EDN Website Blog : ArcGIS Server

SP5 offers IBM Portal Server ArcGIS Portlet development

eleanord — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:44:00 GMT

ArcGIS Server 9.2 Service Pack 5 includes an enhancement to the ArcGIS Server Java ADF which provides support for IBM Portal Server ArcGIS Portlet development. This gives you the ability to create and publish GIS Mapping Portlets inside IBM Portal Server. In conjunction, SP5 includes a plug-in for the IBM Rational Application Developer (RAD) environment so that you can create and deploy those ArcGIS Portlets more efficiently. The following documents have been added related to this SP5 enhancement.

New article - Install ArcGIS RAD plug-in
Programming language(s): Java
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server
After installing SP5 you will neeed to update the IBM RAD IDE to leverage the ArcGIS RAD plug-in. This article walks you through that process.

New article - Developing ArcGIS Portlet applications in RAD
Programming language(s): Java
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server
This article takes you through the basic steps required to create an ArcGIS Portlet application using the plug-in. The sample application displays a map, toolbar, table of contents, map overview, results, results details, and an empty task pane.

Eclipse plug-in to help Java developers debug their ArcObjects code

eleanord — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:09:00 GMT

(The following post was contributed by Divesh Goyal and the Java development team)

Updated 4/14/08 - Added link to a downloadable ZIP file containing the plug-in.

New tool - Eclipse plug-in for debugging Java ArcObjects code
Programming language(s): Java
Development platforms: ArcGIS Engine, ArcGIS Server

As we approach another developer summit, I am glad to announce the availability of an Eclipse plug-in for ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Engine Java Developers that will greatly simplify debugging ArcObjects code.

About the plug-in

One of the most invaluable tools that developers have at their disposal is a debugger through which they can step through code one statement at a time and inspect objects in the application. As most of you may already know, java classes in the ArcObjects API are really only proxies to underlying COM ArcObjects. As a result, examining these proxies in the debugger only reveals their internal details and not the state of the ArcObjects. This makes it difficult to find out information such as the co-ordinates of an Geometry, or the Layers in a MapServer. Consequently, developers have to sprinkle their code with System.out.printlns and analyze traces on the console to get this information. This approach is inconvenient and time consuming.

With this new Eclipse plug-in, Java developers can examine the state of the underlying ArcObjects right in Eclipse IDE's Debug Perspective by enabling the "Show Logical Structure" option on the Expression and Variables window. Here’s an example of a Point object without the “Show Logical Structure” option enabled.

This information fails to provide any valuable insight into the underlying ArcObject and is not helpful in reasoning through a workflow while debugging. Now here’s the logical representation of the same object using the “Show Logical Structure” option enabled.

The logical representation presents more comprehensible information about the underlying ArcObject's state. This state is defined by the no-argument getter methods on it. You might sometimes see exception messages like “Exception Occurred: com.sun.jdi.InvocationException occurred invoking method” in the logical representation. This is normal and happens when some property of the ArcObject is not valid in the current context of the application.

The underlying ArcObjects could be running remotely in a separate process as in the case of ArcGIS Server web applications, or in the same process like in ArcGIS Engine applications. Thus, both Engine and Server developers can take advantage of this plug-in to debug their applications. I am very excited to share this plug-in with you, and look forward to your feedback. Code on!

How to get the plug-in

Follow these steps to download and install the plug-in from the EDN Website:

In the Eclipse workbench, go to Help > Software Updates > Find and Install
Select Search for new features to install, and click Next
Create a New Remote Site for the URL “http://downloads.esri.com/EDN/java/plugins/eclipse”
Enable this remote site and click Finish.
Expand the EDN tree in Search Results, and select the ArcGIS Debug feature.
Proceed to install the plug-in, and restart the workbench when prompted.

Added 4/14/08 - If you are unable to access the plug-in from the URL in Step 3 above, we have also made it available as a downloadable ZIP file here.

More DevSummit podcasts

eleanord — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:42:00 GMT

More podcasts related to the upcoming DevSummit have been posted on the Conference's Event page. Listen in to get a preview of some of the sessions that we think will be most popular.

Jeremy Bartley & Jayant Sai chat about building mash-ups using the ArcGIS Server JavaScript API.
Listen or download: MP3 [16:53 | 7.73 MB]
REST and ArcGIS Server is a hot topic for Keyur Shah & Jeremy Bartley.
Listen or download: MP3 [13:15 | 6.10 MB]
Deane Kensok provides a preview of the "Enhancing Your Applications with ArcGIS Online" session.
Listen or download: MP3 [6:25 | 2.97 MB]
ASP.NET AJAX and the ArcGIS Server Web ADF are discussed by Rex Hansen and Art Haddad.
Listen or download: MP3 [10:14 | 4.72 MB]

Content updates last week

eleanord — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:02:00 GMT

In addition to the rollout of 200+ new topics aimed at Java developers, there were a couple of other content updates last week.

New article - How to leverage the schema cache
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Engine
This new article discusses how to best use the schema cache within an ArcObjects application. The schema cache is a cached snapshot of the geodatabase system tables (often referred to as the geodatabase schema). In an enterprise environment the geodatabase system tables (geodatabase schema) are in constant use by ArcGIS. Caching this schema locally can reduce database roundtrips by using the locally cached representation of the geodatabase schema.

NIM012341 - ArcGIS Server EDN link to monitoring performance is broken
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server
The Overview of ArcGIS Server application performance tuning article has been updated to correctly point to the topics that discuss performance monitoring capabilities and options in ArcGIS Server.

This week's content updates

eleanord — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 18:35:00 GMT

The following content changes related to ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Engine, and ArcGIS Server development have been made this week.

New article - How to extrude features in globe
Programming language(s): C#
Development platforms: ArcGIS Desktop with 3D Analyst
Extrusion is the process of stretching a flat 2D shape vertically to create a 3D object. It is a simple way to create three-dimensional symbology from two-dimensional features. For example, you can extrude building polygons by a height value to create realistic building shapes. The three basic geometry types—points, lines and polygons—all support extrusion. This article explains the process of extruding a feature layer using different extrusion options in globe. Note: At the publish date, the code fragments in this document are provided in C# only. VB.Net code will be added at a later date.

NIM010762 - Document where temporary rasters are created
Programming language(s): VB6
Development platforms: ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Engine
The Working with ArcGIS Spatial Analyst objects article has been updated to document where temporary rasters are created by default and how to control their location...(read more)

Content changes posted to EDN over the past month or so

eleanord — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:40:00 GMT

While content updates have continued to roll on over the past month, I have not been around to post about them. Hopefully, you'll excuse the delay. Below is a recap of the more signifcant updates made during my absence. Additionally, lots of topics were updated to fix broken links and formatting issues that were noted by EDN readers. These types of updates are not included in the list below.

Enhanced Export topology errors sample
Programming language(s): VB6
Development platforms: ArcGIS Desktop
The Export topology errors sample has been enhanced to work with high precision and File geodatabases. The Export Errors sample can be used to export topology errors and optionally, exceptions, to Shapefile, Personal or File Geodatabase format. Errors can be exported based on three criteria; shape, type of topology rule, or topology rule.

Create and load a personal geodatabase sample updated
Programming language(s): VB6
Development platforms: ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Engine
The Create and load a personal geodatabase sample has been updated to include license initialization as well as minor changes to the way the spatial reference...(read more)

Content changes posted to EDN this week

eleanord — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:00:00 GMT

The following content changes related to ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Engine, and ArcGIS Server development have been made this week.

Corrected issue in the VB.NET version of the Extensions sample
Programming language(s): VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Desktop
As noted in this forum post, there is an error in the VB.NET version of the item template for creating an extension within the ArcGIS Visual Studio Integration Framework delivered at 9.2.

This line in the template:
If m_enableState <> 0 Or value = m_enableState Then Exit Property

should be:
If m_enableState <> 0 And value = m_enableState Then Exit Property

If the error is not corrected, you cannot enable your extension in the Tools | Extensions dialog....(read more)

Mobile GIS - What content has been added or updated recently?

eleanord — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:00:00 GMT

The following content changes related to Mobile GIS have been made since our last entry in the now-defunct "New on EDN" page (April 2007). All information on new & updated content will be posted on this blog from this date forward and the "New on EDN" page will cease to exist.

Mobile Central unveiled
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server using the Mobile ADF
Last week this new EDN resource was introduced; Mobile Central is focused entirely on developers working in the mobile GIS arena with ArcGIS Server's Mobile ADF. This site and its accompanying blog is authored & managed by the ESRI Mobile ADF Development Team. Keep it bookmarked, sign up for feeds from the blog, and check back often for tips about developing with the Mobile ADF.

MapViewer samples updated for SP3
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server using the Mobile ADF
New working versions of the MapViewer sample for Windows and PocketPC were released this week.

UC2007 Technical Sessions - Powerpoint slides posted
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server using the Mobile ADF
The slides from two Mobile-related technical workshops presented at this year's User Conference are now available for viewing: Developing Applications with ArcGIS Server Mobile SDK and Mobile GIS Solutions Overview

Server GIS - What content has been added or updated recently?

eleanord — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:30:00 GMT

The following content changes related to ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Explorer have been made since our last entry in the now-defunct "New on EDN" page (April 2007). All information on new & updated content will be posted on this blog from this date forward and the "New on EDN" page will cease to exist.

SP3 - Continued updates and improvements to the ADF API Reference
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server
To coincide with SP3 we posted an updated version of the ADF API Reference. The Server Team has been working very hard to improve the API reference and fill-in major holes and gaps in the documentation that was delivered with 9.2. Look for improvements to be posted on a regular basis through the end of the year. They're working from a list of gaps that has been prioritized based on anticipated usage and incidents logged through Support so contact Support if you see a significant & important gap in the API Reference documentation that should be filled in sooner rather than later.

NIM010048 - Modified file paths and names of the ADF API Reference
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server
NIM010048 reported a problem accessing and viewing the ADF API Reference when using IE7. After a few clicks navigating down through the TOC tree, the page would freeze and result in IE7crashing. We determined that this was caused by the exceptionally long filenames and folder paths for the pages and republished the system using shorter filenames to resolve the problem. Unfortunately the downside of this resolution is that the filenames are no longer intuitively named; they're just topic###.html instead of concatenating the assembly, namespace, class, member, etc together to form a filename. We decided that actually being able to view & interact with the help on the web was more important...

New discussion of the Web ADF Common Data Source API
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server
The ADF is designed to support data from multiple sources, including ArcGIS Server and ArcIMS; this multi-source architecture allows you to integrate and interact with data from different sources at the same time, in the same application. This set of topics provides context for this capability.

New topic about working with graphics
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server
The Web ADF manages a set of classes to support Web-tier graphics data sets and layers using Web ADF geometry, symbols, and renderers. This article discusses the consolidation capabilities of the Web ADF particularly in relation to graphics.

Common Print Task sample
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server
The Common Print Task sample was posted in May to accompany a blog post on the ArcGIS Server Development Blog but was never highlighted on EDN. While demonstrating printing from a Web ADF application, this sample also illustrates how a custom task works and the use of Web ADF features such as the use of CallbackResults to handle client callbacks, among other things.

New ArcGIS Server SOAP API Object Model Diagram
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Server
An object model diagram for the ArcGIS Server SOAP API is now available within the API Reference material.

Updated Explorer SDK for version 1.0.0.410
Programming language(s): C# or VB.Net
Development platforms: ArcGIS Explorer
The Creating custom tasks for ArcGIS Explorer SDK has been rereleased to accompany ArcGIS Explorer version 1.0.0.410. This update includes a summary of the E2API changes made in this version of ArcGIS Explorer. The most notable API enhancement at this release allows developers to undertake custom drawing in ArcGIS Explorer using OpenGL. There is a new developer sample and documentation to demonstrate this new capability; it’s just one of several new sample tasks and documentation included in the new SDK.