Share content with collaboration groups

Supported item types can be shared across participants in a collaboration. These item types include the following:

When content is shared with a participant, a new folder is created under the participating administrator's folder. This folder is used to import the content and store the items, which are then shared with the group associated with the collaboration workspace. The folder is named based on the collaboration name.

If you change the way an item is shared, you must modify the sharing settings for related items as well. For example, if a web map was previously shared with Everyone but you altered it to be shared with your organization, change the settings in any operational layers contained in the web map accordingly.

Share web apps

Web apps can be shared with collaboration participants in the following ways:

Configurable app templates

When you share a configurable app template with collaboration participants, a corresponding web app item is created in the collaboration. Your organization's shareable theme properties are also shared with the app. Any related items of the web app to the collaboration group, such as web maps, images, logos, layers, and source data. Doing so ensures that collaboration participants receive a copy of the web app and copies of the items consumed by the app. Feature layers in the web app are shared based on the workspace setting. Any utility resources included in the app—such as geocoding, printing, or geoenrichment services—are updated to use the corresponding utility services on the destination URL.

Group-based apps, as well as apps created using the ArcGIS Indoors template, can be shared between ArcGIS Enterprise participants or from ArcGIS Enterprise to an ArcGIS Online organization. The recipient of an ArcGIS Indoors application must be configured to use ArcGIS Indoors.

Note:

Though web mapping applications can be shared with participants in a distributed collaboration, they cannot be edited by the recipient. For more information on sharing web applications, see Frequently asked questions about distributed collaboration.

Web AppBuilder apps

When you share Web AppBuilder apps with collaboration participants, a corresponding web app item is created in the collaboration. Your organization's shareable theme properties are also shared with the app. You should share any related items of the web app to the collaboration group, such as web maps, images, logos, layers, and source data. Doing so ensures that collaboration participants receive a copy of the web app and copies of the items consumed by the app. Any utility resources included in the app—such as geocoding, printing, or geoenrichment services—are updated to use the corresponding utility services on the recipient's portal.

Web AppBuilder allows you to build custom 2D or 3D web apps. Recipients of shared Web AppBuilder apps have the option to download the corresponding code or create an app template in their organization.

Note:

Custom widgets cannot be shared through collaboration. This includes all registered widget items with the item type AppBuilder Extension.

Other web apps referenced by URL

You can add an existing app as an item to your portal by providing its URL. The portal references the app from its existing URL. You must ensure that receiving participants are granted permissions to access the application.

Share maps

When you share web maps that contain hosted layers with collaboration participants, corresponding web map items are created in the collaboration. You should also share any related items for the hosted layers in the web map and source data that created those layers with the collaboration group. For example, if you share a web map with a hosted feature layer published from a shapefile, share the hosted feature layer and shapefile with the group associated with the collaboration workspace. That way, collaboration participants receive a copy of the web map, a copy of the hosted feature layer, and a copy of the original shapefile.

Share scenes

When you share web scenes, feature layers contained in the web scene are shared as copies if the collaboration group is configured to share as copies.

Share layers and views

Hosted service layers, hosted service layer views, and referenced service layers—such as map and image services, layers, and views—can only be shared by reference in a collaboration. This creates an item for recipient portals that references back to the live layer in the origin portal.

Alternately, hosted feature layers, hosted feature layer views, and referenced feature layers with sync enabled can be shared as copies with other distributed collaboration participants. Starting at 10.9, you can allow two-way edits of copied layers, meaning both the sending and receiving organizations can edit the layer and synchronize updates back and forth. Types of edits supported include adding new features, editing features, or deleting existing features. Schema updates are not synchronized.

Caution:

When editing feature layers that support two-way sharing of edits, it's important to note that no checks occur to detect and prevent concurrent edits. When edits are submitted, the last change submitted takes precedent, overwriting preexisting edits to the feature layer. To avoid data conflicts, the archived version of the feature service should be consulted before making additional edits.

Share hosted feature layers, hosted feature layer views, and federated feature layers as references

Sharing hosted feature layers, hosted feature layer views, and federated feature layers by reference creates a layer item for collaboration recipients and does not copy the data. The layer item in the recipient's organization references back to the original feature layer or feature layer view. To access the referenced layer, members must have access to the original organization or the layer must be shared with Everyone, or have save credentials. If the layer is secured, members must authenticate in the original organization as a member (at a minimum, a Viewer user type) who has access to the shared layer via the sharing settings.

Note:

Hosted spatiotemporal feature layers are not supported and cannot be shared in distributed collaboration.

Share hosted feature layers, hosted feature layer views, and federated feature layers as copies

Hosted feature layers, hosted feature layer views, and federated feature layers can be shared as copies. When layers are shared as copies, the data is copied to the recipient's organization and a new item (a hosted feature layer) is published. The copied item is hosted by the receiving organization, which is indicated by the item's service URL.

Note:

Hosted spatiotemporal feature layers are not supported and cannot be shared in distributed collaboration.

When you join a workspace as a guest who can send content, items you add to the workspace's group are sent to organizations that can receive or send and receive content from the workspace by using the Receive or Send and Receive options.

See About sharing feature layer and view data as copies and View synchronization status for more details.

Shared feature layers can be edited either by the owner of the layer (one-way) or by both the owner and receiver of the layer (two-way).

For sharing edits one-way, the owner of the original feature layer can edit the layer and synchronize changes to all participants via sync intervals. Guests choose the interval at which edits are synchronized in the collaboration workspace. To share layer as copies, ensure that you have sync enabled on your feature layers before sending.

Introduced at 10.9, sharing edits two-way is supported. The owner of the feature layer can allow shared feature layers to be edited two-way by both the owner and the receiving participant. Types of edits supported include adding new features, editing features, or deleting existing features. The following are prerequisites for allowing edits to be shared two-way:

  • The collaboration workspace must be created in 10.9 or later to enable this capability. Workspaces created prior to 10.9 will not support this option.
  • The collaboration workspace must be configured to share feature layers as Copies when setting up the workspace sync settings to enable the option to allow two-way sharing of edits to eligible participants.
  • The participant configuring the collaboration workspace must have Send and Receive access.
  • The participant receiving the feature layer must have Send and Receive access to the collaboration workspace.
  • Both participants must be using a version of ArcGIS Enterprise that at 10.9 or higher. The shared feature layer must meet the following requirements:
    • Has sync enabled—The feature service property capabilities should appear as:
      "capabilities": "Query,Create,Update,Delete,Editing,Sync"
      
    • Is configured to use the ArcGIS Pro service runtime
    • Supports replica tracking—The feature service layer property isDataReplicaTracked should be true:
      "isDataReplicaTracked": true
      
    • Supports bi-directional sync—The feature service property syncCapability should have the child property supportsBiDirectionalSyncForServer set as true:
      {
        "syncCapabilities": {
          "supportsBiDirectionalSyncForServer": true
        }
      }
      
  • Supported feature layer types include hosted feature layers or feature layers published by reference from a user manager data store. The underlying data can be branch versioned or be non-versioned with archiving enabled.

Share ArcGIS Server services

If an ArcGIS Server service (for example, a map service or image service) is shared to the organization where it originated, as well as with a group associated with a collaboration workspace, members of other participants are still prompted for credentials when adding the service to a map. To avoid a prompt for credentials, you must share the service in the originating organization with Everyone as well as with the group associated with the collaboration workspace, or save credentials.

ArcGIS Server services that are shared with collaboration participants create items in the participant organizations that refer to the original service; the services and corresponding data are not copied to each participating organization. If a participant shares a feature service by reference, only the designated members in the originating environment can edit the original feature service.

Share files

Files, such as PDFs, shared with collaboration participants create corresponding file items in the participating organizations. Any changes you make to these files as a guest participant are overwritten when the content is synced from the item's source. The same is true of metadata associated with an item.

Mobile map packages (.mmpk) can be shared with collaboration participants if they are not owned by esri_nav.

Note:

Item comments are not synced with collaboration participants.