Flex to JavaScript migration advice/suggestions?

[JesseHopkins]

Hello,

I am a GIS Analyst for a county government, and I am in the initial planning stages of switching the county's web map from a (customized) Flex Viewer - based application to something that uses the JavaScript API and/or Web AppBuilder. I'm looking to maintain the advanced functionality of the current site all while leaving Flex, so something that is "out of the box" would most likely be "out of the question".

• Has anyone had experience in doing this?  If so, what risks were involved?
• What would be the most efficient way to do this?  I have a decent amount of experience with JS so custom coding is not a huge deal.
• At first, the application would need to keep similair widgets (do not want to change everything all at once!); is there the risk of losing some of our widgets and/or functionality when switching to a JS-based application?

Any advice on this switch would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Jesse

[CenterlineMapping]

You are not alone.  As ESRI stops supporting both Silverlight and Flex, hundreds of organizations will need code converted.

Some of the risks involve limited JS API functionality.  One simple yet unsolved issue we faced was map rotation.  While Silverlight supports this, the JS API does not.  Our customers are use to seeing their maps rotated by 243 degrees.  Not allowing map rotation would really reduce customer ratings and cause confusion.

The most efficient way would be to continue using your current Flex app, while you dive into recreating existing widgets and tools in JS.  I wouldn't imagine you would lose much of your widgets as they are probably more backend geoprocessing services, however some of your front end functionality may change.  Stay in close contact with ESRI Programming Support Analysts and GeoNet.  

[JeffWard]

Follow Robert Scheitlin, GISP he's in the thick of it.

Edit: tagged the wrong Robert.