Tutorial: Creating a Web application



You can use ArcGIS Server Manager or ArcIMS Web Manager to create and deploy a fully-functional Web mapping application. Manager steps you through the process of selecting which services to display, configuring tasks, and choosing the look and feel of your Web application. Once you've created the application, you can return and edit its properties in Manager, If you want to make advanced customizations, you can open the application in Eclipse or any other Java IDE that supports standard Web applications.

ArcGIS Server Tutorial

The steps below will help you use Manager to create a simple Web application that displays one map service. Before you start, you need to have a map service running. You can find instructions for that in "Creating a Map Service".

To create a Web application in Manager, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to Manager, or, if you're already logged in, click the Home tab. The account you used to log in must be in the agsadmin group and it must be an administrator on the machine in order to create the Web application. If you're not sure if your account is an administrator on the machine, consult your system administrator, or use the operating system tools to view the Administrators group.
  2. From the Home page, Click 'Create a web application'.
  3. From the Applications page, Click Create New Web Application.
  4. In the Host box, the name of the ArcGIS Server host machine will be shown. This cannot be edited.
  5. In the Name box, type a name for your application. This is the name by which you will see your application listed in Manager. Optionally, type a description. Then click Next.
  6. Now you will select the map services that your application will display. First, you need to establish a connection with a GIS server. Click Add GIS Server and select ArcGIS Server Internet as the connection type. NOTE: If you had previously visited this page in the wizard during the same Manager session, you may notice that the ArcGIS Server host already apprears in the Available Services list. It is recommended that you select this hostname in the list and click the Refresh Server button located below the list. This will display the current status for the services on this host.
  7. Type the URL of the ArcGIS Server you want to connect to. The URL will take the form http://<server>:8399/<instance>/services . For example, if connecting to a machine named myServer using the default instance name of arcgis, the URL would be: http://myServer:8399/arcgis/services.
  8. When you have entered all of the connection information, click OK. The name of the server will appear in the Available Services box. You can click the plus (+) button to expand the server and view all of the services running on it.
  9. Select a map service and click Add to move it into the Selected Services list. Optionally, you can just double-click the item. Then click Next.
  10. This screen allows you to add tasks to your application. Adding and configuring tasks is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but you can find information on working with Tasks in Manager in the topic Configuring Tasks. Tasks are optional, so for now click Next, then Next again to move to the map elements screen.
  11. Select which map elements will be enabled in your application. Available elements are Table of Contents, Overview Map, Scalebar, Copyright and North Arrow. Each one has a Settings button that allows you to configure each map element according to the needs of your application. For example, you can choose an icon that will be used for the North Arrow. For each map element, you can also choose whether it will be visible when the application starts. Choose some settings of your choice in this page and click Next.
  12. Set the Title text, Theme, and Web page links.
    • The Title text will appear across the top banner of your application, and in the title bar of the browser window.
    • The Theme specifies the top banner graphic and the color scheme of your application's menus.
    • The Web page links will appear in the top corner of your application. You can remove or edit the default links, or add your own.

    When you finish setting these properties, click Next. Here, you can review some information about the application that will be created.

  13. Click Finish to create the Web application. If you want to change any of the settings you selected, you can now access the application from the Applications tab in Manager.
  14. Select the checkbox next to the newly-created application and click the Deploy button.

To make more advanced edits to your application, you can open it in Eclipse or any Java IDE that supports standard Web applications and JavaSever Faces. See Developing with ArcGIS Server: An Overview for ideas on how you can use the programming libraries included with ArcGIS Server to further customize your Web applications.

ArcIMS Tutorial

The steps below will help you use Web Manager to create a simple Web application that displays one map service. Before you start, you need to have a map service running. You can find instructions for that in the ArcIMS Help. Search for the topic "Administering your site | Publishing a service".

  1. Log in to Web Manager.
    • .NET version on Windows: Use a username and password that is part of the Administrator group on your machine. Include the domain with your username.
    • Java version on all platforms: Use the same username and password that you use for logging into Administrator or Service Administrator. You must already have established a username and password before logging into Web Manager. For more information about setting a user name and password, see the ArcIMS Help, and search for the topic "Managing your site | Creating and changing your password".
  2. On the first page after logging in, click New Web Application.
  3. In the Host box, enter the name of the Web server machine on which the application will run. Java users are restricted to the Web Server where Web Manager resides. In the Name box, type a name for your application. This is the name by which you will see your application listed in Manager. Next, type a description. Click Next.
  4. Select a map service that your application will display.
    • First, you need to establish a connection with a GIS server. Click Add GIS Server and select ArcIMS as the connection type. In the dialog box, select TCP and type in your server name. Click Add Server.
    • Expand the server to see a list of services.
    • Select a service.
    • Click Add to move it into the Current Contents list.
    • Click Next.
  5. The next page allows you to add tasks to your application. Configuring tasks is beyond the scope of this tutorial, but you can find information on working with tasks in in the topic Configuring Tasks. Tasks are optional, so for now click Next to move to the next screen.
  6. The next two pages are for setting page and map elements.

    Page properties include the title, theme, and Web page links. The Title text appears across the top banner of your application, and in the title bar of the browser window. The Theme specifies the top banner graphic and the color scheme of your application's menus. The Web page links appear in the top corner of your application. You can remove or edit the default links, or add your own.

    Map elements include a table of contents, overview map, toolbar, and north arrow. Select which elements you want to include with your map. Each one has a Settings button that allows you to configure each map element according to the needs of your application. For example, you can choose an icon that will be used for the North Arrow. For each map element, you can also choose whether it will be visible when the application starts.

    When you finish setting properties on each page, click Next.

  7. Review the information on the summary page. Take note of the URL, so that you can access it later.
  8. Click Finish to create the Web application. If you want to change any of the settings you selected, you can now access the application from the page listing applications.
  9. Launch the Web Mapping Application.
    • .NET version on Windows: The application should launch automatically for you to view. If not, click the URL link from the page that lists applications. Your application will open in a new browser.
    • Java version on all platforms: You must deploy the application before you can view it. On the page that lists applications, check the box next to the application you want to deploy and click Deploy. Next, click View. Your application will open in a new browser.

To make more advanced edits to your application, you can use an IDE. The Developer Help contains many topics on how you can use the programming libraries included with the Web ADF to further customize your Web applications.