The GIS server allows you to organize your services in folders. You can create folders based on geographic regions, levels of security, Web service messaging format, or other criteria. For example, you might create a folder called Redlands and put all services related to Redlands inside of it, or you might create a folder for high security services and configure highly restrictive access parameters for it.
You can use Manager to easily create and manage folders. When you click the Services tab, a list of folders appears on the left of the screen. This is where you can add folders, delete them, or change their properties. Folders cannot be renamed.
All folders reside within the root folder. In Manager, you see the root folder as containing all of the other folders. Services can also reside at the root folder level. In ArcCatalog, the root folder contains all of the services and folders visible immediately under the name of the GIS server. Web service messaging formats (i.e., SOAP and Binary) are set at the root folder level. Consequently, changes to this property affect all other folders inside the root.
You can set Web service security at any folder level. See Securing a service for more details.
Unlike the file system on your computer, the GIS server allows only one level of folders; thus, you can't nest folders inside of folders. If you only have a few services, you can put them in the root folder of the server and not create any additional folders.
When I create folders for my GIS services, where is the folder structure reflected on disk?
You can see the folders in <ArcGIS>\server\user\cfg. Within them are the service configuration files that pertain to each folder.
How to add and remove folders using Manager
Adding a folder
- In Manager, click the Services tab.
- In the Folders menu on the left, click New.
-
Type the name of the folder and click the OK icon (
).
Removing a folder
When you remove a folder, all of the services within it are removed. To remove a folder, follow these steps:
- In Manager, click the Services tab.
- In the Folders menu on the left, click the folder you want to remove.
- Click Delete.
How to add and remove folders using ArcCatalog
To add or remove folders in ArcCatalog, you must have an administrative connection to the server. See Connecting to a GIS Server for instructions on how to connect.
Adding a folder
- In the Catalog tree, right-click the name of the server and click New Folder.
- Type a name for the folder.
As long as the folder is empty, you can rename it. Once the folder contains a service, you cannot rename the folder. You cannot drag and drop services between folders.
Removing a folder
When you remove a folder, all of the services within it are removed. To remove a folder, follow these steps:
- In the Catalog tree, right-click the folder and click Delete.
- Click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the folder.