My map viewer won't find my content / layers

[AvaFarouche]

Hello!

I have created layer files and packages and uploaded them to my account so they are in "my content." However, when I try to add those layers to a map, I keep getting the message that there is nothing in "my content" that I can add to the map.

I can see the items I want when I log into my account.  They specifically show up in "my content," but when I try to add them to the map, I keep getting the message that there is nothing in "my content." 

???? Please help!!!!  Thank you!!!

I tried just uploading zipped shapefiles to an AGOL map directly from my laptop, but kept getting a message that that file type (shapefile) was not supported ... I then created layer files and then layer packages and uploaded them to "my content," but the platform won't find them in my content.... I admittedly don't use AGOL much at all, I generally use desktop, but I have used it in the past and haven't had this trouble. It seems like adding a shapefile/ layer should be the easiest thing in the world, but it's driving me bananas ... 

[MichaelJenkins]

Layer files and packages can be uploaded, but they are not data sources that can be directly used by the AGOL platform.  A layer file doesn't even contain data.  They are just considered documents to AGOL, like a PDF, which can be downloaded.

Shapefiles, though, are data and can be uploaded but they need to be converted into a hosted feature layer before they can be used in a map or app.   If you upload a .zip of a shapefile, making certain it contains all the files that are part of it, be sure to select the option to convert it to a hosted feature layer.  If you don't then the zip file is just a document that can be downloaded.

[MichaelJenkins]

As it says in the screenshot, if you upload a .zip of a shapefile and don't choose the convert option, you can go to that item later and hit the "Publish" button and it will convert it to hosted feature layer.

[AvaFarouche]

Thank you!

So, what if I can't upload a shapefile at all?? That's what I tried to do first, and I kept getting a message that a shapefile was not a supported file type, so I never even got to any place that had the option of converting it to a hosted feature layer.  That was what I wanted to do, and tried to do, in the first place. When I kept getting the message that a shapefile is not a supported file type, I thought I needed to try the layer files and packages.  I did make sure that all of the sub-files of the shapefiles were included.

[MichaelJenkins]

Did you zip your shapefile?  Don't forget a "shapefile" is actually 3 or more files with the same file name but different extensions.   It is usually 5 files, that's why it has to be zipped.  You can't just upload a .SHP file.

[AvaFarouche]

Yes! I zipped all 7 files. I'm very familiar with all of the parts of a shapefile and I sent them to a zip file and tried to upload that and I kept getting the message that it was an unrecognized file type. I'm totally confused and would appreciate any help. It still won't work.

Thank you for your response!

[AvaFarouche]

Ah, I got it!

My organization uses 7zip by default and I had to do a little workaround to access a regular compression/ zip file. Once I got that, it worked. It didn't occur to me that it would be recognized as a different kind of zip file.

[MichaelJenkins]

ah, that's good to know.   Nice detective work!  I always just right-click and send to compressed folder on my windows machine and that works.