users can continue to use the ArcPad online documentation and the Esri Support site to find answers to questions and solutions to technical issues. Although the online information will remain available to users, this information is not updated for retired products. This ArcPad page on the Esri Community will remain available for users to ask questions from the ArcPad community.   Moving Forward ArcPad has been an important product for Esri with a long history (first release in Spring of 2000).  It was a groundbreaking tool that paved the way for today’s mobile GIS apps. But with the advent of deprecated operating systems, updated security requirements, advancements in mobile hardware, and new capabilities in ArcGIS…the time has come to retire ArcPad.  Today Esri has a suite of apps for mobile GIS and field operations. Depending on your use cases and workflows for mobile GIS and field data collection we suggest that you investigate the capabilities offered by Esri other mobile apps. ArcGIS Survey123 Form-based data collection Highly customizable forms (Conditional logic, calculations, data validation, advanced formulas) Mobile and web experience Supports online and offline data collection Supports high accuracy GNSS/GPS receivers ArcGIS Field Maps Map-based data collection Smart forms Supports taking maps in the field for view only purposes Supports online and offline maps Supports high accuracy GNSS/GPS receivers ArcGIS QuickCapture Easy-to-use rapid field data collection Collect data with a single button tap Simple project authoring experience using QuickCapture designer Supports data collection while online or offline Supports high accuracy GNSS/GPS receivers ArcGIS AppStudio Provides app templates and developer tools to create your own custom app   ArcPad Resources ArcPad Product Documentation Esri Community Page for ArcPad ArcPad Technical Support ArcPad Product Downloads (for users with existing licenses of ArcPad)   ... View more

The ArcGIS AppStudio and ArcGIS Instant App teams at Esri recently (Nov 17th, 2021) hosted a webinar titled "Creating Apps for Web and Mobile With ArcGIS Instant Apps and ArcGIS AppStudio".  This blog post will cover some of the questions we received from webinar attendees. You can watch a video recording of the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EfyJvpEbSw   Question: What accounts are required to create these apps? Answer: Both ArcGIS Instant Apps and ArcGIS AppStudio are included as part of the “Essential Apps” bundle.  To get the Essential Apps bundle you will need an ArcGIS account with an user type of Creator or GIS Professional.  See more about user types and the Essential Apps bundle on this page. https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/user-types/explore/creator ArcGIS AppStudio Developer Edition license is included with a paid ArcGIS Developer Subscription (builder or above).    Question: I have a GIS professional basic license - does that include the AppStudio developer license? Answer: No, the GIS Professional Basic user type includes an AppStudio license, but it does not include an “AppStudio Developer Edition” license. View this video for more details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRxv_Zonc5M    Question: Are there options to add credentials/api keys for subscriber content in either Instant Apps or AppStudio? Answer: AppStudio: Apps built with ArcGIS AppStudio can accept an ArcGIS named user account credentials to unlock premium content. Also, you can set a API Key for your AppStudio app to access premium content. ArcGIS Instant Apps: In Instant apps, you are able to proxy subscriber content during the publish process. The credentials of the org user who is creating the app will be used to access the premium content.   Question: Is it possible to build custom app where we can integrate authentication in our mobile app before accessible to the home page and more custom feature? Answer: AppStudio: Yes, it is possible to require authentication in an AppStudio app when the app is launched. Most of the AppStudio templates (such as the Map Viewer) have an option to require the user to sign into the app. Instant Apps: The source code for the instant apps is available in the Esri GitHub repo. You can download the source code, make all the updates you’d like then host it on your own web server behind an authentication login.   Question: Instant Apps: This is a great option, wondering if requires an Organization account for the Instant Apps development, or can do it on a public account (ie developing the trails network map for a township without Esri Account). Answer: If you are creating an app for noncommercial use then you can create an instant app with a public account. See the “Can I use ArcGIS Online free’ question in the FAQ here: https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/reference/faq.htm    Question: Can I write my own apps with AppStudio? Or Just use the templates? Answer:  With AppStudio you can easily configure an app using a template, you also can write custom code to extend a template or create an app from scratch.   Question: If we update information on ArcGIS online (web map), will it automatically update on the app? Or do you have to re-publish the app? Answer: If you update the web map the changes will automatically appear in any Instant app or AppStudio app that uses the web map. For example, if you modify the popup content those changes will be seen in the web app.   Question: Do you know when the VSCode editor functionality for AppStudio is going to reach feature parity with Qt Creator. Currently, code navigation doesn't appear to work nor does using the debugger. Answer: The Visual Studio Code extension for AppStudio is for users who prefer to use the Visual Studio Code to editor their AppStudio QML code. There are no immediate plans to add debugging or other advanced features to this extension.  If you require full debugging it is suggested that you use Qt Creator as your IDE.   Question: What about apps that allow users to edit data or submit data? Like Collector but easier. Answer: With ArcGIS AppStudio you can create your own data editing app. The AppStudio Quick Report template offers a simple user experience for collecting data in the field, it can be used by an organization or the public.  The Map Viewer and Attachment viewer templates also include the ability to edit attributes for existing features.   Question: Attachment viewer - Can these images be seen offline? Answer: Instant Apps: The Attachment Viewer Instant App does not support offline mode so the map, features, attachments etc. cannot be viewed offline. AppStudio: At this time the images (attachments) can only be viewer with an internet connection.  Offline images will come in a future release when we add offline maps to the Attachment viewer template.   Question: In order for the app to work offline, do we still need to configure the layer for ofline sync before publishing the layer? or does the app studio do it's own cashe, or use of indexDB? Answer: Some AppStudio apps (templates or custom apps) can take data and maps offline.  For those apps that do work while disconnected there are a few ways to take your maps offline. 1) Use offline map areas defined in the web map https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/manage-data/take-maps-offline.htm  2) Use a Mobile Map Package (MMPK) created in ArcGIS Pro https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/2.7/tool-reference/data-management/create-mobile-map-package.htm   3) Programmatically take your map offline on demand (requires custom coding)   Question: If you are using ArcGIS Enterprise, what is the alternative to the Cloud Make process? Answer: If you have ArcGIS Enterprise and you would like to take advantage of the Cloud Make service, you will need to upload your AppStudio app to an ArcGIS Online account to perform the Cloud Make build process. Even though the app installation files will be built using Cloud Make the data and maps can still come from your ArcGIS Enterprise organization.  Alternatively, you can set up a Local Make to build your app locally without Cloud Make.   Question: Can you build all at once or different devices separately? Answer: The apps built with AppStudio are truly cross-platform, this means that when you create an app can be built for all platforms at the same time without changes to the app.    Question: If AppStudio builds native apps, why do you need to download the AppStudio viewer (player) app? Answer: AppStudio Player lets you instantly view mapping applications created with ArcGIS AppStudio without creating a native install executable.  If you would like to publish your app to an app store (Google or Apple) you will need to do a native app build for each platform.  When creating apps for your organization you may want to try AppStudio Player which allows you to deploy apps quickly and easily by letting the end-user download the app from your ArcGIS Organization and then run the app inside AppStudio Player.      ... View more

The AppStudio Team has released a new Release Candidate build (RC beta build) of ArcGIS AppStudio 5.0 to the Esri Early Adopter Community.  As we are just weeks away from the official release of AppStudio 5.0, this is an important time to test your apps with the AppStudio RC beta so we can address any urgent issues if found.   Reminder: This release includes some major underlying changes to AppStudio, the most significant is support for Qt 5.15 and ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Qt 100.10. (see this blog post for more information) There is a possibility that this update will introduce breaking changes for your current AppStudio apps. Important: Starting in April 2021 all iOS apps submitted to the Apple App Store must be built with Xcode 12.  Support for Xcode 12 is now part of ArcGIS AppStudio 5.0 and the AppStudio 5.0 Cloud Make service.  We encourage you to test this new build service for your apps, especially if you have plans to submit or update an app to the Apple App Store in the upcoming weeks or months.   Access software from the Esri EAC To access the AppStudio 5.0 RC beta builds visit the Esri Early Adopter Community website (EAC). Install ArcGIS AppStudio Desktop 5.0.x (Windows, MacOS, Linux) from the Software Download section. AppStudio Player 5.0.x (Android): Download and install AppStudio Player 5.0.x from here. AppStudio Player 5.0.x (iOS) is available via Apple's TestFlight: Download and install AppStudio Player 5.0.x from here.   Some of the other features in AppStudio 5.0 include: ArcGIS Runtime has been updated to 100.10. and Qt has been updated to version 5.15.2. Slovak is now a supported language. Support has been added for building your app as an Android App Bundle. A number of sample apps have been updated to fix bugs caused by updates to the ArcGIS Runtime, Qt, and Android file paths. The AppFramework Battery component has been finalized. AppStudio Player include the following: All templates have been updated to use ArcGIS Runtime 100.10 and Qt 5.15.2. Slovak is now a supported language.     Thank you, ArcGIS AppStudio Team.  ... View more

NOTICE: ArcGIS AppStudio Deprecation Information – Updated November 2021 The goal of AppStudio is to bring native app creation tools to all ArcGIS users. If you peel back the technical layers of the AppStudio stack you will find various components such as the Qt SDK, Android SDK, Apple Xcode, and ArcGIS Runtime that enable things like cross-platform development and geospatial mapping tools. These components are development projects in themselves, each with release timelines and retirement dates. This blog post is an update on some recent and future software deprecations. We hope this information will help you in planning your strategy when developing AppStudio apps and supporting your users. November 2021 Windows 32bit Operating Systems – Deprecation For users who are running AppStudio apps on Windows 32bit devices, it is necessary that you have an immediate migration strategy to move to Windows 64-bit apps and devices in the future. The Qt Company has ended support for building Windows 32-bit apps with the release of Qt 6.x last year. ArcGIS AppStudio will remove and retire support for Windows 32bit in 2022.     April 2021   Support for iOS 12 - Deprecation Q2 2021 AppStudio 5.0 (released Aprile 2021) is the last version of AppStudio to support iOS 12. This means that apps built with future versions of AppStudio will not work on some older devices such as the iPhone 5s/6/6Plus, iPad Mini 2/3, and iPad Air (2013).   September 2020   AppStudio 2.1 Cloud Make Servers Shutdown– Effective September 2020 This is a notice that the ArcGIS Cloud Make servers that supported previously retired AppStudio 2.1 and ArcGIS Runtime 10.2.6 has been taken offline. Please see this blog post for more detailed information about the AppStudio 2.1 deprecation. https://community.esri.com/groups/appstudio/blog/2018/12/15/important-notice-appstudio-21-deprecation-and-platform-support-information   Android 5.0 – Deprecation Q4 2020 AppStudio 4.4 is scheduled to be released in Q4 2020 and will be the last release to support Android 5.0. After the release of AppStudio 4.4, the minimum supported version will be Android 6.0.   Ubuntu Linux 16.04 – Deprecation Q1 2021 ArcGIS AppStudio 4.3 supports Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04. ArcGIS AppStudio 5.0 is scheduled to release in Q1 or 2021 and at that time we will deprecate support for Ubuntu Linux 16.04. AppStudio 5.0 will have support for Ubuntu 18.04 and 20.04.   Universal Windows Platform (UWP) Apps – Deprecation Q1 2021 AppStudio 5.0 is scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2021 and will not support building Universal Windows Platform apps. AppStudio 4.4 in Q4 of 2020 will be the last version to support UWP. If you are delivering Windows apps in the future it is suggested that you use Windows 64 bit builds.   Windows 32bit Operating Systems – Future Deprecation For users who are running AppStudio apps on Windows 32bit devices, it is necessary that you have a migration strategy to move to Windows 64bit devices in the future. The Qt Company is ending support for building Windows 32-bit apps with the release of Qt 6.0 in Dec of 2020. ArcGIS AppStudio will stay on a Qt 5.x version until at least the end of 2021 which will provide Windows 32bit support.   ANGLE Rendering Support for Windows Apps – Future Deprecation When AppStudio moves to the Qt 6.0 framework the ANGLE graphics rendering option will be deprecated, currently, the target date for this is Q1 2022. ... View more