Geometry services
The geometry service helps applications do geometric calculations such as buffering, simplifying, calculating areas and lengths, and projecting. Additionally, the ArcGIS APIs for JavaScript, Flex, and Silverlight use the geometry service to modify features during Web editing. The geometry service provides an alternative to doing these calculations using fine-grained ArcObjects or a geoprocessing service.
The geometry service works behind the scenes and is only visible to server administrators and developers. Those who make user connections to the server do not see the geometry service. However, they may be affected by the increased functionality that the geometry service provides in the server applications. Also, developers can see the geometry service and discover its REST URL using the Services Directory.
Creating the geometry service
To create the geometry service, choose the Add New Service option in either Manager or ArcCatalog. For service type, choose Geometry Service. When creating the geometry service, remember these important points:
- The geometry service must be named Geometry.
- You can only have one geometry service per server; however, you can configure multiple instances of the service to run at the same time. You do this through the Maximum number of instances property.
- Geometry services are always pooled.
- You can stop, start, and delete a geometry service, just like you would any other service.
Developing with the geometry service
When building JavaScript, Flex, and Silverlight applications, you can reference the geometry service through its REST endpoint. The Resource Center Web sites for these various APIs contain examples of how to consume the geometry service. Some of the editing widgets supplied by these APIs use the geometry service behind the scenes to make changes to feature geometries.
If you are building a Web ADF application and you want to use the geometry service, it's recommended that you use SOAP. You can find information on the geometry service in the SOAP SDK, available at the ArcGIS Resource Center.