Tutorial: Define a new feature layer

Learn how to use data management tools to create a new hosted feature layer.

To create a new feature layer in a feature service, you can define a new dataset. To do so, you use data management tools in your portal to define the fields and schema for a new empty feature layer in a feature service. A feature layer is used to store point, line, or polygon geometries with attributes. After a feature layer is created, applications can access it by ID or URL and then query, edit, and display features.

In this tutorial, you use data management tools and scripting APIs to create and define a new feature layer that can store points with attributes. You also use Map Viewer or scripting APIs to add new features and set field values.

Prerequisites

You need an account for ArcGIS Location Platform, ArcGIS Online, or ArcGIS Enterprise to create hosted data services. If you need an account, go to Get started.

The Scripting APIs sections of this tutorial requires you to implement authentication. To learn more about the different types of authentication, go to Security and authentication.

Steps

Create a point feature layer

Use data management tools or scripting APIs to create a point feature layer that is powered by a feature service. The feature service will contain point geometries and attributes.

Follow the steps below to use Data management tools or Scripting APIs:

In your web browser, go to https://location.arcgis.com, and sign in with your ArcGIS Location Platform account. In the ArcGIS Location Platform dashboard, click My portal to go to your portal.

In the top navigation bar, click Content.
Click New item > Feature Layer > Define your own layer.
Set the following properties of the feature layer:
- Name: my_points
- Type: Point layer.
Set the following properties of the ArcGIS Online item:
- Title: My Points
- Tags: Beach access Malibu
- Summary: Place points along the California coast line.
Click Next to create the new My Points feature layer and feature service.
In the item page of the My Points layer, click the Data tab > Fields > Add.
Create the following fields in the Fields window:
- Field 1
  - Field Name:id
  - Display Name:id
  - Type:Integer
  - Click: Add New Field
- Field 2
  - Click Add.
  - Field Name:name
  - Display Name:name
  - Type:String
  - Length: 256
  - Click: Add New Field
- Field 3
  - Click Add
  - Field Name:rating
  - Display Name:rating
  - Type:String
  - Length: 256
  - Click: Add New Field

To access a hosted layer from an application, you need to be able to identify its ID and URL. If a layer is public, you use the URL or item ID to access it directly with your web browser or any application. If the layer is private, you need to provide an access token.

Scroll down to find the service URL. For example: https://services3.arcgis.com/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/my_points/FeatureServer
Click View to access the metadata for the feature layer. Find the Service ItemId. For example: 70264c2e37784a819e235d3a0129832f.

In your web browser, go to ArcGIS.com and sign in to your portal with your ArcGIS Online account.

In the top navigation bar, click Content.
Click New item > Feature Layer > Define your own layer.
Set the following properties of the feature layer:
- Name: my_points
- Type: Point layer.
Set the following properties of the ArcGIS Online item:
- Title: My Points
- Tags: Beach access Malibu
- Summary: Place points along the California coast line.
Click Next to create the new My Points feature layer and feature service.
In the item page of the My Points layer, click the Data tab > Fields > Add.
Create the following fields in the Fields window:
- Field 1
  - Field Name:id
  - Display Name:id
  - Type:Integer
  - Click: Add New Field
- Field 2
  - Click Add.
  - Field Name:name
  - Display Name:name
  - Type:String
  - Length: 256
  - Click: Add New Field
- Field 3
  - Click Add
  - Field Name:rating
  - Display Name:rating
  - Type:String
  - Length: 256
  - Click: Add New Field

Scroll down to find the service URL. For example: https://services3.arcgis.com/GVgbJbqm8hXASVYi/arcgis/rest/services/my_points/FeatureServer
Click View to access the metadata for the feature layer. Find the Service ItemId. For example: 70264c2e37784a819e235d3a0129832f.

In your web browser, go to your ArcGIS Enterprise portal and sign in to your portal with your ArcGIS Enterprise account.

In the top navigation bar, click Content.
Click New item > Feature Layer > Define your own layer.
Set the following properties of the feature layer:
- Name: my_points
- Type: Point layer.
Set the following properties of the ArcGIS Online item:
- Title: My Points
- Tags: Beach access Malibu
- Summary: Place points along the California coast line.
Click Next to create the new My Points feature layer and feature service.
In the item page of the My Points layer, click the Data tab > Fields > Add.
Create the following fields in the Fields window:
- Field 1
  - Field Name:id
  - Display Name:id
  - Type:Integer
  - Click: Add New Field
- Field 2
  - Click Add.
  - Field Name:name
  - Display Name:name
  - Type:String
  - Length: 256
  - Click: Add New Field
- Field 3
  - Click Add
  - Field Name:rating
  - Display Name:rating
  - Type:String
  - Length: 256
  - Click: Add New Field

Scroll down to find the service URL. For example: https://your.server.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/my_points/FeatureServer
Click View to access the metadata for the feature layer. Find the Service ItemId. For example: 70264c2e37784a819e235d3a0129832f.

Create a stand-alone feature class

Launch ArcGIS Pro and create a new map project.
In the Catalog pane, right-click the geodatabase in which you want to create a feature class.
Click New > Feature Class to launch the Create Feature Class tool.
Set the following information in the Define page of the tool:
- Name: my_points
- Alias: My Points
- Feature Class Type: Point
- Check the Add output dataset to the current map check box to add the feature class to the active map.
Click Next.

Define the fields

You will define three fields in the Fields page: id, name, and rating.

Click Click here to add a new field.
Set the following information:
- Field Name: id
- Data Type: integer
- Set the following in the Field Properties section at the bottom of the pane:
  - Alias: ID
Set the following information:
- Field Name: name
- Data Type: string
- Set the following in the Field Properties section at the bottom of the pane:
  - Alias: Name
Click Click here to add a new field.
Set the following information:
- Field Name: rating
- Data Type: string
- Set the following in the Field Properties section at the bottom of the pane:
  - Alias: Rating
Click Next to complete defining fields.
On the Spatial Reference page, click Next to accept the default spatial reference.
On the Tolerance page, click Next to accept the default value.
On the Resolution page, click Next to accept the default settings.
On the Storage Configuration page, click Next to accept the default settings.
Click Finish to create the point feature class.

Publish as web layer

Before you can share the feature layer as a hosted feature layer, you will need to enable Allow assignment of unique numeric IDs for sharing web layers option. By default, this option is not enabled. Enabling this option will allow you to assign static IDs to feature layers in your project.

In the Contents pane, right-click the Map > Properties
In the General section, enable Allow assignment of unique numeric IDs for sharing web layers.

With that option enabled, you can now publish the My Points point feature layer as a hosted feature layer.

Right-click on feature layer and click Sharing > Share as Web Layer.
- The Share As Web Layer pane will be displayed.
Set the following required information in the General tab:
- Name: My Points
- Tags: Beach access, Malibu
- Summary: Place points along the California coast line
- Layer Type: Feature
- Set a location in your organization in Location
Click Analyze
- Any errors or warnings during the analyze process will be displayed in the Messages tab.
Click Publish

A success message will be displayed with Manage the web layer link allowing you to visit the item page details of the hosted feature layer.

Import the required libraries.
Implement authentication.
Reference the feature service.
Execute the updateDefinition operation.
Handle the results.

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# create the service
new_service = portal.content.create_service(
    name="My Points",
    create_params=create_params,
    tags="Beach Access,Malibu",
)

# Add layer definition and schema
new_feature_layer = FeatureLayerCollection.fromitem(new_service)
new_feature_layer.manager.add_to_definition(layer_schema)

print(
    f"New hosted featurelayer created: \n\tid: {new_service.id}\n\t"
    "url: {new_service.url}"
)

Go to API reference

Enable editing

To add, update, and delete features in your feature layer, you need to enable editing.

Follow the steps below to use Data management tools or Scripting APIs:

In the item page, click Share to ensure that sharing permissions are set to Owner > Save.
Click the Settings tab.
Under Feature layer (hosted), click Enable editing.
Click Save.

Import the required libraries.
Implement authentication.
Reference the feature service.
Execute the updateDefinition operation.
Handle the results.

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# get feature service as a FeatureLayerCollection
feature_layer = FeatureLayerCollection.fromitem(feature_service)

# update capabilities to enable editing
results = feature_layer.manager.update_definition(
    {"capabilities": "Query, Extract, Editing, Create, Delete, Update"}
)

print(results)

Go to API reference

Add feature data

You can use Map Viewer, ArcGIS Pro, or a scripting API to add, update, or delete features.

Map Viewer can be used to add and edit feature layer data. Use it to position the map to the Santa Monica mountains and then add new point features interactively.

Open Map Viewer.
Sign into your account.
In the left panel, click Layers > Add > My Points > Add to Map.
On the right panel, click Map tools > Search. Type in 34.01757,-118.82549 and zoom to Zuma Beach.
On the bottom of the right panel, click Edit to open the editor.
In the Editor, click New Feature and click on the map to create a new point. Set the following attribute values:
- id: 1
- name: Zuma Beach
- rating: Good
- Click Create
Add another point to the map at Westward Beach:
- Search for Westward Beach at the following coordinates: 34.00637,-118.812791
- Click Edit > New Feature and create a new point at the coordinates with the following attribute values:
  - id: 2
  - name: Westward Beach
  - rating: Excellent
  - Click Create
Add another point to the map at Point Dume County Beach:
- Search for Point Dume County Beach at the following coordinates: 34.00339,-118.80485
- Click Edit > New Feature and create a new point at the coordinates with the following attribute values:
  - id: 3
  - name: Point Dume County Beach
  - rating: Poor
  - Click Create
Add any additional points you would like to include on your map using the method described above.
In the left panel, click Layers > My Points > ... > Show table to view the attribute data of your hosted feature layer. This opens the table view that you can use to inspect and edit data values.

ArcGIS Pro can be used to add and edit feature layer data. Use it to position the map to the Santa Monica mountains and then add new point features interactively.

Launch ArcGIS Pro
Create a new map project.
In the Catalog pane, click Portal and add the My Points feature service to the map.
- The feature service can be added by clicking and dragging onto the map or
- Right-click on the feature services and click Add To Current Map.
In the Map ribbon, click Go To XY tool and type in 34.01757,-118.82549 and zoom to Zuma Beach.
In the Edit ribbon, click Create to launch the Create Features pane.
In the Templates section, click New Feature and click on the map to create a new point. Set the following attribute values:
- id: 1
- name: Zuma Beach
- rating: Good
Add another point to the map at Westward Beach:
- Using the Go To XY tool, enter the following coordinates: 34.00637,-118.812791
- Create a new point on the map with the following attribute values:
  - id: 2
  - name: Westward Beach
  - rating: Excellent
Add another point to the map at Point Dume County Beach:
- Using the Go To XY tool, enter the following coordinates: 34.00339,-118.80485
- Create a new point at the coordinates with the following attribute values:
  - id: 3
  - name: Point Dume County Beach
  - rating: Poor
Add any additional points you would like to include on your map using the method described above.
In the Contents pane, right-click on My Points and click Attribute Table to view the attribute data. This opens a table view that you can use to inspect and edit data values.

Import the relevant libraries.
Implement authentication.
Reference the feature service.
Create new features.
Execute the edit operation.
Handle results.

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  // execute method
  const results = await addFeatures({
    authentication: auth,
    url: '<YOUR_FEATURELAYER_URL>',
    features: newFeatures,
  });

  // handle results
  results.addResults.forEach(res=>{
    console.log(res)
  })

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Go to API reference

You now have a hosted feature layer and feature service. You can access the hosted layer (item) with its URL or layer ID in your applications. To manage your hosted layer (item) properties and capabilities, visit the Manage a feature layer tutorial.

What's next?

Learn how to use additional tools, APIs, and location services in these tutorials:

Import data to create a feature layer

Use data management tools to import files and create a feature layer in a feature service.

ArcGIS portal

Manage a feature layer

Use a hosted feature layer item to set the properties and settings of a feature layer in a feature service.

ArcGIS portal

Create a vector tile service

Use data management tools to create a new vector tile service from a feature service.

ArcGIS portal Python API REST JS

Tutorial: Define a new feature layer

Prerequisites

Steps

Create a point feature layer

Create a stand-alone feature class

Define the fields

Publish as web layer

Enable editing

Add feature data

What's next?

Import data to create a feature layer

Manage a feature layer

Create a vector tile service

Add a feature layer

Add a vector tile layer

Add a map tile layer

Style a feature layer

Query a feature layer (spatial)

Query a feature layer (SQL)

Edit feature data

Display a popup