ArcGIS StoryMaps WebApp Screening Widget

[Jared]

I have several web apps organized in a StoryMap and want users to be able to download shapefiles via the Screening widget and excel files via dashboards, but the download functions are not working when the apps are used in StoryMaps. They work when the apps are opened individually. Thoughts? Primary concern is the shapefiles. I have the Extract Data tool built in for now, but going straight to the computer would be a lot better for our workflow.

[OwenGeo]

@Jared -- Allowing file downloads from an embedded app is not compatible with the security policies of ArcGIS StoryMaps (nor is it compatible with the policies of many other web pages where a dashboard or other app that allows downloads might be embedded). Although we understand the workflow improvement this could provide, this is not something we are looking to allow at this time.

If there is an app that provides a download feature that does not work while embedded, our current recommendation is to provide a link so that the application can be opened and used in a new browser tab so the download will work as expected.

Can you clarify which app you are embedding? There are ways for apps to do secure downloads while embedded via pop-up windows. We can try to talk to the folks on that team to see if they are able to provide this as an enhancement. It would also help if you added an idea to that app's ideas board with this request too, so others can vote on it.

[Jared]

Okay, thank you. Maybe a StoryMap isn't the best way for me to go then. These are apps that I built using the Web App Builder.

[OwenGeo · Accepted solution]

@Jared -- I would probably agree with you that a StoryMap isn't the best choice in your case. The features and capabilities of ArcGIS StoryMaps are focused on enabling you to tell stories rather than grouping a set of live, embedded apps. Using GIS apps inside a story is not a use case we are necessarily targeting. In most cases, we strongly recommend linking out to apps so readers can use them outside of a story rather than embedding them directly inside a story.

There are, however, several other great ArcGIS apps that allow you to do this...

If you are looking to group several apps together, I'd recommend taking a look at a gallery app, like Category Gallery. Gallery apps present a set of apps to your audience and enable them to launch one at a time. This is a very common pattern (think about how everyone uses apps on their mobile device) and can perform better than providing a single page that live-embeds multiple apps.

Another option might be the Portfolio app. You can read more about that in these articles: What’s new in ArcGIS Instant Apps (June 2021): Introducing Portfolio (esri.com) and Upgrade your classic Map Series binders using the ... - Esri Community. You can also take a look at creating a Hub site or Experience Builder page to provide a set of embedded apps. I'm not sure which of these may allow downloads in embedded apps either, but they are worth checking out.

[Jared]

Thank you!

[OwenGeo · Accepted solution]

Please note, the ArcGIS Dashboards team addressed this issue in late 2023, so it is now possible to use the download capability when a dashboard is embedded in a StoryMap or any other web page.