ArcGIS Web Development

by Rene Rubalcava

Overview

Summary

ArcGIS Web Development is an example-rich tutorial designed to teach developers to use the ArcGIS JavaScript API to build custom GIS web applications.

About the Technology

Now you can unshackle your GIS application from a workstation! Using the ArcGIS JavaScript API, developers can build mobile and web-based maps and applications driven by ArcGIS data and functionality. Experienced ArcGIS developers will find that the familiar development environment provides a smooth transition to the web. Web developers new to GIS will be pleased by how easily they can apply their existing skills to GIS applications.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About the Book

ArcGIS Web Development is an example-rich guide that teaches you to use the ArcGIS JavaScript API to build custom GIS web applications. The book begins with easy-to-follow examples that introduce readers to the ArcGIS JavaScript API and show how you can apply simple customizations. As the book progresses, you'll explore a full-scale, web-mapping application. By the end you will be able to build web apps that have features you'd ordinarily expect to find only in dedicated GIS applications.

Written for web developers familiar with JavaScript and basic GIS concepts. Experience with ArcGIS is helpful, but not necessary.

What's Inside

• Build web-based GIS applications
• Customize the ArcGIS Javascript API tools
• Bring ArcGIS data to the web
• Create secure logins for mobile app users

About the Author

Rene Rubalcava is the cofounder of SmartGeoTech, Inc., a GIS development company specializing in Esri technologies.

Table of Contents

PART 1 ARCGIS JAVASCRIPT FOUNDATION
1. GIS as a tool
2. Introducing core API concepts
3. Working with the REST API
PART 2 SAMPLE USE CASE
4. Building an application
5. Developing a custom data-collection application
6. Building a desktop browser application
7. Advanced techniques
APPENDICES

1. Setting up your environment
2. Dojo basics
3. Configuring a proxy

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781638355748
Publisher:	Manning
Publication date:	11/11/2014
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Rene Rubalcava is the cofounder of SmartGeoTech, Inc., a GIS development company specializing in Esri technologies.
Rene Rubalcava is the co-founder of SmartGeoTech, Inc, a GIS development company specializing in Esri Technologies.

Table of Contents

preface xi

acknowledgments xiii

about this book xiv

Part 1 ArcGIS JavaScript Foundation 1

1 GIS as a tool 3

1.1 GIS: here, there, everywhere 4

The GIS tools landscape 4

Introducing the ArcGIS platform 6

Why care about spatial applications 7

Trends in the GIS industry 8

1.2 Understanding the GIS bits 9

The what and the where of GIS data 10

Serving GIS data: ArcGIS Server and the REST API 11

Choosing an ArcGIS web API 12

1.3 Things to know 13

JavaScript, Dojo Toolkit, and Dijit 13

Introducing a tad of GIS 14

Interacting with the ArcGIS REST API 15

1.4 Summary 15

2 Introducing core API concepts 17

2.1 From data to map 18

Parts of a basic map 19

Specifying common map options 22

2.2 Understanding layers and accessing data 24

Layer types for raster-based data 25

Layer types far vector-based data 27

Getting to know the Graphics Layer 28

Creating graphics with the QueryTask 30

2.3 Working with the FeatureLayer 35

Advantages of a FeatureLayer 36

Creating a, FeatureLayer 38

Optimizing application performance 39

Selecting items in the FeatureLayer 42

2.4 Summary 44

3 Working with the REST API 45

3.1 Introducing the ArcGIS Server REST API 47

Exploring how the API works 47

Interacting with ArcGIS Server pages 49

3.2 Building your own widget 52

Building the legend root menu 52

Retrieving legend details 53

Displaying details in the custom legend widget 54

Working with multiple symbols in a feature 55

3.3 Working with the geometry service 50

Buffer your heart out 56

Buffer and select 59

Buffer and intersect 61

3.4 Summary 64

Part 2 Sample Use Case 65

4 Building an application 67

4.1 What are you going to build? 68

Using a tablet or phone 69

Collecting points 69

Performing disconnected, editing 69

4.2 Working with ArcGIS Online 70

ArcGIS Online vs. ArcGIS Server 70

Setting up an ArcGIS Online account 71

Defining a feature service 72

Accessing your ArcGIS Online feature service 77

4.3 Building a real-world application 77

Setting up Dojo and organizing modules 78

Tying the application together 83

4.4 Adding layers and using the renderer 87

Adding layers with a module 87

Using the Tenderer 90

Applying the renderer 91

Setting up the editing tools 92

Assigning an action to a button 95

4.5 Summary 99

5 Developing a custom data-collection application 101

5.1 Performing default web map editing 102

Finding feature service information 104

Adding your feature service to the map 105

Adding the TemplatePicker and default Editor widgets 109

5.2 Building a custom edit tool 113

Working with the custom edit functionality 114

Refining the custom edit tool 120

5.3 Enabling disconnected editing 125

Local storage 126

Caveats 134

Other storage options 134

5.4 Summary 134

6 Building a desktop browser application 135

6.1 The project ahead 136

Goals of the RequestViewer 136

Freedom of the desktop browser 136

6.2 Setting up and configuring the RequestViewer 138

Creating index.hlml 138

Configuring run.js 138

Starting the RequestViewer 139

Defining map services 140

Setting up the application controller 140

6.3 Setting up authentication with OAuth 2.0 142

Using your developer account to create an application 142

Updating main.js 145

Saving aedentials 146

6.4 Building the user interface 152

Working with the Measurement widget 152

Working with the Basemap Toggle widget 157

6.5 Editing requests 159

Editing a request's location 159

Editing a request's attributes 163

Incorporating a nonspatial service 168

6.6 Summary 173

7 Advanced techniques 175

7.1 Using a single configuration file 176

Defining a map 176

Loading the Geocoder widget 180

Looking for the patterns 182

7.2 Dynamic widget loading 182

Widget path and options 182

Building a widget loader 183

Testing the widget loader 185

Adding HTML elements 186

7.3 Adding a web map 189

Creating the web map 189

Adding the web map to an application 193

Using the web map specification 197

7.4 Advanced techniques for offline mode 204

Creating an application cache 204

Storing data locally with the PouchDB library 208

7.5 Summary 214

Appendix A Setting up your environment 215

Appendix B Dojo basics 217

Appendix C Configuring a proxy 225

index 227