Edit Your Way with the Web Editor Instant Apps Template

The Web Editor template blends the configurable Instant Apps interface you know and love with the ArcGIS Web Editor app built to streamline editing on the web. In this article, we’ll walk through some examples to show how you can quickly customize editing apps to meet your needs using this new template.

The Web Editor Template

This new template lets you cook up made-to-order editing apps in minutes. Start with a solid base, choose the right tools, and adjust the options to help editors focus on what matters most. In the following sections, we’ll explore key features and practical examples to show how you can tailor the app for specific editing projects. For the full menu of configuration options, check out this previous article.

Choose Your Entrée- Your Map

Setting up a great editing experience starts with the web map. This is where you add editable layers and configure essentials, like forms and editing templates. All downstream apps consume this map, so setting it up for efficient editing at the start goes a long way.

Editing

The Editing section is the heart of this template. This is where you can choose which tools to display and configure the options that best fit your project. Let’s take a closer look.

Choose Your Sauce- Selection

To prime the app for editing, you can decide which layers are selectable. If all the layers are selectable, making a selection on the map might grab features across different layers. That means you have to take extra time to pick out the features you need. By setting selectable layers in advance, you make the process faster and smoother. For example, if you’ll use the app to update hydrant status, set the Hydrants layer as the only selectable layer. Then when you make a selection, hydrants are the only features that get selected.

Choose Your Toppings- Editing Tools

Choose which tools display on the editing toolbar so it fits you workflow. Choose from tools including Split, Merge, Move, Reshape, Copy/Paste, and Undo/Redo, and hide the rest. This makes for a cleaner UI where editors can easily find the tools they use most.

Choose Your Sides- Snapping Options

In the snapping section, select the layers you want to snap to. Setting snappable layers from the start allows editors to jump straight into their workflows without the need to configure snapping options themselves.

Add Ons- True Curves

With the latest update to ArcGIS Online, you can now create and update true curves. Enable True curves on the editing toolbar to reveal new drawing tools like Arc segment, Endpoint arc segment, and Bezier curve segment*. These are great for mapping features like winding roads, river banks, or cul-de-sacs.

*At the time of writing, Bezier curves will be densified.

The Secret Menu- Settings

The template includes a variety of settings that give you more control- choose whether to show the Select by Attributes tool, display shortcut keys, or prompt users before deleting a feature. You’ll find most of these in the Settings section of the Sidebar tab.

Other settings are sprinkled throughout the app in the section where they fit best. For example, when you enable the Layer List, additional settings for layers appear. You can choose to allow editors to zoom to the layer, show the attribute table, or even add temporary layers to the map.

Finishers- Make It Yours

As with any Instant App, you can customize the look and feel to match your brand. Choose between light and dark themes, add a header and logo, and choose where to position tools in the layout.

Members Only

Keep in mind that authoring and using the Web Editor template requires the same privileges as the Web Editor app. To use the app, editors must sign in and have a Creator, Professional, or Professional Plus user type, along with a role that includes Edit privileges (such as Data Editor, User, Publisher, Facilitator, Administrator, or a custom role).

Real World Examples

Next, let’s look at some examples to see how you can configure the Web Editor template to meet specific project needs.

Example 1: Assign Hydrant Inspections

Let’s say our team needs an app for quickly updating the status of fire hydrants. We’ll configure the toolbar to show only the tools they need, and set the Hydrants layer as the only selectable layer. That way editors can jump right in and make quick updates.

Example 2: Update a Map with External Data

Suppose our team keeps a map up to date with data from other agencies. We’ll configure the app like so:

• enable users to add temporary layers to the map and
• toggle on Copy/Paste in the Editing tools.

That way editors can copy data from temporary layers and paste it into their own layers.

Example 3: Map River Corridors using True Curves

Let’s say we’re creating an app to update river corridors based on recent events like flooding or erosion. For this app we’ll:

• include the Edit Vertices and Reshape tools so editors can update boundaries to match the new riverbank shape using fresh imagery or data collected in the field,
• enable True curves on the editing toolbar so editors can use new curve drawing tools,
• set the River Corridor as the only selectable layer, and
• configure snapping options so that features snap to field data by default.

Wrap-Up

With the Web Editor Instant App template, you can quickly build made-to-order editing apps to meet your team’s needs. In this article, we explored real-world examples to show how you can build custom apps to streamline workflows. We walked through key features like selectable layers, editing tools, and configurable settings that let you tailor apps for specific editing needs. We hope this inspires you to take this new template for a spin. We’re excited to see the apps that you design for your projects. As always, stay tuned for more updates and let us know what you think over at Esri Community.