Introduction to ArcPad customization tutorials

ArcPad customization

The ArcPad tutorials show how easy it is to configure and customize ArcPad. With minimal programming, you can accomplish many customization goals such as creating new tools and automating complex actions.

These tutorials show you how to do the following:

• Create default configuration files that hide existing toolbars to replace them with customized toolbars
• Create custom data entry forms with data validation and automate data calculation for layers
• Deploy custom ArcPad solutions

Projects in the tutorials

The following are the three projects used in these tutorials. Each project simulates a specific workplace scenario. To explain the different ways to customize ArcPad, the first two scenarios show you how to achieve the same goals, but one uses shapefiles (tree inventory) and the second uses an ArcPad Exchange File (AXF) (pole inspection). The land survey scenario shows you how to work further with an AXF file in ArcPad Studio.

• Tree inventory—You have been contracted by a city to develop an inventory system of city trees. The goal of this system is to make it easy for personnel to view existing trees and add new trees into the system using a mobile device. You plan to create a custom ArcPad deployment to provide the tools for this inventory system and want to provide a simple, easy to use interface that personnel can understand with minimal training.
• Pole inspection—You want to create a light pole inspection project for field personnel to use on mobile devices. You want to customize ArcPad so that it is easy to locate a pole, and record inspection details for the pole and lights attached to the pole. The resultant interface you will create is similar to the tree inventory project; however, in this project you will work with the AXF ArcPad data format (AXF was introduced in ArcPad 7.1). An AXF file is a lightweight geodatabase that can contain multiple feature layers, related tables, layer definitions, scripts, and so on. With this all inclusive data format, it is easier for you to manage and deploy your project in ArcPad.
• Land survey—A city's planning department needs to update some land information. You will create a custom data entry form to help field personnel edit and verify the parcel information. This project involves some advanced customization to automatically display the parcel area on the custom form. You will be introduced to a new control that allows you to modify a list in the field.

Required files

The following are required files you need to complete this tutorial:

• For the tree inventory project, the files are located in the default install folder location: C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\ArcPad\Developer\Samples\Tutorial.
• For the pole inspection and land survey projects, the files are located in: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\ArcPad\Samples.