Kinetic Panning Via The ESRI JavaScript API

[jeffpalus]

Just to be consitent with other ESRI web mapping API's, please add kinetic scrolling (aka inertia scrolling) feature, like the way the map pan move in bing & google maps. When you pan around on the map, the expected behaviour is for the map the continue to slide proportionally to the speed you dragged/panned the map.

When the user drag the map, the map moves smoothly.
When the user release the left mouse button the map does not stop straight, but stops by the power of dragging the map you made.

[StephenLead]

+1 this would be a very nice feature

Have you tried adding something at ideas.esri.com?

[jeffpalus]

Yes, here is the link:
http://ideas.arcgis.com/ideaView?id=08730000000bvKQAAY

[Dan]

Has ESRI implemented kinetic panning in the Javascript API yet? If not, when?

Silverlight and Flex have smooth kinetic panning. We'd like to see similar behavior in our web map apps regardless of the API. We'd also like to provide modern web functionality that users expect.

[AdrianMarsden]

Please, if this is added, make it optional.  When google Maps started doing it I spent ages trying to switch it off, I HATE it.  I want the map to stop when I stop moving the mouse, not to continue on moving based on how fast I moved the mouse.  Hate it.

Did I mention, I don't like it?

[derekswingley1]

The team has (briefly) discussed adding this in the past but we haven't made it a priority. If it is added, you will be able to turn it off.

One thing that came up is that this is more of a requirement on touch devices. If you're still using a mouse, it's probably not the ideal experience. Anyone care to agree or disagree?

[Dan]

Some hate it.  Some love it.  So, yes, please make it an option. 

Also, it would be nice if it had the ability to pan continuously for a long distance on release (like Google Earth), or to glide to a halt in a stickier fashion (like Bing Maps and Google Maps).  Both of these map apps are hugely successful, so there are enough people out there who enjoy glide/swipe (kinetic) panning. (BTW: if the user stops panning before releasing the mouse, map should not glide at all (as is done in Bing Maps, Google Maps, etc.) 

Kinetic panning is particularly useful for large areas.  Similar concept to free-spinning mouse wheels for zipping through long documents - less effort to move across large areas. 

Also, rather than just a Boolean, a numeric factor could be set to determine glide time (0 = no glide effect).

[Dan]

If you're still using a mouse, it's probably not the ideal experience. Anyone care to agree or disagree?

I humbly disagree with swingley's comment above . . .

Bing Maps, Google Maps, Google Earth, and other very successful map apps use kinetic/glide panning on moused setups as well as mobile/touch devices.

[Dan]

Another comparison is with zoom.  With a free-spin mouse wheel a Flex map app only zooms in one notch no matter how fast the wheel is spun (as I recall).  I like how the JSAPI enables the user to free-spin deep in to or out of the map.

[derekswingley1]

I humbly disagree with swingley's comment above . . .

Noted. Don't expect this in the next release (3.3) but we might be able to do something after that.

Bing Maps, Google Maps, Google Earth, and other very successful map apps use kinetic/glide panning on moused setups as well as mobile/touch devices.

Google Earth and Maps, and to some degree Bing, are quite successful at being platforms people use for maps but having kinetic panning is only one (and probably a minor one at that) of the many reasons for their success. Kinetic panning, when done correctly, IMO, is a subtle enhancement to an app's user experience. If it's too prominent, it tends to detract from the user experience (again, my opinion). Ideally, it "just feels right" and isn't directly noticed by users. Developers are a different story as that is a pretty picky audience :).