{"id":2684672,"date":"2025-02-26T22:26:33","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T06:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2684672"},"modified":"2025-10-09T09:46:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T16:46:45","slug":"overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease","title":{"rendered":"Overwrite Your Metadata with Ease"},"author":358732,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[37101,23851],"tags":[778342,42641,778722,27771,777932],"industry":[],"product":[36551],"class_list":["post-2684672","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements","category-data-management","tag-arcgis-enterprise-11-5","tag-arcgis-online","tag-arcgis-pro-3-5","tag-metadata","tag-whats-new-february-2025","product-arcgis-online"],"acf":{"authors":[{"ID":340892,"user_firstname":"Laura","user_lastname":"Busolo","nickname":"Laura Busolo","user_nicename":"lbusolo","display_name":"Laura Busolo","user_email":"LBusolo@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2023-06-17 00:33:04","user_description":"Laura is a native Kenyan, based in California who loves exploring culture and most-things art. With years of experience in the world of geospatial technology, she currently works as a product engineer at Esri, collaborating across teams to help users manage their content in ArcGIS Online.","user_avatar":""},{"ID":358732,"user_firstname":"Jordan","user_lastname":"Duft","nickname":"Jordan Duft","user_nicename":"jduft","display_name":"Jordan Duft","user_email":"jduft@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2024-07-01 21:54:16","user_description":"Jordan Duft is a product manager for metadata, catalog, and search functionalities across the ArcGIS platform. She enjoys working with cross-functional teams to support users as they unlock the full potential of their geospatial data.","user_avatar":""},{"ID":368922,"user_firstname":"Vishwesh","user_lastname":"Sangarya","nickname":"Vishwesh Sangarya","user_nicename":"lsangarya","display_name":"Vishwesh Sangarya","user_email":"lsangarya@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2025-02-22 00:43:17","user_description":"Vishwesh is a Product Engineer at Esri, working on metadata functionality in ArcGIS Pro and across the ArcGIS platform.","user_avatar":""}],"short_description":"Update or refine your metadata using the overwrite functionality in the metadata editor!","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Did you know you can overwrite metadata using the metadata editor?<\/strong> We are thrilled to announce an enhancement for overwriting metadata in the February 2025 release, reflecting Esri’s commitment to making metadata editing a delightful experience. In this blog, we will explore what occurs when you overwrite metadata, the options available, and how to overwrite your metadata. We invite you to follow along!<\/span><\/p>\n

First, enable metadata editing<\/a> for your organization. Only item owners and administrators can edit the metadata of an item. To launch the metadata editor, navigate to the item’s page and click the \u201cEdit metadata\u201d button.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Exploring Overwrite Options<\/h1>\n

Once you’re in the metadata editor, click the options menu on the top right corner and select the Overwrite<\/a> option. Now that the dialog is open, let’s take a closer look at the available choices.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2696932,"id":2696932,"title":"overwrite illustration","filename":"overwrite-illustration-1.png","filesize":893876,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/overwrite-illustration-2","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Options for overwriting metadata","name":"overwrite-illustration-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-21 21:10:39","modified":"2025-02-27 18:39:20","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1023,"height":783,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","medium-width":341,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":588,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","large-width":1023,"large-height":783,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","1536x1536-width":1023,"1536x1536-height":783,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","2048x2048-width":1023,"2048x2048-height":783,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1-608x465.png","card_image-width":608,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/overwrite-illustration-1.png","wide_image-width":1023,"wide_image-height":783}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Determine your metadata source<\/h2>\n

To start, decide which metadata source you want to use. You have two options for overwriting your metadata: using metadata from an item in your ArcGIS portal (ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise) or from an ArcGIS metadata XML file.<\/p>\n

From item:<\/strong> Use this option to overwrite your metadata using metadata from another item in your portal or a publicly shared item. Simply provide the URL or item ID of the source item.<\/p>\n

Choose file:<\/strong> This option allows you to overwrite metadata using a local ArcGIS metadata XML file. You can export metadata to this format from ArcGIS Pro or the metadata editor in your ArcGIS portal.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2684802,"id":2684802,"title":"OverwriteMetadata_Item_File","filename":"OverwriteMetadata_Item_File.gif","filesize":938582,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OverwriteMetadata_Item_File.gif","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/overwritemetadata_item_file","alt":"Select From Item or Choose File in the Overwrite metadata dialog.","author":"358732","description":"","caption":"Dialog for overwriting metadata","name":"overwritemetadata_item_file","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-17 20:56:54","modified":"2025-02-27 18:39:42","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/gif","type":"image","subtype":"gif","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":512,"height":550,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OverwriteMetadata_Item_File-213x200.gif","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OverwriteMetadata_Item_File.gif","medium-width":243,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OverwriteMetadata_Item_File.gif","medium_large-width":512,"medium_large-height":550,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OverwriteMetadata_Item_File.gif","large-width":512,"large-height":550,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OverwriteMetadata_Item_File.gif","1536x1536-width":512,"1536x1536-height":550,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OverwriteMetadata_Item_File.gif","2048x2048-width":512,"2048x2048-height":550,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OverwriteMetadata_Item_File-433x465.gif","card_image-width":433,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/OverwriteMetadata_Item_File.gif","wide_image-width":512,"wide_image-height":550}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Establish your overwrite approach<\/h2>\n

Next, decide whether to maintain the metadata from the item page or to overwrite all metadata.<\/p>\n

Maintain metadata from item details<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This option is selected by default. It allows you to avoid unintentionally losing any metadata. This option preserves the metadata already populated on your item page – such as Title<\/em>, Summary<\/em>, Description<\/em>, and Terms of Use – <\/em>and the ArcGIS metadata XML. However, if the existing metadata contains null values, i.e. is not populated, those values will be replaced with the new metadata you are using to overwrite.<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s say you have an existing item that has a description but no summary. The item you are overwriting from has both the summary and description. Selecting “Maintain metadata from item details” on the Overwrite dialog will ensure the description of your existing item does not change, but the summary will be filled with the values from the new metadata you are applying.<\/p>\n

For more information about the details of maintaining metadata, click the \u201cLearn more\u201d link in the dialog.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2690382,"id":2690382,"title":"Learn more link","filename":"Learn-more-link-1.png","filesize":55483,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Learn-more-link-1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/learn-more-link-2","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Documentation link in the dialog","name":"learn-more-link-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-19 21:49:31","modified":"2025-02-27 18:40:05","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":713,"height":767,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Learn-more-link-1-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Learn-more-link-1.png","medium-width":243,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Learn-more-link-1.png","medium_large-width":713,"medium_large-height":767,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Learn-more-link-1.png","large-width":713,"large-height":767,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Learn-more-link-1.png","1536x1536-width":713,"1536x1536-height":767,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Learn-more-link-1.png","2048x2048-width":713,"2048x2048-height":767,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Learn-more-link-1-432x465.png","card_image-width":432,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Learn-more-link-1.png","wide_image-width":713,"wide_image-height":767}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

The help documentation specifies the metadata elements that will be maintained when you overwrite metadata. This includes not only the item details, but also elements such as Extent<\/em>, Access Link\/URL<\/em>, and Metadata File Identifier<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s locate Access Link\/URL<\/em> and Metadata File Identifier<\/em> metadata elements in the metadata editor and explore the reasons for their inclusion in the “Maintain metadata from item details” option.<\/p>\n

Access Link\/URL:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0In the metadata editor, navigate to <\/span>All Metadata<\/i> > Distribution<\/i> > Digital Transfer Options<\/i> > Online Distribution<\/i><\/span>. When you create metadata for a layer, the web service URL for the item automatically populates in the <\/span>Online Distribution<\/span><\/i> section. Generally, you should avoid overwriting this metadata element; it reflects the web service URL for the item’s layer, as illustrated in the screenshot below. <\/span>Altering or removing the Access Link\/URL<\/em> in the metadata will not affect the web service for the web layer, but it will only impact the information stored in your metadata.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2690062,"id":2690062,"title":"Access link URL","filename":"Access-link-URL.png","filesize":291292,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Access-link-URL.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/access-link-url","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Access Link\/URL","name":"access-link-url","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-19 21:27:20","modified":"2025-02-19 21:27:42","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2097,"height":682,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Access-link-URL-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Access-link-URL.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":151,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Access-link-URL.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":250,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Access-link-URL.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":624,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Access-link-URL-1536x500.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":500,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Access-link-URL-2048x666.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":666,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Access-link-URL-826x269.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":269,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Access-link-URL-1920x624.png","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":624}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Metadata File Identifier<\/strong>: Open the metadata editor and navigate to <\/span><\/span>All Metadata<\/span><\/span><\/em> > <\/span><\/span>Metadata Info<\/span><\/span><\/em> > <\/span><\/span>Metadata Details<\/span><\/span><\/em>. The system automatically assigns the metadata file identifier<\/span><\/span> when you create metadata for an item. This identifier corresponds directly to the item ID. Unless necessary, avoid overwriting this metadata element, as it <\/span>represents<\/span> the specific metadata file ID\u00a0linked to the item’s ID, as shown in the screenshot below.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2690142,"id":2690142,"title":"Metadata file identifier","filename":"Metadata-file-identifier.png","filesize":128381,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Metadata-file-identifier.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/metadata-file-identifier","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Metadata file identifier","name":"metadata-file-identifier","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-19 21:35:41","modified":"2025-02-20 00:24:09","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1612,"height":658,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Metadata-file-identifier-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Metadata-file-identifier.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":189,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Metadata-file-identifier.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":313,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Metadata-file-identifier.png","large-width":1612,"large-height":658,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Metadata-file-identifier-1536x627.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":627,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Metadata-file-identifier.png","2048x2048-width":1612,"2048x2048-height":658,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Metadata-file-identifier-826x337.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":337,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Metadata-file-identifier.png","wide_image-width":1612,"wide_image-height":658}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Overwrite all metadata<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This option completely replaces existing metadata with the values from the incoming metadata source, which can be either an item or a metadata file.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2697002,"id":2697002,"title":"Overwrite all metadata","filename":"Overwrite-all-metadata-1.png","filesize":58910,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Overwrite-all-metadata-1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/overwrite-all-metadata-2","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Overwrite all metadata","name":"overwrite-all-metadata-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-21 21:18:40","modified":"2025-02-21 21:19:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":716,"height":765,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Overwrite-all-metadata-1-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Overwrite-all-metadata-1.png","medium-width":244,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Overwrite-all-metadata-1.png","medium_large-width":716,"medium_large-height":765,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Overwrite-all-metadata-1.png","large-width":716,"large-height":765,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Overwrite-all-metadata-1.png","1536x1536-width":716,"1536x1536-height":765,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Overwrite-all-metadata-1.png","2048x2048-width":716,"2048x2048-height":765,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Overwrite-all-metadata-1-435x465.png","card_image-width":435,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Overwrite-all-metadata-1.png","wide_image-width":716,"wide_image-height":765}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"

PRO TIP:<\/strong> When overwriting metadata, review the results before saving your changes.<\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Patterns for Utilizing Overwrite Metadata<\/h1>\n

1. Leverage a template<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To quickly edit the metadata of web layers that currently lack it in your organization, apply a basic metadata template<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For instance, if you\u2019re tasked with creating a collection of layers, you can systematically fill in their metadata. You can create an item that acts as your metadata template<\/em> for new items, as illustrated in the image below. When designing your template<\/em>, thoughtfully choose the values to include, such as placeholder text and your organization\u2019s contact information, ensuring compliance with your organization\u2019s metadata standards. Additionally, consider adding helper text to assist users in populating metadata according to best practices.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2691052,"id":2691052,"title":"Item used as a metadata template","filename":"template-1.png","filesize":378959,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/template-1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/template-8","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"An example of an item used as a template for metadata","name":"template-8","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-19 23:34:42","modified":"2025-02-20 05:18:23","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1360,"height":978,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/template-1-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/template-1.png","medium-width":363,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/template-1.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":552,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/template-1.png","large-width":1360,"large-height":978,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/template-1.png","1536x1536-width":1360,"1536x1536-height":978,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/template-1.png","2048x2048-width":1360,"2048x2048-height":978,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/template-1-647x465.png","card_image-width":647,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/template-1.png","wide_image-width":1360,"wide_image-height":978}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

We can use the metadata from an item’s URL to overwrite existing metadata, as discussed in the options above. By copying the URL of the template<\/em> item and navigating to the new item that initially lacks comprehensive metadata, you can use the overwrite feature to quickly jumpstart the process of filling out your metadata.<\/p>\n

Selecting “Maintain metadata from item details” in the dialog will ensure that any populated metadata elements in the item details are retained in both the item details and the ArcGIS metadata XML. In this case, that would be the World Population Places from Natural Earth medium scale<\/em> layer\u2019s summary.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2691972,"id":2691972,"title":"Maintain metadata","filename":"maintain-met-1.png","filesize":49314,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/maintain-met-1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/maintain-met-2","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Maintain metadata from the item details page","name":"maintain-met-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-20 05:49:29","modified":"2025-02-27 18:41:00","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":587,"height":629,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/maintain-met-1-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/maintain-met-1.png","medium-width":244,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/maintain-met-1.png","medium_large-width":587,"medium_large-height":629,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/maintain-met-1.png","large-width":587,"large-height":629,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/maintain-met-1.png","1536x1536-width":587,"1536x1536-height":629,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/maintain-met-1.png","2048x2048-width":587,"2048x2048-height":629,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/maintain-met-1-434x465.png","card_image-width":434,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/maintain-met-1.png","wide_image-width":587,"wide_image-height":629}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Null values in the item page will be replaced with information from the template<\/em>. For more details, refer to the FAQ section<\/a>. <\/span>You can always review your metadata before saving.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2691862,"id":2691862,"title":"After overwriting the metadata using an existing item as a metadata template","filename":"After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template.png","filesize":294665,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/after-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Item using metadata from an existing \"template\" item","name":"after-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-20 05:24:25","modified":"2025-02-20 05:25:44","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1317,"height":734,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":259,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":428,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template.png","large-width":1317,"large-height":734,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template.png","1536x1536-width":1317,"1536x1536-height":734,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template.png","2048x2048-width":1317,"2048x2048-height":734,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template-826x460.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":460,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/After-overwriting-the-metadata-using-an-existing-item-as-a-metadata-template.png","wide_image-width":1317,"wide_image-height":734}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

2. Edit metadata on a filtered layer<\/h2>\n

For this usage pattern, we will create a filter from a layer and make updates to our newly created layer’s metadata. Let’s use the CDC Social Vulnerability Index 2018 \u2013 USA<\/a> Living Atlas layer as an example (See how to apply filter expressions<\/a>). This layer has been recommended by the CDC as authoritative, which instills a level of confidence in its reliability for reuse. By leveraging the capabilities of web layers, we can dynamically filter and quickly share authoritative data, with relevant metadata.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2691872,"id":2691872,"title":"CDC USA layer","filename":"CDC-USA-layer.png","filesize":240193,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/CDC-USA-layer.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/cdc-usa-layer","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"CDC Social Vulnerability Index USA layer - metadata source","name":"cdc-usa-layer","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-20 05:29:08","modified":"2025-02-20 05:30:43","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1127,"height":724,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/CDC-USA-layer-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/CDC-USA-layer.png","medium-width":406,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/CDC-USA-layer.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":493,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/CDC-USA-layer.png","large-width":1127,"large-height":724,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/CDC-USA-layer.png","1536x1536-width":1127,"1536x1536-height":724,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/CDC-USA-layer.png","2048x2048-width":1127,"2048x2048-height":724,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/CDC-USA-layer-724x465.png","card_image-width":724,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/CDC-USA-layer.png","wide_image-width":1127,"wide_image-height":724}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

In this example, we used the CDC layer to apply a filter for the state of Texas, as illustrated below. We will save the filter as a new layer, \u201cTexas\u201d that will appear in our content. The new Texas layer lacks metadata.<\/p>\n

We can choose to duplicate the metadata from the CDC layer to our \u201cTexas\u201d layer. By following a workflow like the one demonstrated in the template metadata example above, we can paste the source layer URL for the overwrite process. This action enables us to seamlessly utilize essential source metadata, including descriptions and terms of use. Additionally, we improve the context by updating the geographic extent to accurately represent the filtered layer as well as other metadata elements.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2691882,"id":2691882,"title":"Texas filter","filename":"Texas-filter.png","filesize":271686,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filter.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/texas-filter","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Texas filter from CDC USA layer","name":"texas-filter","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-20 05:33:07","modified":"2025-02-20 05:33:40","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1543,"height":978,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filter-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filter.png","medium-width":412,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filter.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":487,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filter.png","large-width":1543,"large-height":978,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filter-1536x974.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":974,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filter.png","2048x2048-width":1543,"2048x2048-height":978,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filter-734x465.png","card_image-width":734,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filter.png","wide_image-width":1543,"wide_image-height":978}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Worth noting, the CDC Social Vulnerability Index – Texas<\/em> layer URL layer, still references the CDC Social Vulnerability Index layer<\/a>‘s web service. Therefore, any changes the CDC makes to Social Vulnerability Index web service within the state of Texas will be reflected in this layer.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2697162,"id":2697162,"title":"Texas filtered layer with no relevant metadata","filename":"Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata.png","filesize":196812,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Texas filtered layer ","name":"texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-21 21:45:13","modified":"2025-02-21 21:45:22","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1370,"height":978,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata.png","medium-width":366,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":548,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata.png","large-width":1370,"large-height":978,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata.png","1536x1536-width":1370,"1536x1536-height":978,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata.png","2048x2048-width":1370,"2048x2048-height":978,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata-651x465.png","card_image-width":651,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-with-no-relevant-metadata.png","wide_image-width":1370,"wide_image-height":978}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

In addition to overwriting the Texas layer’s metadata, we can also make relevant changes in the editor. Editing the metadata helps to accurately reflect the filtered content in the metadata editor.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2697182,"id":2697182,"title":"Texas filtered layer- Editing the metadata for the Texas layer","filename":"Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer.png","filesize":403566,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/texas-filtered-layer-editing-the-metadata-for-the-texas-layer","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"Editing the metadata for the Texas layer","name":"texas-filtered-layer-editing-the-metadata-for-the-texas-layer","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-21 21:47:22","modified":"2025-02-21 21:47:31","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2097,"height":718,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":159,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":263,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":657,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer-1536x526.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":526,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer-2048x701.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":701,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer-826x283.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":283,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-filtered-layer-Editing-the-metadata-for-the-Texas-layer-1920x657.png","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":657}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2691912,"id":2691912,"title":"Texas extent","filename":"Texas-extent.png","filesize":361015,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-extent.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/texas-extent","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"New extent for the Texas layer in the metadata editor","name":"texas-extent","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-20 05:39:34","modified":"2025-02-20 05:40:23","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1472,"height":978,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-extent-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-extent.png","medium-width":393,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-extent.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":510,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-extent.png","large-width":1472,"large-height":978,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-extent.png","1536x1536-width":1472,"1536x1536-height":978,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-extent.png","2048x2048-width":1472,"2048x2048-height":978,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-extent-700x465.png","card_image-width":700,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-extent.png","wide_image-width":1472,"wide_image-height":978}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"

NOTE:<\/strong> You cannot edit the sublayer metadata of your new copy of the layer, since it is still referencing the USA layer.<\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2691922,"id":2691922,"title":"Texas layer item page after metadata edit","filename":"Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit.png","filesize":296025,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/announcements\/overwrite-your-metadata-with-ease\/texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit","alt":"","author":"340892","description":"","caption":"The item page for the Texas layer after editing the metadata","name":"texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2684672,"date":"2025-02-20 05:41:18","modified":"2025-02-20 05:41:53","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1392,"height":902,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit.png","medium-width":403,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":498,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit.png","large-width":1392,"large-height":902,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit.png","1536x1536-width":1392,"1536x1536-height":902,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit.png","2048x2048-width":1392,"2048x2048-height":902,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit-718x465.png","card_image-width":718,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Texas-layer-item-page-after-metadata-edit.png","wide_image-width":1392,"wide_image-height":902}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

3. Overwrite metadata using the ArcGIS API for Python<\/h2>\n

You can automate your metadata editing and overwriting processes by utilizing arcpy or the ArcGIS API for Python. If you aim to streamline your workflows, the ArcGIS API for Python offers a programmatic approach to overwrite metadata efficiently. Through scripting, it is possible to entirely replace the metadata for an item by sourcing it from an ArcGIS portal or an ArcGIS metadata XML file. Additionally, the API enables you to overwrite all metadata while retaining the existing item details, such as summary. This ensures the descriptive properties on the item page remain intact, even as the rest of the metadata gets updated. For scenarios that necessitate a complete metadata overwrite, the API effectively facilitates these updates.<\/p>\n

In this example, we will demonstrate how to overwrite metadata using the API, while keeping the existing item details intact. By using the item_properties<\/code> parameter, we can overwrite metadata (excluding the title), while preserving the existing item details.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"

Sample script<\/strong><\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"code_snippet","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"from arcgis.gis import GIS\r\n \r\ndef OverwriteMetadata(item, source, keepItemDetails=False):\r\n \"\"\"\r\n Description:\r\n Overwrite current item's metadata with new metadata from metadata xml file or item on ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise\r\n Params:\r\n item: ArcGIS Online\/Enterprise item to update\r\n source: Source item path (either a local metadata xml file or an ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise portal item's metadata)\r\n keepItemDetails: Overwrite all metadata but maintain current item details if true\r\n \"\"\"\r\n \r\n # Obtain current item's item details\r\n item_properties = {\r\n \"title\" : item.title,\r\n \"tags\" : item.tags,\r\n \"description\" : item.description,\r\n \"snippet\" : item.snippet,\r\n \"accessInformation\" : item.accessInformation,\r\n \"licenseInfo\" : item.licenseInfo,\r\n \"access\" : item.access,\r\n }\r\n # Overwrite all metadata\r\n item.update(metadata = source)\r\n #Revert back item properties\r\n if keepItemDetails:\r\n item.update(item_properties = item_properties)\r\n print(f\"Done overwriting metadata\") \r\n \r\n# ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise URL\r\nurl = f\"https:\/\/\/\"\r\n \r\n# Create a GIS session with ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise URL\r\ngis = GIS(url=url, username= \"\", password=\"\")\r\n \r\n# Obtain an active token for the current session\r\ntoken = gis.session.auth.token\r\n \r\n# Item ID to overwrite the item's metadata\r\nitemID = \"\"\r\n \r\n# If using overwrite with source metadata from an ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise Portal URL item\r\nsourceItemID = \"\"\r\nsourceItemUrl = f\"{url}\/sharing\/rest\/content\/items\/{sourceItemID}\/info\/metadata\/metadata.xml\"\r\nmetadataSource = f\"{sourceItemUrl}?token={token}\"\r\n \r\n# If using overwrite with local metadata xml as the source\r\n# metadataSource = \"\"\r\n \r\n# GIS item object for the target item\r\nitem = gis.content.get(itemID)\r\n \r\n# Call the overwrite method, overwrite all metadata while maintaining item details\r\nkeepItemDetails = True #Set it to False for a complete overwrite\r\nOverwriteMetadata(item, metadataSource, keepItemDetails)","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Additional information<\/h3>\n