Tag Archives: ArcGIS Mobile
A few tips and knowledgebase articles for ArcGIS Mobile 10
Hi all, my name is John, and I am a member of the ArcGIS Server team at Esri Support Services. Today I would like to share a few tips and knowledgebase articles that are useful for troubleshooting issues with ArcGIS Mobile 10:
1. The .wmpk (ArcGIS Windows Mobile Package) file generated from Mobile Project Center (MPC) is actually a compressed file. You may change the extension to .zip and upzip the file. You will see the .amp file and other .xml files.
2. The .amp file is the mobile project’s configuration file. You can use a text editor to open the file and check the MobileService URL and all other information configured in MPC. This is an easy way to check a mobile project without repeating the workflow. The MobileService URL should be using a fully qualified domain name or public IP address if the mobile project is intended to be used outside the internal network.
3. Below is a list of knowledgebase articles that reference common issues related to ArcGIS Mobile 10 project deployment and mobile cache:
FAQ: Is the Mobile Cache the same thing as the Server Cache? If not, why is it different?
ArcGIS Mobile uses sqlite database as the mobile cache storage format
http://resources.arcgis.com/content/kbase?fa=articleShow&d=32233
Error: “MobileServer requires a custom extent to be set. The default extent is not acceptable (union of all layers”
Before publishing a map service with mobile data access capabilities, set the custom extent in ArcMap.
http://resources.arcgis.com/content/kbase?fa=articleShow&d=37939
Error: “Failed to open the project. Error opening mobile cache”
The mobile cache needs to be manually copied over to the mobile project folder.
http://resources.arcgis.com/content/kbase?fa=articleShow&d=38116
Error: “Error opening mobile cache” when deploying the mobile application on mobile device
A specific folder structure needs to be set on the mobile device.
http://resources.arcgis.com/content/kbase?fa=articleShow&d=38494
FAQ: Can the ArcGIS Mobile application be customized?
http://resources.arcgis.com/content/kbase?fa=articleShow&d=35526
ArcGIS 10 Now Available in Six Languages
Customers in the United States can visit the Customer Care Portal for more information about how to get ArcGIS 10 in English, French, German, Neutral Spanish, Japanese or Simplified Chinese. Customers outside the United States should contact their local Esri office for details.
Mobile Utilities and the People Who Love Them
Hello, my name is Denise, and I am the Mobile GIS Support Specialist in ESRI Support Services, working out of the East Coast – Charlotte office. Many of you contacting ESRI Support Services for help or information of a technical nature are already aware of the GoToAssist utility. The GoToAssist utility allows ESRI Support Analysts to provide what is commonly referred to as ‘desktop streaming’. We blogged on this topic back in April 2009 to help inform ESRI’s user community on how GoToAssist allows our support analysts to remotely and securely connect to our customers’ computers: allowing for faster, more accurate diagnosis of many kinds of problems – especially when the problem involves a map.
The GoToAssist application works great for those using desktop, laptop, and tablet PCs, but what about the popular and ever growing mobile device world? The current Mobile GIS technologies offered by ESRI are ArcPad, ArcGIS Mobile, and ArcLogistics Navigator. All three software applications run as WIN32 applications in addition to Windows Mobile applications. GoToAssist is ideal if the issue you are reporting is occurring on a desktop, laptop, or tablet PC; however, it is more common in the Mobile GIS world to get contacted by mobile users reporting the experienced behavior that is only occurring on the mobile device. This is where GoToAssist gets assistance from a utility called My Mobiler.
My Mobiler is a freeware application that provides ESRI Support Analysts the ability to view and/or control the processes performed on a connected mobile device from a desktop PC. Used in conjunction with GoToAssist, ESRI Support Analysts can troubleshoot and diagnose reported behaviors on a mobile device, visually confirm that mobile device users are performing the proper instructions in their work flow procedures, and assist in any user training of ESRI software mobile applications (ArcPad, ArcGIS Mobile, and ArcLogistics Navigator).
Disclaimer: My Mobiler is a free third-party utility. This application is not endorsed or supported by ESRI, nor can ESRI be held responsible for any damages resulting from inappropriate use of this application.
My Mobiler v1.25 – FREEWARE
- View a mobile screen on your desktop
- Control a mobile device by using desktop keyboard and mouse
- Copy/Cut/Paste text between mobile and desktop
- Capture mobile screen
- Drag and drop files to a mobile device
- Support ActiveSync / IP Connection
- Support Mobile Explorer (File Browse)
This application allows the viewing and control of a mobile device from a desktop PC.
Additional information for downloading, installing, and the use of My Mobiler can be found at the following link: http://mymobiler.com/.
- Denise K., Mobile GIS Support Specialist, ESRI Support Services
Show Me the Incident!
—Tom Cruise, Jerry Macguire
My name is Kevin, and I am a group leader for the ArcGIS Server group at ESRI Support Services. Today, I’d like to share some ideas about how to log an effective support incident. Many of our users ask how they can help shorten their incident resolution time. The tips here should be of great help!
ESRI Support Services handles an average of 100 support requests via e-mail per day. Almost all of these come to us via the online form (users must login in order to use this form) available on ESRI Support Center’s Contact Us Page.
Based on the information submitted in the form or e-mail, certain checks and measures are made to get the support request to the most appropriate specialist (ESRI Support Analyst). Once in the hands of a highly skilled ESRI Support Analyst, suggestions, questions and clarifications are made between the customer and the analyst until a resolution on the call has been achieved.
The resolution process starts with the initial support request sent to ESRI. The more information the analyst is provided with at the very beginning of the incident, the faster they can zero in on the issue. More information usually reduces the amount of necessary follow up questions to clarify, thus decreasing resolution time.
For example, take the following sample support request:
“ArcGIS Server doesn’t work, I can’t view my map.”
An analyst will have many questions to answer in order to zero in on the problem, such as:
- Are you using ArcGIS Server .NET or Java? What version and service pack?
- Has this worked in the past? Has anything on the system changed since the problem occurred?
- Are you experiencing the problem in ArcCatalog or the Web Application?
- What is the source of the data to your map service?
The sample request below contains many initial details that can help ESRI Support quickly zero in on the problem you are experiencing:
For example, “I just installed ArcGIS Server .NET 9.3 and it seemed to install properly. I can open the Web Manager and even publish a map service. However, when I try to view the map service in ArcCatalog, it doesn’t work. The icon for the map service shows a little red box on it, and whenever I try to start the service it tells me an error about “Server object creation failed”. I went through the tutorial on the Web help about publishing a map service but feel like I’m missing something. I am using shapefile data to the map service which is on a different machine than ArcGIS Server.”
I’ll still need to ask a few questions, but I should be able to offer some suggestions based on the above sample support request in my first return e-mail.
Some helpful items to include with a support request:
- Product and version (for example, ArcGIS Server .NET 9.2, service pack 6).
- Indication of the problem and within what product (for example, ArcIMS map service won’t display in ArcMap).
- Details you feel are relevant to the problem (for example, Steps you have taken before the problem occurred).
- Screen shots (a picture really does say a thousand words).
- Sections of the Web help, tutorials or other sources of help you have already investigated (as an analyst, if I know you’ve already looked through the help and didn’t find your answer, I won’t waste your time and offer that as a suggestion).
- When in doubt about a support request, the more information the better!
—Kevin H., ArcGIS Server Group Lead, ESRI Support Services
