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Configure location connectors

This is an admin task

The location field is designed to work with external map providers such as Google Maps and Esri ArcGIS. These providers allow the field to display maps and predictive search answers, as well as - in the case of Esri ArcGIS - validate location data. 

To make the most of the location field, your organization should connect OpenForms to at least one map provider. 

Configure the Google Maps connector

  1. From the main menu, go to Integrations > Connectors > Form add-ons > Google Maps
  2. Select Add in the Google Maps connector details page
  3. Enter your Maps API key (if you don't have one, you'll need to set one up)
  4. Make sure you have the following options enabled in the Google Maps > APIs screen of the Google developers console
    • Google Places API Web Service
    • Google Maps Javascript API
    • Google Maps Geocoding API 

  5. Save your changes

3. Give your connector a descriptive name. 
/image
Form authors will use this name to select the correct Esri ArcGIS connector for their form.
/tip You can add multiple Esri ArcGIS connectors to suit different location-specific scenarios.
4. Enter your Esri ArcGIS API key 
Find this in your Esri Developer Portal > API

Configure the Esri ArcGIS connector

  1. From the main menu, go to Integrations > Connectors > Form add-ons > Esri ArcGIS
  2. Select Add in the Esri ArcGIS connector details page
  3. Give your connector a descriptive Name

    OpenForms can support multiple Esri ArcGIS connectors, so it's important to give each connector a descriptive name to help form authors select the right one for their form

  4. Enter your Esri ArcGIS API key
    Find this in your Esri developer portal > API

  5. Use the Validation layer dropdown to select whether you want to validate respondent location answers against data in a point layer (a list of allowable locations) or a sketch layer (a geometric boundary on an Esri map)

  6. Copy the URL of the point or sketch layer you would like to validate respondent location answers against  into the Validation layer URL field
     Layer URLs are available in your Esri developer portal > Layers

  7. If you’ve chosen a point layer (a list of allowable locations) to validate respondent location answers, you must specify which Attribute of that list you would like to validate respondent answers against
    This can be any attribute - such as a location's street address - but bear in mind that this attribute will also populate predictive search results in location fields using this connector

  8. (Optional) Add additional Esri feature layers to the connector as visual Overlays to help contextualise the location field map for respondents

    These layers won't be used to validate respondent answers. Instead, any visual information such as boundaries, points of interest, and so on in these layers on will be displayed on top of the location field map
    Overlay feature layers must be drawn from your organization’s Esri account. Public URLs from other accounts cannot currently be displayed
     Providing too much overlay information can also cause the map to render slowly or overwhelm respondents. We recommend using overlays sparingly

  9. Save your changes

  10. Add any additional Esri ArcGIS connectors you need

6. Copy the URL of the point or sketch layer you would like to use to validate respondent location answers into the validation Layer URL 
/Tip Find these URLs in your Esri developer portal > Layers
7. If you’ve chosen a point layer (a list of allowable locations) to validate respondent location answers, you must specify which attribute of that list you would like to validate respondent answers against. 
/tip: This can be any attribute – most commonly a street address – but bear in mind that this attribute will also populate predictive search results in the location fields using this connector 
8. (Optional) Add visual overlays to help contextualise the map for respondents. Any visual information in the point or sketch layer URL you add here will be overlaid on the map shown to respondents using this connector. 
/Note These must be layer URLs from your organization’s Esri account. Public URLs from other accounts will not display
/TIP Make sure your overlays don’t contain so much information that they are overwhelming to respondents, or cause performance issues rendering their map. 
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