Configure a Web Map for Draw Maps

Updated, March 20, 2019

Below, both short and long forms accomplish the same thing. Long form, however, is more detailed for when this might be your first time.

Short form:

  1. As the web map owner, create the Draw Maps feature service (giving it a unique name) from the following URL:
    https://services9.arcgis.com/WI1hP80H5gmD3iAC/arcgis/rest/services/Draw_Maps/FeatureServer
  2. In the Map Viewer, add the feature service’s layers (marks, highlights, and collaborations) to the web map you are configuring.
  3. Rename and reorder the layers in the map. They should appear at the top of the contents list looking like this:
    • Draw Marks
    • Draw Highlights
    • Draw Collaborations
  4. Set the filter for the first two layers, Draw Marks and Draw Highlights to
    IsErased is false
  5. Optional: Disable editing for the first two layers, Draw Marks and Draw Highlights.
  6. Done. Save the map. Don’t forget to share the feature service and web map appropriately.

Long form:

Follow these steps to configure your web map so Draw Maps users can use it to collaborate.

  1. Sign in as the Owner of the web map you want to configure.
  2. Create the Draw Maps Layers feature service:
    1. Browse to the Content tab.
    2. Click Create -> Feature Layer -> From URL and paste the following link into the URL field:
      https://services9.arcgis.com/WI1hP80H5gmD3iAC/arcgis/rest/services/Draw_Maps/FeatureServer
    3. Click Next.
    4. With the three layers selected, click Next.
    5. Set the map extent for the layers and then click Next.
    6. Title and tag the feature service any way you like. We recommend you set the title to something that indicates it has the Draw Maps layers for the specific web map you are configuring (e.g. StormDamage_DrawMaps). We also recommend at least adding the Draw Maps tag. Assign any categories you want. Save in any folder you want. When ready, click Done.
    7. Once presented with the new feature service, click Share and be sure it is shared appropriately for your purposes.
  3. Add the three layers from your new feature service to the web map you are configuring:
    1. Open the web map in the Map Viewer.
      1. Browse to the Content tab.
      2. Under Item Type on the left, click Maps -> Web Maps.
      3. Click the web map in the list on the right.
      4. When the web map details are shown, click Open in Map Viewer.
    2. In the Map Viewer, click Add -> Search for Layers.
    3. Your Content list is replaced with Search for layers. Use this tool and find your new feature service and add it by clicking the circled plus (+) to its bottom right.
    4. Click ⬅︎ (the back arrow) to get back to the Content list for the map.
    5. Three layers from your new feature service were added to your web map using default names. Draw Maps expects to find these layers in your map with specific names. One at a time, rename them to the correct names (hover over the layer name, click [···] (the More Options button), which appears beneath the layer name, and then click Rename).
      1. Rename the marks layer to ‘Draw Marks’.
      2. Rename the highlights layer to ‘Draw Highlights’.
      3. Rename the collaborations layer to ‘Draw Collaborations’
    6. Reorder the layers. When you hover over the layer name, three dots appear as a handle to the left for dragging. Drag the layers so they appear at the top of the contents in the following order:
      1. Draw Marks
      2. Draw Highlights
      3. Draw Collaborations
    7. Set the filter for each of the drawing layers so they don’t display erased marks and erased highlights. Do the following on the Draw Marks layer and then on the Draw Highlights layer:
      1. Hover over the layer name. In the row of tools that appears below the name, find the Filter tool (it looks like a funnel) and click it.
      2. When the window pops open, because this is still a new layer, you are creating the filter by building an expression for the first time. Build the expression, IsErased is false.
    8. Optional: Disable editing for each of the drawing layers to prevent users of the web map from adding mark or highlight features from within ArcGIS Online. To do so, hover over the layer name, click [···] (the More Options button), which appears beneath the layer name, and then click Disable Editing. Do this for both, ‘Draw Marks’ and ‘Draw Highlights’.
  4. Save your changes by clicking Save -> Save at the top in the Map Viewer.

The Web Map is now ready to host collaborations. The web map will automatically appear in Draw Maps for the web map’s owner and for anyone who has marked it as a Favorite. Other Draw Maps users will have to use the Search function in Draw Maps to use it the first time. Either way, after it has been selected, it will appear in Recent Items.

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