Dynamic vs. Feature Layers

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07-01-2013 11:09 AM
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RonaldNatalie
New Contributor II
In my exploration I find I can load my layers from a Map Package file either as dynamic map layers or as feature layers.    When loaded as dynamic map layers I can use the Layer Drawing Options to turn on and off label display on the features.   When I load them as feature layers, I get the ability to add Map Tips to the features.    Is there any way to get BOTH of these features on a loaded layer (both map tips and labels)?
2 Replies
MichaelBranscomb
Esri Frequent Contributor
Hi,

The fundamental difference between DynamicLayers and FeatureLayers is...

- DynamicLayers: Rendered as a single image (typically on a server) and displayed in the Map. Therefore any style changes or labelling changes are pushed up to the server which re-renders the image to be displayed in the map.

- FeatureLayers: Pulled down to the client in response to a query (typically by extent but could also include attribute criteria) and displayed as Graphic objects. This means any styles or labelling need to be applied on the client by the API. There are a number of renderers (Simple, Unique, Classbreaks) and symbols (SimpleMarker, PictureMarker, SimpleLine, SimpleFill & PictureFill) available on the client but unfortunately in the current release there is no client-side labelling engine. This is something we're investigating for a future release.

However, that's not to say to cannot achieve both. You could add the data twice - once as a DynamicLayer with labels, and once as a FeatureLayer. For the FeatureLayer you could try clearing the renderer and just having MapTips. Or alternatively, set the FeatureLayer to SelectionOnly mode and experiment with selecting features on mouse move. The latter approach might impact performance though.

Cheers

Mike
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RonaldNatalie
New Contributor II
OK, I had thought about that (we only wish to do map tip on a current "selected" layer so I could insert it as an invisible feature layer and use the dynamic layers to render everything.

The only thing we seem not to get in the dynamic layers is opacity (there's an option to set it but it does nothing).
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