I've had a look round at some other threads and there was mention of a workflow for local package editing to setup a virtual directory and then setup referenced map packages or something similar. I've chosen to go down a different route and include the data in the map package and just wanted to share my workflow and see what other people are doing.
I've got a WPF runtime application with local map packages where the user can take app out into the field, make some edits, then come back to the office and push into central database. I know there's a sync framework coming later this year hopefully, but for now this is what I'm planning on doing:
- Setup a map package and include the data in the map package
- In my application, I've setup the ArcGISRuntime.AppDataPath and ArcGISRuntime.TempPath variable to point at C:\Temp\ArcGISRuntime and create that folder if it doesn't exist. I've done this so the packages go to the same path on all devices and they are in an easy to find location.
- When the application runs the packages and runtime files extract to C:\Temp\ArcGISRuntime. Just an aside, I've noticed that the packages go here - C:\Temp\ArcGISRuntime\Documents\ArcGIS\Packages, which is different to previous versions where it was C:\Users\username\My Documents\ArcGIS\Packages, so would have expected the packages to go to C:\Temp\ArcGISRuntime\Packages? Not sure if the sdk has changed at 10.1.1 or because I'm using Windows 8?
- So then the user goes out in the field and edits the data, which changes the feature class in this folder C:\Users\username\My Documents\ArcGIS\Packages. It would be nice if the edits got automatically pushed back into the map package rather than just sitting in the packages folder. Anyway, the data is sitting there on the device, so need to get that back into the central database.
- For the client we are working with they are not allowed to connect their mobile device to the network due to IT policy, so there will be a manual step to copy the edited packages from here C:\Temp\ArcGISRuntime\Documents\ArcGIS\Packages onto the network.
- I then write a python script to copy the data from this folder into the central database. Then if edits are made in the central database, a new map package is made to take out in the field. Some of this can be automated.
Thoughts?
