Learn how to use an ArcGIS portal item to access and display a feature layer

You can host a variety of geographic data and other resources using ArcGIS Online
In this tutorial, you will add a hosted feature layer to display trailheads in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. The hosted layer defines the trailhead locations (points) as well as the symbols used to display them.
Prerequisites
Before starting this tutorial, you need the following:
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An ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.
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A development and deployment environment that meets the system requirements.
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An IDE for Android development in Kotlin.
Develop or download
You have two options for completing this tutorial:
Option 1: Develop the code
Open an Android Studio project with Gradle
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Open the project you created by completing the Display a map tutorial.
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Continue with the following instructions to use an ArcGIS portal item to access and display a feature layer in a map.
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Modify the old project for use in this new tutorial.
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On your file system, delete the .idea folder, if present, at the top level of your project.
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In the Android view, open app > res > values > strings.xml.
In the
<string name="app_name">element, change the text content to Add a feature layer from a portal item.strings.xml<resources><string name="app_name">Add a feature layer from a portal item</string></resources> -
In the Android view, open Gradle Scripts > settings.gradle.kts.
Change the value of
rootProject.nameto “Add a feature layer from a portal item”.settings.gradle.kts14 collapsed linespluginManagement {repositories {google {content {includeGroupByRegex("com\\.android.*")includeGroupByRegex("com\\.google.*")includeGroupByRegex("androidx.*")}}mavenCentral()gradlePluginPortal()}}dependencyResolutionManagement {repositoriesMode.set(RepositoriesMode.FAIL_ON_PROJECT_REPOS)repositories {google()mavenCentral()maven { url = uri("https://esri.jfrog.io/artifactory/arcgis") }}}rootProject.name = "Add a feature layer from a portal item"include(":app") -
Click File > Sync Project with Gradle files. Android Studio will recognize your changes and create a new .idea folder.
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Add import statements
In the Android view, open app > kotlin+java > com.example.app > MainScreen.kt. Replace the import statements with the imports needed for this tutorial.
@file:OptIn(ExperimentalMaterial3Api::class)
package com.example.app.screens
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSizeimport androidx.compose.foundation.layout.paddingimport androidx.compose.material3.ExperimentalMaterial3Apiimport androidx.compose.material3.Scaffoldimport androidx.compose.material3.Textimport androidx.compose.material3.TopAppBarimport androidx.compose.runtime.Composableimport androidx.compose.runtime.rememberimport androidx.compose.ui.Modifierimport androidx.compose.ui.res.stringResourceimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.ArcGISMapimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.BasemapStyleimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.PortalItemimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.Viewpointimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.layers.FeatureLayerimport com.arcgismaps.portal.Portalimport com.arcgismaps.toolkit.geoviewcompose.MapViewimport com.example.app.RAdd a feature layer to the map
You can reference an item2e4b3df6ba4b44969a3bc9827de746b3. You will then add that feature layer to your map’s collection of data layers (operational layers).
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In
MainScreen, before the code that creates theArcGISMap, create a newPortalreferencing ArcGIS Online as theurlparameter andPortal.Connection.Anonymousfor theconnectionparameter.MainScreen.kt38 collapsed lines@file:OptIn(ExperimentalMaterial3Api::class)package com.example.app.screensimport androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSizeimport androidx.compose.foundation.layout.paddingimport androidx.compose.material3.ExperimentalMaterial3Apiimport androidx.compose.material3.Scaffoldimport androidx.compose.material3.Textimport androidx.compose.material3.TopAppBarimport androidx.compose.runtime.Composableimport androidx.compose.runtime.rememberimport androidx.compose.ui.Modifierimport androidx.compose.ui.res.stringResourceimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.ArcGISMapimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.BasemapStyleimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.PortalItemimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.Viewpointimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.layers.FeatureLayerimport com.arcgismaps.portal.Portalimport com.arcgismaps.toolkit.geoviewcompose.MapViewimport com.example.app.R@Composablefun MainScreen() {val map = remember { createMap() }Scaffold(topBar = { TopAppBar(title = { Text(text = stringResource(id = R.string.app_name)) }) }) {MapView(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize().padding(it),arcGISMap = map)}}fun createMap(): ArcGISMap {val portal = Portal(url = "https://www.arcgis.com",connection = Portal.Connection.Anonymous)return ArcGISMap(BasemapStyle.ArcGISTopographic).apply{initialViewpoint = Viewpoint(latitude = 34.0270,longitude = -118.8050,scale = 72000.0)}} -
Then, create a
PortalIteminstance, passingportaland the id of the portal item that the feature layer will use.MainScreen.kt38 collapsed lines@file:OptIn(ExperimentalMaterial3Api::class)package com.example.app.screensimport androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSizeimport androidx.compose.foundation.layout.paddingimport androidx.compose.material3.ExperimentalMaterial3Apiimport androidx.compose.material3.Scaffoldimport androidx.compose.material3.Textimport androidx.compose.material3.TopAppBarimport androidx.compose.runtime.Composableimport androidx.compose.runtime.rememberimport androidx.compose.ui.Modifierimport androidx.compose.ui.res.stringResourceimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.ArcGISMapimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.BasemapStyleimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.PortalItemimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.Viewpointimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.layers.FeatureLayerimport com.arcgismaps.portal.Portalimport com.arcgismaps.toolkit.geoviewcompose.MapViewimport com.example.app.R@Composablefun MainScreen() {val map = remember { createMap() }Scaffold(topBar = { TopAppBar(title = { Text(text = stringResource(id = R.string.app_name)) }) }) {MapView(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize().padding(it),arcGISMap = map)}}fun createMap(): ArcGISMap {val portal = Portal(url = "https://www.arcgis.com",connection = Portal.Connection.Anonymous)val portalItem = PortalItem(portal = portal,itemId = "2e4b3df6ba4b44969a3bc9827de746b3")return ArcGISMap(BasemapStyle.ArcGISTopographic).apply{initialViewpoint = Viewpoint(latitude = 34.0270,longitude = -118.8050,scale = 72000.0)}} -
Next, create a
FeatureLayerusingFeatureLayer.createWithItem(), to which you pass the portal item.MainScreen.kt38 collapsed lines@file:OptIn(ExperimentalMaterial3Api::class)package com.example.app.screensimport androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSizeimport androidx.compose.foundation.layout.paddingimport androidx.compose.material3.ExperimentalMaterial3Apiimport androidx.compose.material3.Scaffoldimport androidx.compose.material3.Textimport androidx.compose.material3.TopAppBarimport androidx.compose.runtime.Composableimport androidx.compose.runtime.rememberimport androidx.compose.ui.Modifierimport androidx.compose.ui.res.stringResourceimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.ArcGISMapimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.BasemapStyleimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.PortalItemimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.Viewpointimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.layers.FeatureLayerimport com.arcgismaps.portal.Portalimport com.arcgismaps.toolkit.geoviewcompose.MapViewimport com.example.app.R@Composablefun MainScreen() {val map = remember { createMap() }Scaffold(topBar = { TopAppBar(title = { Text(text = stringResource(id = R.string.app_name)) }) }) {MapView(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize().padding(it),arcGISMap = map)}}fun createMap(): ArcGISMap {val portal = Portal(url = "https://www.arcgis.com",connection = Portal.Connection.Anonymous)val portalItem = PortalItem(portal = portal,itemId = "2e4b3df6ba4b44969a3bc9827de746b3")val featureLayer = FeatureLayer.createWithItem(portalItem)return ArcGISMap(BasemapStyle.ArcGISTopographic).apply{initialViewpoint = Viewpoint(latitude = 34.0270,longitude = -118.8050,scale = 72000.0)}} -
In the
applyblock forArcGISMap, add the feature layer to the map.MainScreen.kt38 collapsed lines@file:OptIn(ExperimentalMaterial3Api::class)package com.example.app.screensimport androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSizeimport androidx.compose.foundation.layout.paddingimport androidx.compose.material3.ExperimentalMaterial3Apiimport androidx.compose.material3.Scaffoldimport androidx.compose.material3.Textimport androidx.compose.material3.TopAppBarimport androidx.compose.runtime.Composableimport androidx.compose.runtime.rememberimport androidx.compose.ui.Modifierimport androidx.compose.ui.res.stringResourceimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.ArcGISMapimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.BasemapStyleimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.PortalItemimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.Viewpointimport com.arcgismaps.mapping.layers.FeatureLayerimport com.arcgismaps.portal.Portalimport com.arcgismaps.toolkit.geoviewcompose.MapViewimport com.example.app.R@Composablefun MainScreen() {val map = remember { createMap() }Scaffold(topBar = { TopAppBar(title = { Text(text = stringResource(id = R.string.app_name)) }) }) {MapView(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize().padding(it),arcGISMap = map)}}fun createMap(): ArcGISMap {val portal = Portal(url = "https://www.arcgis.com",connection = Portal.Connection.Anonymous)val portalItem = PortalItem(portal = portal,itemId = "2e4b3df6ba4b44969a3bc9827de746b3")val featureLayer = FeatureLayer.createWithItem(portalItem)return ArcGISMap(BasemapStyle.ArcGISTopographic).apply{initialViewpoint = Viewpoint(latitude = 34.0270,longitude = -118.8050,scale = 72000.0)operationalLayers.add(featureLayer)}} -
Click Run > Run > app to run the app.
You should see a map of trail heads in the Santa Monica mountains. Double tap, Drag, pinch in, and pinch out on the map view to explore the map.
Alternatively, you can download the tutorial solution, as follows.
Option 2: Download the solution
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Click the Download solution link in the right-hand side of this page.
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Unzip the file to a location on your machine.
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Run Android Studio.
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Go to File > Open…. Navigate to the solution folder and click Open.
On Windows: If you are in the Welcome to Android Studio dialog, click Open and navigate to the solution folder. Then click Open.
Since the downloaded solution does not contain authentication credentials, you must first set up authentication to create credentials, and then add the developer credentials to the solution.
Set up authentication
To access the secure ArcGIS location services
You can implement API key authentication or user authentication in this tutorial. Compare the differences below:
API key authentication
- Users are not required to sign in.
- Requires creating an API key credential
API key credentials are an item that contains the parameters used to create and manage long-lived access tokens for API key authentication. They are a type of developer credential. with the correct privileges. - API keys
An API key is a long-lived access token created using API key credentials. They are valid for up to one year and are typically embedded directly into client applications. are long-lived access tokens. - Service usage is billed to the API key owner/developer.
- Simplest authentication method to implement.
- Recommended approach for new ArcGIS developers.
Learn more in API key authentication.
User authentication
- Users are required to sign in with an ArcGIS account
An ArcGIS account is an identity with a user type and set of privileges that can access specific ArcGIS products, tools, APIs, services, and resources. The main account types that can be used for development are an ArcGIS Location Platform account, ArcGIS Online account, and ArcGIS Enterprise account. ArcGIS Location Platform and ArcGIS Online accounts are also associated with a subscription. . - User accounts must have privilege
Privileges are a set of permissions assigned to ArcGIS accounts, developer credentials, and applications that grant access to secure resources and functionality in ArcGIS. to access the ArcGIS servicesA service, also known as an ArcGIS service, is software that supports an ArcGIS REST API and provides geospatial functionality or data. A service can be hosted by Esri or in ArcGIS Enterprise. used in application. - Requires creating OAuth credentials
OAuth credentials are an item that contains parameters required to implement user authentication or app authentication, including a .client_id,client_secret, and redirect URIs. They are a type of developer credential. - Application uses a redirect URL and client ID.
- Service usage is billed to the organization of the user signed into the application.
Learn more in User authentication.
To complete this tutorial, click on the tab in the switcher below for your authentication type of choice, either API key authentication or User authentication.
Create a new API key access token
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Complete the Create an API key tutorial and create an API key with the following privilege(s)
Privileges are a set of permissions assigned to ArcGIS accounts, developer credentials, and applications that grant access to secure resources and functionality in ArcGIS. :- Privileges
- Location services > Basemaps
- Privileges
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Copy and paste the API key access token into a safe location. It will be used in a later step.
Create new OAuth credentials to access the secure resources used in this tutorial.
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Complete the Create OAuth credentials for user authentication tutorial to obtain a Client ID and Redirect URL.
A
Client IDuniquely identifies your app on the authenticating server. If the server cannot find an app with the provided Client ID, it will not proceed with authentication.The
Redirect URL(also referred to as a callback url) is used to identify a response from the authenticating server when the system returns control back to your app after an OAuth login. Since it does not necessarily represent a valid endpoint that a user could navigate to, the redirect URL can use a custom scheme, such asmy-app://auth. It is important to make sure the redirect URL used in your app’s code matches a redirect URL configured on the authenticating server. -
Copy and paste the Client ID and Redirect URL into a safe location. They will be used in a later step.
All users that access this application need account privileges
Set developer credentials in the solution
To allow your app users to access ArcGIS location services
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In the Android view of Android Studio, open app > kotlin+java > com.example.app > MainActivity. Set the
AuthenticationModeto.API_KEY.MainActivity.kt14 collapsed linespackage com.example.appimport android.os.Bundleimport androidx.activity.ComponentActivityimport androidx.activity.compose.setContentimport androidx.activity.enableEdgeToEdgeimport com.arcgismaps.ApiKeyimport com.arcgismaps.ArcGISEnvironmentimport com.arcgismaps.httpcore.authentication.OAuthUserConfigurationimport com.arcgismaps.toolkit.authentication.AuthenticatorStateimport com.arcgismaps.toolkit.authentication.DialogAuthenticatorimport com.example.app.screens.MainScreenimport com.example.app.ui.theme.TutorialThemeclass MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {private enum class AuthenticationMode { API_KEY, USER_AUTH }private val authenticationMode = AuthenticationMode.API_KEY42 collapsed linesprivate val authenticatorState = AuthenticatorState()override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)when (authenticationMode) {AuthenticationMode.API_KEY -> {ArcGISEnvironment.apiKey = ApiKey.create("YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN")}AuthenticationMode.USER_AUTH -> {authenticatorState.oAuthUserConfigurations = listOf(OAuthUserConfiguration(portalUrl = "https://www.arcgis.com",clientId = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",redirectUrl = "YOUR_REDIRECT_URL"))}}enableEdgeToEdge()setContent {TutorialTheme {MainScreen()if (authenticationMode == AuthenticationMode.USER_AUTH) {DialogAuthenticator(authenticatorState)}}}}} -
Set the
apiKeyproperty with your API key access token.MainActivity.kt22 collapsed linespackage com.example.appimport android.os.Bundleimport androidx.activity.ComponentActivityimport androidx.activity.compose.setContentimport androidx.activity.enableEdgeToEdgeimport com.arcgismaps.ApiKeyimport com.arcgismaps.ArcGISEnvironmentimport com.arcgismaps.httpcore.authentication.OAuthUserConfigurationimport com.arcgismaps.toolkit.authentication.AuthenticatorStateimport com.arcgismaps.toolkit.authentication.DialogAuthenticatorimport com.example.app.screens.MainScreenimport com.example.app.ui.theme.TutorialThemeclass MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {private enum class AuthenticationMode { API_KEY, USER_AUTH }private val authenticationMode = AuthenticationMode.API_KEYprivate val authenticatorState = AuthenticatorState()override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)when (authenticationMode) {AuthenticationMode.API_KEY -> {ArcGISEnvironment.apiKey = ApiKey.create("YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN")}30 collapsed linesAuthenticationMode.USER_AUTH -> {authenticatorState.oAuthUserConfigurations = listOf(OAuthUserConfiguration(portalUrl = "https://www.arcgis.com",clientId = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",redirectUrl = "YOUR_REDIRECT_URL"))}}enableEdgeToEdge()setContent {TutorialTheme {MainScreen()if (authenticationMode == AuthenticationMode.USER_AUTH) {DialogAuthenticator(authenticatorState)}}}}}
Best Practice: The access token is stored directly in the code as a convenience for this tutorial. Do not store credentials directly in source code in a production environment.
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In the Android view of Android Studio, open app > kotlin+java > com.example.app > MainActivity. Set the
AuthenticationModeto.USER_AUTH.MainActivity.ktclass MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {private enum class AuthenticationMode { API_KEY, USER_AUTH }private val authenticationMode = AuthenticationMode.USER_AUTH -
Set your
clientIDandredirectURLvalues. You must use the RedirectURL that you supplied for your app in theuser authenticationpart of the Set up authentication step.MainActivity.ktAuthenticationMode.USER_AUTH -> {authenticatorState.oAuthUserConfigurations = listOf(OAuthUserConfiguration(portalUrl = "https://www.arcgis.com",clientId = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID",redirectUrl = "YOUR_REDIRECT_URL")) -
Open app > manifests > AndroidManifest.xml.
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Set the
android:schemeandandroid:hostusing the scheme and host from your RedirectURL.A redirectURL is composed of a scheme and a host component. The format for the redirect url is
scheme://host. For example, if the redirect url ismyscheme://myhostthen the scheme ismyschemeand the host ismyhost.AndroidManifest.xml41 collapsed lines<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"><uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" /><applicationandroid:allowBackup="true"android:dataExtractionRules="@xml/data_extraction_rules"android:fullBackupContent="@xml/backup_rules"android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"android:label="@string/app_name"android:roundIcon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_round"android:supportsRtl="true"android:theme="@style/Theme.Tutorial"tools:targetApi="31"><activityandroid:name=".MainActivity"android:exported="true"android:label="@string/app_name"android:theme="@style/Theme.Tutorial"><intent-filter><action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" /><category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" /></intent-filter></activity><activityandroid:name="com.arcgismaps.toolkit.authentication.AuthenticationActivity"android:configChanges="keyboard|keyboardHidden|orientation|screenSize"android:exported="true"android:launchMode="singleTop" ><intent-filter><action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" /><category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" /><category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" /><dataandroid:scheme="your_redirect_url_scheme"android:host="your_redirect_url_host" />6 collapsed lines</intent-filter></activity></application></manifest>
Best Practice: The OAuth credentials are stored directly in the code as a convenience for this tutorial. Do not store credentials directly in source code in a production environment.
Run the app
Click Run > Run > app to run the app.
You should see a map of trail heads in the Santa Monica mountains. Double tap, Drag, pinch in, and pinch out on the map view to explore the map.
What’s next?
Learn how to use additional API features, ArcGIS location services, and ArcGIS tools in these tutorials: