Using Projects
When using the ArcGIS Mobile application, you work within the context of a mobile project. The tasks that define your field workflows and the maps that you use to accomplish those workflows are stored within projects. When you take ArcGIS Mobile to the field, your ArcGIS Mobile project folders are stored on your mobile device.
Each project contains an ArcGIS Mobile Project file (<filename>.amp). This file contains the projects' task and layer settings along with additional information used by the application. The project folder also includes a mobile map for use on your mobile device contained within the subfolder Mobile Cache. This same folder will also hold all the map data that is to be received from the server and any updates to the data that are made and stored on the device in the field.
Inside the project folder, you may find additional files such as a .sync and a .work file. These are used to manage information that you work with in the application.
How are projects created?
ArcGIS Mobile projects are created by GIS staff in your organization using ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Server. They are subsequently loaded onto your mobile device for your use in the field. You may, however, be asked to download and load projects onto your device.
How are projects loaded onto my device?
There are three primary ways that ArcGIS Mobile projects are loaded onto a mobile device:
- Using the Project page in the application to download a new project from a server
- Opening a Web browser on the device to access the REST endpoint of the project Catalog Service for the Web, then downloading the project to the device
- Copying the project to the device manually (via laptop or SD card) or using a mobile deployment system
How do I find projects on my device?
ArcGIS Mobile manages the project files for you, so you should not need to locate projects on your mobile device. However, if you are asked to locate a project file, e-mail it, then open it in a text editor or such that will enable you to easily locate the project folder on your device using the file explorer.
Project files have an .amp extension and are stored inside a project folder on your mobile device. If you are using a Windows Mobile device, the project file can be found inside the project folder (either in the main memory or on the storage card) at \My Documents\ArcGIS\<Project Folder Name>. You can open the .amp file directly from this location, and it opens the ArcGIS Mobile application. Or you can copy the file to another location using the file explorer. If you are using ArcGIS Mobile for Windows, the easiest way to find the project is to first access the Settings page from the Options menu and in the application settings, you will find the current path to all projects that are stored on your device. The project .amp file will be inside the project folder.
How do I open mobile projects?
The Project page contains a list of all projects that are stored locally on the device. The Download Project page appears when you start ArcGIS Mobile if you have no projects on your device. You can then connect to your project server and download a project. If you have more than one project on your device, each time you open the application you are asked to choose a project to open. If you have only one project, it opens automatically.
If you have more than one project, tap a single project to open it.
If you currently have a project open and want to open another, click Open Project from the Tasks page. This opens the Project page so you can see a list of additional projects on your device.
If you are using ArcGIS Mobile for Windows, you may want to use an additional drive, such as an SD card or USB storage device, to store your projects. Though Windows will discover drives added to the file system, unfortunately, the ArcGIS Mobile application will not. To access projects on different drives, you can point the application to a different folder location for your projects using the Application Settings page.
How do I download projects from a project server?
If there are no projects on your device or if you need to download a new project from your server, you can do so by choosing Download Project Page.
On the Download page, enter the name of the project server, the instance, and optionally the Catalog that stores your project. To download a project from a project server, you must have an Internet connection on your mobile device.
Projects are organized into Catalogs on a project server. By connecting to the project server, you can see a list of all the projects on that server (regardless of the Catalog that they reside in). If you have a lot of projects and Catalogs, you can enter the Catalog name as well and only the projects in the specified Catalog will be available for download.