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My Layers ​

Personal workspace for managing custom geometries with advanced styling, public sharing, and database persistence.

Overview ​

My Layers provides comprehensive geometry management built on ArcGIS Feature Layers with PostgreSQL PostGIS storage and automatic GeoJSON conversion.

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Core Capabilities:

  • Geometry Storage: Save points, lines, and polygons to database with automatic coordinate transformation
  • Two Workspaces: Private geometries (your saved items) and Shared geometries (public items from all users)
  • Advanced Styling: Geometry-specific style editors with real-time preview
  • Public Sharing: Make geometries visible to all users or keep private
  • Map Integration: Load geometries as ArcGIS Feature Layers with labels and popups
  • Search & Filter: Find geometries by name, label, or geometry type

Authentication Required: Must be logged in to access My Layers functionality.

Two-Tab Workspace ​

My Layers Tab ​

Your personal saved geometries.

What You See:

  • Geometries you created (owner)
  • Name, label, creation date
  • Shared indicator if made public
  • Geometry type icon (point, line, polygon)

Available Actions (owner only):

  • Add to map
  • Edit details (name, label, description, public status)
  • Edit style (colors, widths, patterns, markers)
  • Toggle public/private
  • Delete

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Shared Tab ​

Public geometries from all users.

What You See:

  • Geometries marked as public by any user
  • Creator name
  • Name, label, creation date
  • Geometry type icon

Available Actions (for others' geometries):

  • Add to map
  • View details (read-only)

Note: Your own public geometries appear in both tabs - manage them from "My Layers" tab.

Opening My Layers Panel ​

Location: Left sidebar

How to Open:

  1. Click My Layers icon in sidebar
  2. Panel opens with two tabs
  3. Must be logged in (shows login notice if not authenticated)

Panel Features:

  • Search bar with live filtering
  • Geometry type filter dropdown (All Types, Points, Lines, Polygons)
  • Refresh button to reload from database
  • Tab counter showing number of items in each workspace

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Search and Filter ​

Find geometries by name or label.

How It Works:

  • Type in search box
  • Filters both tabs simultaneously
  • Case-insensitive partial match
  • Searches both name and label fields
  • Clear button to reset

Example: Type "buffer" to find all geometries with "buffer" in name or label.

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Geometry Type Filter ​

Filter by geometry type.

Options:

  • All Types (default)
  • Points
  • Lines
  • Polygons

Behavior: Filter applies to current tab only, works with search bar.

Adding Geometries to Map ​

Load to Map Action ​

Primary action for all geometries.

How to Load:

  1. Click "Add to map" button (zoom icon) next to geometry
  2. Geometry appears on map as ArcGIS Feature Layer
  3. Map automatically zooms to geometry with appropriate padding
  4. Success notification confirms geometry added

What Happens:

  • Creates Feature Layer with geometry name as layer title
  • Applies saved style if available, otherwise uses default My Layers style
  • Enables popup showing name, label, and description
  • If label exists, displays label on map with appropriate placement
  • Layer appears in Layers panel for further management

Zoom Behavior:

  • Points: Zooms to scale 1:15 with point centered
  • Lines/Polygons: Expands extent by 20% for visual padding

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Managing Your Geometries ​

Edit Details ​

Modify geometry metadata and public status.

Editable Fields:

  • Name (required): Identifier for geometry
  • Label: Text displayed on map (optional)
  • Description: Additional details (optional)
  • Public Status: Toggle public/private sharing

How to Edit:

  1. Click menu (three dots) next to geometry
  2. Select "Edit Details"
  3. Dialog opens with current values
  4. Modify fields as needed
  5. Click "Save"

Label on Map: If label provided, appears on map when geometry loaded with appropriate placement:

  • Points: Label above point with offset
  • Lines: Label along line path
  • Polygons: Label horizontally within polygon

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Edit Style ​

Advanced geometry-specific style editor.

Access: Click menu → "Edit Style" → Style dialog opens

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Point Styling ​

Available Options:

  • Point Style: circle, cross, diamond, square, triangle, x
  • Point Color: RGBA color picker with alpha channel
  • Point Size: 1-50 pixels
  • Outline Style: solid, dash, dash-dot, dot, long-dash, short-dash, etc.
  • Outline Color: RGBA color picker with alpha channel
  • Outline Width: 0-10 pixels (0.5 step)

Example: Blue circle (size 12) with white outline (width 2)

Line Styling ​

Available Options:

  • Line Style: solid, dash, dash-dot, dot, long-dash, long-dash-dot, long-dash-dot-dot, short-dash, short-dash-dot, short-dash-dot-dot, short-dot
  • Line Color: RGBA color picker with alpha channel
  • Line Width: 1-20 pixels (0.5 step)

Line Markers (optional):

  • Enable/disable markers toggle
  • Marker Style: arrow, circle, square, diamond, cross, x
  • Marker Placement: begin, end, begin-end
  • Marker Color: RGBA color picker with alpha channel

Example: Red dashed line (width 3) with arrow markers at both ends

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Polygon Styling ​

Available Options:

  • Fill Style: solid, backward-diagonal, cross, diagonal-cross, forward-diagonal, horizontal, vertical, none
  • Fill Color: RGBA color picker with alpha channel
  • Outline Style: solid, dash, dash-dot, dot, long-dash, short-dash, etc.
  • Outline Color: RGBA color picker with alpha channel
  • Outline Width: 0-10 pixels (0.5 step)

Example: Semi-transparent green fill with black solid outline (width 2)

Style Persistence:

  • Styles saved to database with geometry
  • Applied automatically when geometry loaded to map
  • Can be updated anytime

Toggle Public/Private Status ​

Share geometries with all users or keep private.

How to Toggle:

  1. Click menu → "Make public" (if private) or "Make private" (if public)
  2. Status updates immediately
  3. Notification confirms new status

Public Geometries:

  • Visible in everyone's "Shared" tab
  • Still manageable only by owner
  • Shows shared icon in "My Layers" tab
  • Creator name visible to others

Private Geometries:

  • Only visible in your "My Layers" tab
  • Not visible to other users
  • No shared icon

Auto Tab Switch: When making geometry private from "Shared" tab, automatically switches to "My Layers" tab.

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Delete Geometry ​

Remove geometry from database.

How to Delete:

  1. Click menu → "Delete"
  2. Confirmation dialog appears with geometry name
  3. Click "Delete" to confirm (or "Cancel" to abort)
  4. Geometry removed from database and My Layers list

What Happens:

  • Geometry deleted from PostgreSQL database
  • Removed from My Layers list immediately
  • If geometry is loaded on map as layer, automatically removed from map
  • Cannot be undone

Warning: Export geometry before deleting if you want to keep a copy.

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Viewing Shared Geometries ​

View Details (Read-Only) ​

See information about others' public geometries.

Available for: Geometries in "Shared" tab that you don't own

How to View:

  1. Click information icon next to geometry
  2. Details dialog opens showing:
    • Creator name (shared by)
    • Name
    • Label (if provided)
    • Description (if provided)
    • Geometry type
    • Creation date

Note: Cannot edit or delete other users' geometries. Can only view details and add to map.

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Technical Implementation ​

Storage Format ​

Database: PostgreSQL with PostGIS extension

Geometry Format: GeoJSON (converted from ArcGIS geometries)

  • Ensures proper geometry formatting (closed rings for polygons)
  • Standard interchange format with PostGIS
  • Supports Point, LineString, Polygon types

Style Format: ArcGIS Symbol JSON

  • Serialized symbol properties
  • Preserves all style settings
  • Geometry-specific symbol types (SimpleMarkerSymbol, SimpleLineSymbol, SimpleFillSymbol)

Coordinate Transformation ​

Automatic Projection: Geometries automatically projected to configured SRID before storage

  • Uses ArcGIS geometry projection operators
  • Configured SRID set by administrator in application config
  • Ensures consistent coordinate system in database
  • No user action required

On Load: Geometries restored to original coordinate system when loaded to map

Map Integration ​

Layer Type: ArcGIS Feature Layer (not GraphicsLayer)

  • Full Style Panel compatibility
  • Popup support
  • Label support
  • Renderer support for advanced symbology

Layer Properties:

  • Title set to geometry name
  • Feature Layer with single graphic
  • Spatial reference from geometry SRID
  • Fields: OBJECTID, name, label, description, geometryId, geometryType
  • Popup template with field display
  • Optional label class for map labels

Benefits: Compatible with all standard ArcGIS layer operations (export, style editing, feature table, etc.)

Common Workflows ​

Workflow 1: Save Sketch and Share ​

Scenario: Draw boundary and share with team

Steps:

  1. Use Draw/Sketch tools to create polygon on map
  2. Save geometry (from draw tool or context menu)
  3. Geometry appears in "My Layers" tab
  4. Click menu → "Edit Details"
  5. Set name: "Project Boundary - North Site"
  6. Set label: "North Site"
  7. Enable "Make public" checkbox
  8. Save
  9. Geometry now visible to all users in "Shared" tab

Result: Team members can load boundary to their maps

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Workflow 2: Custom Style for Analysis ​

Scenario: Style geometry for presentation

Steps:

  1. Geometry exists in "My Layers"
  2. Click menu → "Edit Style"
  3. For polygon: Set fill color (semi-transparent red), outline (solid black, width 3)
  4. Save style
  5. Load to map - styled geometry appears
  6. Style persists on reload

Result: Consistently styled geometry for reports and presentations

Workflow 3: Use Shared Geometry ​

Scenario: Access colleague's public geometry

Steps:

  1. Open My Layers panel
  2. Switch to "Shared" tab
  3. Use search to find geometry by name
  4. Click information icon to view details and creator
  5. Click "Add to map" to load geometry
  6. Geometry appears on map with creator's saved style

Result: Collaborative geometry sharing without file exchange

Best Practices ​

Organization ​

Naming Convention:

  • Use descriptive names: "Site A Buffer 500m" not "Buffer"
  • Include date if time-sensitive: "Flood Zone 2023-11"
  • Include project name: "Highway Upgrade - Impact Zone"

Labels:

  • Keep labels short (displayed on map)
  • Use labels for map readability, full names for management
  • Example: Name "Property Parcel 123 - Development Site", Label "Site A"

Regular Cleanup:

  • Delete old analysis geometries after project completion
  • Export important geometries before deleting
  • Keep active list under 20 geometries for performance

Styling ​

Visibility:

  • Use semi-transparent fills for polygons to see underlying layers
  • Use contrasting outline colors for clarity
  • Consider map basemap when choosing colors

Consistency:

  • Use consistent styling for related geometries
  • Save as public if team needs consistent styling
  • Document color scheme for project standards

Sharing ​

When to Make Public:

  • Reference boundaries for team use
  • Standard analysis areas
  • Shared infrastructure features

When to Keep Private:

  • Work-in-progress geometries
  • Temporary analysis sketches
  • Sensitive or confidential areas

Performance ​

For Best Performance:

  • Keep total saved geometries under 100
  • Delete unused geometries regularly
  • Simplify complex geometries before saving
  • Use appropriate geometry types (avoid unnecessary polygons for points)

Troubleshooting ​

"Please login to view and manage your saved geometries" ​

Cause: Not authenticated

Solution: Click login and authenticate to access My Layers functionality

"Failed to load saved geometries" ​

Possible Causes:

  • Network connectivity issue
  • Database unavailable
  • Session expired

Solutions:

  • Check internet connection
  • Click refresh button to retry
  • Re-authenticate if session expired
  • Contact administrator if problem persists

"Failed to add geometry to map" ​

Possible Causes:

  • Corrupted geometry data
  • Invalid coordinate system
  • Map view not initialized

Solutions:

  • Try loading different geometry to verify map functionality
  • Check browser console for error details
  • Delete and recreate geometry if corrupted
  • Report issue to administrator with geometry details

"Failed to update geometry" ​

Possible Causes:

  • Network timeout
  • Invalid input (empty name)
  • Database constraint violation

Solutions:

  • Ensure name is not empty
  • Verify public status toggle is functioning
  • Check network connection
  • Retry operation

Possible Causes:

  • Search query doesn't match name or label
  • Geometry type filter active
  • Wrong tab selected (private vs shared)

Solutions:

  • Clear search query and reset filter to "All Types"
  • Check both "My Layers" and "Shared" tabs
  • Click refresh button to reload from database

Summary ​

My Layers is a comprehensive geometry management system:

Key Features:

  • 📁 Two Workspaces: Private and Shared tabs
  • 🔍 Search & Filter: Find geometries by name, label, or type
  • ✏️ Edit Details: Name, label, description, public status
  • 🎨 Advanced Styling: Geometry-specific editors with real-time preview
  • 🌐 Public Sharing: Share geometries with all users
  • 🗺️ Map Integration: Load as ArcGIS Feature Layers with labels
  • 💾 Database Storage: PostgreSQL PostGIS with GeoJSON format
  • 🔄 Auto Projection: Automatic coordinate transformation
  • 🗑️ Full Management: Delete with automatic map cleanup

Technical Foundation:

  • Built on ArcGIS Feature Layers
  • PostgreSQL PostGIS database backend
  • GeoJSON geometry storage
  • ArcGIS Symbol JSON for styles
  • Automatic coordinate transformation
  • Authentication-protected API

Remember: My Layers provides persistent geometry storage with team collaboration capabilities through public sharing.