Updates and Compatability Issues/Recommendations

[DustinDunnill]

I've been using Explorer desktop since the 1700 build and would like to share some of my concerns on compatibility between Explorer versions and Arcmap versions used to author the data.

I'm directing Explorer to use layer packages which are on a shared network drive in our network.  I authored this way so everyone sharing the authored map will be on the same page with the data and I can just overwrite the layer packages as needed for updated data.

I started my authoring using the 1700 build and Arcmap 9.3.    I have recently updated to Arcmap 10 and noticed some compatibility problems.  First of all Explorer 1700 was not able to read authored Layer packages from Arcmap 10.  I upgraded all computers that were running 1700 with 1750 and this seems partially fix the issue.  However, as I update layer packages with arcmap 10 which were previously authored with 9.3, the new 1750 build will not recognize the .lpk when it is overwritten with a new .lpk from Arcmap 10.  The only way I can find will fix this is to re upload an authored map then download it to each user computer or to re-add the .lpk for those which are broken and re-save as default map from each users computer.  I do not want users to be accessing the main .lpk from the networked drive which is why I just overwrite the data which the map pulls from. I would have to do this every time I make a .lpk change from arcmap 9.3 to 10 until every .lpk being accessed by Explorer 1750 is now authored by Arcmap 10.

Is there an easier fix I'm missing?  If not I would like to recommend the Explorer Desktop Team to try and make it easier for the authors of the data to update without going through an extra problem every time the updates are implemented.

Aloha.

[MarkBockenhauer]

In the scenario where you overwrite layer packages that are referenced in ArcGIS Explorer maps..  ArcGIS Explorer will see the layer package as broken if the structure, layer Count, Layer names, layer order change inside of the package.  this is because ArcGIS Explorer is trying to persist how the layers withing the layer package were ordered in the ArcGIS Explorer map.  If ArcGIS Explorer encounters a mis-match, something about the number of layers or names that it cannot re-hook to the map the broken dialog appears.

You can easily re-create and see this by:

In ArcMap
Add a Layer named 'original'
Create a Layer package with one layer name "LayerPackage.lpk"
Open LayerPackage.lpk in ArcGIS Explorer
Save the Map as your Default map.
Close ArcGIS Explorer
Back in ArcMap.. change the layer name 'original' to 'New Name'
Package the layer overwriting "LayerPackage.lpk"
Start ArcGIS Explorer
The Layer in ArcGIS Explorer will be broken.

The above also explains why overwriting 9.3.1 layer packages with version 10 layer packages does not work in ArcGIS Explorer.  Internally we changed the name of the layers to account for ordering issues that we had with the original 9.3.1 packages.

In a future ArcGIS Explorer release we will look into providing an option to repair/reload packages that are "broken" due to the mismatch of content in the package.

Going forward, if you overwrite packages ensuring that the exact same layers (same layer order) are in the package, it will work as desired.

[DustinDunnill]

Thanks for the insight Mark,

Now I understand why the transition from Arcmap 9.3 to 10 was giving me broken layers.  I have verified that after the layer is modified in 10, and the original one by 9.3 is overwritten, then broken links are fixed and saved, .lpk's which are updated/overwritten work smoothly from then on.

It would be very helpful to many users/authors I'm sure, if Explorer could be patched to ignore the problem it has with the "same .lpk different Arcmap version = broken layer" problem. 

Will I have to do this at every new update release of Arcmap 10 or just the main versions like when 11 comes out?

Should I post that as an Idea or is it not even possible?

Thanks Again!

[MarkBockenhauer]

In some cases this issue will occur for 10.1 as well.

The next version of ArcGIS Explorer Desktop will have a reload/replace option for the user to help mitigate this.

We will inform the ArcGIS Explorer user that the package contents have been updated and ask them to load the updated package.

[DustinDunnill]

Good to hear.  It is always nice to have a viewer be  "seem-less" to the average user 😄