Operational layers in web maps

In web maps, operational layers store data and are used to visualize and interact with data. They respond to user interaction and can report basic information and links in pop-ups. The order and the visibility of layers in your map are maintained when sharing the web map. The web map also opens with the same extent in which it was published. For all operational layers, you can set the transparency and scale ranges at which the layer draws, giving you control over what the map user sees as they move around your web map.

Web maps don't support group layers. If your map has group layers in ArcGIS AllSource, all sublayers are shared in the web map as individual layers. Scale ranges that were defined on the group layer are applied to the former sublayers of the group layer.

The operational layers of a web map must be in the same coordinate system as its basemap. If they are not, an error appears, stating that the basemap service layer is in a different projection than the map. You must update the map to use the basemap's coordinate system to share your map as a web map.

Depending on the template selected when sharing your web map, ArcGIS AllSource shares your data using the best-fitting web layer type. If your data is not supported by the default web layer type, it is shared as the next best layer type.

Web feature layers

Web feature layers support feature querying, visualization, and editing. Many of the properties configured and authored in ArcGIS AllSource are maintained when you share your map, including symbology, labeling, pop-ups, time, and feature templates. Configuring these parameters before sharing ensures your web map has the same experience you designed in ArcGIS AllSource.

Symbology

If a layer's symbology is only supported for display in ArcGIS AllSource, an error appears when the map is analyzed, stating to remove the layer or change the symbology.

With ArcGIS AllSource, you can create a wide range of complex and sophisticated symbols. In some cases (for example, if you use a dashed line to represent a railroad), the symbol will be downgraded to a simple solid line because complex symbology is not fully supported in web maps. If this applies to one of your symbols in a layer, you see a warning that symbols will be downgraded. You can then decide if you want to replace the symbol in ArcGIS AllSource before sharing or use the automatically downgraded symbol.

Note:
In other cases, such as when using unclassed proportional symbology without a unit, the features draw differently in Map Viewer Classic than in ArcGIS AllSource. If you are unable to modify the symbology, share this content as a web tile layer to preserve the symbology.

Web tile layers

Web tile layers support fast map visualization using a collection of predrawn map images or tiles. For example, you might include tiles of streets in your neighborhood to provide a visual reference for the street signs in your feature layer. Certain layer types, such as raster layers, are shared as web tile layers automatically since that is their inherent format. By drawing from a cache, you can improve the performance of the web tile layer and therefore your web map.

When tile layers are shared, you can choose to build the tiles automatically on the server, manually on the server, or locally. Depending on which option you choose, the tile layer may not immediately be available to view in the web map.

Map image layers

Available when sharing to ArcGIS Enterprise, map image layers can be either dynamic or cached and support both map visualization and feature querying. Unlike web feature layers, map image layers support almost all of the symbology options available when authoring content in ArcGIS AllSource. They also support referencing registered data, which means updates to your source data are automatically displayed in the map image layer.