- What is the difference between ArcGIS AppStudio and ArcGIS Web AppBuilder?
- What is the difference between ArcGIS AppStudio and the ArcGIS Runtime SDK?
- What is the difference between ArcGIS AppStudio and ArcGIS AppStudio Developer Edition?
- How do I get an ArcGIS AppStudio Developer Edition license?
- Can I install multiple instances of ArcGIS AppStudio on the same machine?
- I've built an app on my desktop. How do I use it on my device?
- I made an app. Why can't others in my organization find it in AppStudio Player?
- Where can I find QML code samples for AppStudio?
- Can I publish my app to a store?
- I have more than one Qt Creator on my machine. Which do I use?
- What licenses do I need to use local Make?
- What ArcGIS Runtime license do I need?
- What does beta mean?
- How can I reduce the time it takes to build an app with large resources?
- What version of OpenSSL is packaged with AppStudio?
- Do AppStudio apps have support for command line parameters?
- My newly created app doesn't work in my existing version of AppStudio Player.
- How can I improve the location captured by my device?
- Can I use the Design tab in Qt Creator to create the user interface of my app?
AppStudio bundles the ArcGIS Runtime API from the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Qt with additional components to help you build cross-platform apps. The AppStudio cloud Make is a service that creates installation files for all platforms. If you choose to use cloud Make, you do not need to install developer tools such as Visual Studio to build your apps.
The ArcGIS AppStudio license allows you to create apps in AppStudio and share your apps within your organization that can be used in AppStudio Player. ArcGIS AppStudio Developer Edition gives you additional capabilities to build your own native apps that can be published to app stores.
| Capability | ArcGIS AppStudio | ArcGIS AppStudio Developer Edition |
|---|---|---|
Create apps with no coding, using configurable app templates. | Yes | Yes |
Create apps that run on Ubuntu, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu. | Yes | Yes |
Convert your ArcGIS web maps into mobile apps. | Yes | Yes |
Extend apps built using configurable app templates. | Yes | Yes |
Create custom apps using additional tools and samples. | Yes | Yes |
Distribute apps within your enterprise. | Yes | Yes |
Build apps you can publish to Google Play and the Apple App Store. | No | Yes |
To use ArcGIS AppStudio Developer Edition, a licensed subscription is needed and must be managed by an ArcGIS organization administrator. All members of the organization can use ArcGIS AppStudio. Developer Edition functionality is locked in ArcGIS AppStudio unless the ArcGIS account has been configured with an ArcGIS AppStudio Developer Edition license and the user is signed in with that account.
An AppStudio Developer Edition license is included with an ArcGIS Developer Subscription of a Builder level or above. For information on how to assign this license, see License AppStudio Developer Edition.
The best way to get an app on your device is to download it from ArcGIS within AppStudio Player. To do this, follow these steps:
- Ensure that you've used the Upload tool on your desktop to upload your app to ArcGIS.
- Install AppStudio Player on your device.
- Sign in with your ArcGIS organizational account.
- Browse to your app, select it, and download it.
When you install AppStudio, Qt Creator is also installed. The AppStudio QML plug-ins are automatically associated with this installation of Qt Creator and can be used right away to create apps with no additional configuration.
If you also install the developer tools (so that you can build stand-alone apps locally), you get a copy of Qt Creator with each Qt framework you install. These installations of Qt Creator should not be used for creating apps.
Local Make requires installation of Qt kits. To have access to these, you must use a Qt open source or enterprise license. For more information, visit the Qt website.
You can immediately use ArcGIS Runtime in your app; however, any map will be watermarked and debug messages will appear, indicating that your app is licensed for developer use only. To remove this messaging, you must license ArcGIS Runtime at a level that suits your needs. For more information on these license levels, see License your app.
Beta components may have incomplete functionality or documentation and may undergo some minor, unannounced changes. If you have issues or are experiencing problems with any of the beta functionality, contact Esri Support or visit the Esri Community for AppStudio.
Building apps with a large amount of local resources can considerably increase the time it takes to build an app, either through cloud or local Make. This can lead to the build process appearing to stall due to thrashing virtual memory, fail due to insufficient memory, or time out.
To avoid these issues, consider redesigning the app. You can deploy resources separately, such as manually copying the files to an SD card, or deploy them as part of an in-app download function.
OpenSSL libraries are included with AppStudio and AppStudio Player on certain platforms, with the libraries included being updated regularly. The libraries provided with each version, and for what platforms, are as follows:
| AppStudio and Player version | OpenSSL library | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
1.2 through 2.1 | 1.0.2g | Windows |
1.3 through 2.1 | 1.0.2h | Android |
3.0 | 1.0.2n | Windows, Android |
3.1 | 1.0.2o | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
3.2 | 1.0.2p | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
3.3 | 1.0.2r | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
4.0 | 1.0.2s | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
4.1 through 4.3 | 1.1.1d | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
4.4 | 1.1.1h | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
5.0 | 1.1.1i | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
5.1 | 1.1.1k | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
5.2 | 1.1.1l | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
5.3 | 1.1.1m | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
5.4 August Update | 1.1.1q | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
5.5 | 1.1.1s | Windows, Android, Ubuntu |
Currently, the following command line parameters are supported by AppStudio stand-alone apps. These parameters should have two hyphens before them, for example, --show maximized.
- show maximized—Opens the window as maximized on desktop platforms.
- show fullscreen—Opens the window as full screen on desktop platforms.
- show minimized—Opens the window as minimized on desktop platforms.
- show normal—Opens the window as neither maximized, minimized, nor full screen.
- locale localeCode—Overrides the system language with the language defined by the locale code. For example, locale fr uses French translation files. This can be useful when testing your app in different languages.
- enablehighdpi—Enables automatic scaling based on the pixel density of the screen.
- disablehighdpi—Disables all scaling. This is intended for applications that need to use actual window system coordinates.
- renderingEngine—Only supported on Windows. This sets the graphics rendering engine. Supported values are default (which will use OpenGL and fall back to ANGLE if OpenGL encounters errors), opengl, and angle.
Updates to AppStudio often update the Qt framework or ArcGIS Runtime that apps are built with. These updates will render your app incompatible with earlier versions of AppStudio Player.
On iOS and Android, AppStudio Player will automatically update when a new version has been released, but AppStudio Player needs to be updated manually on macOS, Windows, and Ubuntu devices.
You can improve the accuracy of the location captured by your device by using a high-accuracy receiver.
There are a broad range of GNSS receivers that can connect to your smartphone or tablet through Bluetooth.
The Design tab in Qt Creator is not recommended for creating the user interface of an AppStudio app. This tab does not provide access to ArcGIS.AppFramework or Esri.ArcGISRuntime components, and it requires a full installation of the Qt SDK. If you have installed developer tools (so that you can build stand-alone apps locally), you may have the Qt SDK requirements, but you still would not have access to ArcGIS.AppFramework or Esri.ArcGISRuntime components.