Web Map does not load in Main Stage of Story Map Journal

[PaulMcCord2]

I've created a Story Map that is now being hosted on my research center's website. However, we're having a problem where, for some users, the content in the Main Stage disappears seconds after it's loaded.

In this part of the Story Map, the viewer is instructed to click on text, which triggers a Story Action that changes the content of the Main Stage to a web map that I've embedded as a website (I did this by including '&embed' at the end of the web page link following this resource). 

The message that some of the viewers of the Story Map have been getting indicates that the connection to the web map was refused. I've attached the error to this post.

I haven't experienced this problem myself, but I watched two other people in my lab click on the Story Action and they both received the error (although several others that I watched did not have the problem). I will say that the web map that appears after the viewer triggers the Story Action does have a large amount of polylines. Could the issue be the size of the web map? It seems strange though that only some people have had this problem.

[RupertEssinger]

Hi Paul

A couple of things here.

Which Story Map app template are you using?

What exactly are you embedding into the main stage that gets displayed when the Story Action is invoked? If it is a public web page, could you post the URL here. If you are just embedding a generic web page there's no need to include the &embed parameter in the URL. That parameter only applies when to certain Story Map apps when you embed them in websites or other Story Maps if you want their header to be hidden.

Do people also have the same issue when they view that content outside of the Story Map you are embedding it into?

Rupert

[PaulMcCord2]

Hello Rupert,

I am using the Story Map Journal template. And I'm embedding a Web Mapping Application. This WMA is a Story Map Basic template within which I have a Web Map of cargo traffic. 

The reason that I'm embedding this Basic Story Map within the Journal Story Map is so that I can retain the map legend for the Web Map that is displayed by the Basic Story Map. I could not find any other way to include the legend when changing the Main Stage through a Story Action.

In talking to a few other people in my lab and having them test this issue, I discovered that the content will display for those who are signed into ArcGIS Online. For those who are not signed in, they receive the message that I posted in my original post. Is it possible that this is the reason this error occurs?

[RupertEssinger · Accepted solution]

Could you check if they get the same issue if they open your Story Map Basic app when  they just open it. not embedded inside a Story Map Journal? I suspect this may be an issue with the sharing status of the content in that Basic story, or the story itself, rather than related to it being embedded in a Story Map. It sounds like it isn't all accessible publicly (and so is requiring a sign-in). 

I think a better solution for what you are doing would be to simply add another section into your Map Journal that displays the web map, with the legend turned on, instead of trying to display it inside another Story Map via a Story Action. I think it's a simpler solution that would be easier for your readers to use. I feel that Story Actions that display a completely different web app can be a bit disorienting for readers. 

Rupert

[PaulMcCord2]

When they just view the Story Map Basic app they have no trouble seeing the content. It does seem like this is a sharing issue, but I've checked all of the apps and web maps that I'm using in the Story Map and everything is publicly shared. 

Since I was only embedding the Story Map Basic to retain the legend in the Web Map when implementing the Story Action, I've decided to simply display the Web Map after executing the Story Action and include an image of the legend within the side panel. It isn't an ideal solution, but the user is still able to see the legend and the content in the main stage, and in doing it this way I can avoid embedding another Story Map.

Thanks for your help.

[RupertEssinger]

Hi Paul, I think that is a good approach, especially as it avoids the issue you were running into.  The original issue may be related to whether your story map uses HTTPS or HTTP. If it uses HTTPS, then embedded content, like other story maps, are expected to use HTTPS too, and content that is not HTTPS may not be drawn. This is one reason you may be seeing access issues in the content in your embedded Story Map Basic that you don't see when it is viewed standalone.

Rupert