Many folks don't realize this, but it's completely possible to extend, modify and update the definition of a Hosted Feature Service as well as update the schema of a Hosted Feature Layer, provided that you either:
- Own the Feature Service or Feature Layer in question
- OR are an Administrator of the Organization hosting the Feature Service or Feature Layer in question.
Hosted Feature Services
Using the Feature Service's Add to Definition endpoint, a user can:
- Add a Layer to an existing Hosted Feature Service
Using the Feature Service's Update Definition endpoint, a user can:
- Enable Editor Tracking on an existing Hosted Feature Service
- Modify Ownership Access Controls on an existing Hosted Feature Service
- Update Hosted Feature Service Capabilities (Create, Edit, Delete, Query, Sync, Extract)
- Update Feature Service Properties
Using the Feature Service's Delete From Definition endpoint, a user can:
- Delete Layers from an existing Hosted Feature Service
Hosted Feature Layers
Using the Feature Layer's Add To Definition endpoint, a user can:
- Add New Fields to the Hosted Feature Layer
- Assign Domains to the Hosted Feature Layer
- Add new Indexes to a Hosted Feature Layer
Using the Feature Layer's Update Definition endpoint, a user can:
- Enable/Disable Attachments on a Feature Layer
- Rename a Feature Layer
- Update the Feature Layer Renderer
- Update Feature Layer Time Information
- Update Feature Layer properties
- Update Feature Layer Domain and Alias
- Rebuild Feature Layer Indexes
- Update Multi-scale Geometry properties
- Modify a Feature Layer's Field Names and Alias
Using the Feature Layer's Delete From Definition endpoint, a user can:
- Delete Fields from a Feature Layer
- Delete Indexes from a Feature Layer
Of course, to do any of these things, users must either write and validate the json and apply it directly at the the appropriate Feature Service or Feature Layer REST Endpoint, or use the ArcGIS Online/Enterprise Web UI to do so. In the case of the latter, the vast majority of this functionality is not exposed through the UI at all!
ArcGIS Pro needs to provide tool(s) that would allow a user to:
- Search for and select from their ArcGIS Online/Enterprise Org a Feature Service and/or Feature Layers that they own (in the case of Admins, search for and select any Feature Service and/or Feature Layer in the Org)
- Load the item json into an intuitive ArcGIS Pro Tool's UI
- Provide workflows within that tool to make all of the above changes to the Hosted Service
- Parse those changes into valid json
- Post those changes back to the appropriate REST endpoints based on the type of change being made
These capabilities are useful for allowing power users, service owners and administrators with easy and intuitive ways to effectively manage their services in an ad-hoc manner. Certainly, for bulk service management, the Python API is the more appropriate tool to use, but for one-offs Pro should provide a tool to allow users to do these things.
The REST Endpoints are already there! Pro just needs a tool that provides an elegant UI to make those changes, does some JSON parsing and submits the Post requests to make the changes