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How to add the what3words Locator to Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS
This tutorial will take you through the steps required to add the what3words ArcGIS Locator to a custom widget built using Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS. This widget will help you to perform reverse geocoding (convert a point to a what3words address) on your ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS.
Further information on the features of the Locator can be found here.
Setting up the locator in ArcGIS Online takes a few minutes. Once set up, it will be available across the ArcGIS Online suite.
Resources: The what3words Web AppBuilder widget for ArcGIS is available in our GitHub repository.
Prerequisites
- An installed and configured instance of Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS (Developer Edition);
- A URL of your what3words Locator that has been added to your ArcGIS online or your Portal for ArcGIS by following this instruction on the what3words developer site;
- A copy of this widget, that is available in our GitHub repository.
Installation & Configuration
- To deploy the what3words widget, you need to copy the
what3wordsfolder and its contents into your Web AppBuilder installation’sclient/stemapp/widgets/folder. Our what3words widget is available in our GitHub repository; - Then start the Web AppBuilder server on your terminal. Please follow this instruction if you are new to it;
- Now you are ready to create your own Web Application;
After you have created your own web application, you can now add the what3words widget to it by clicking on any of the empty widget on the left-hand side.
A list of widgets will pop up. You can search the what3words widget by typing its name on the search bar at the top or look for the widget on the list. Once you have found it, please click on it. If the widget has been selected correctly, a tick will be shown on top of the icon of the widget.
Configure the widget with your what3words Locator URL. By using the what3words locator, you would be able to retrieve the correct what3words address in any coordinate systems used on your web map.
Example of a what3words Locator: https://utility.arcgis.com/usrsvcs/servers/<MyGeocodingArcGISUniqueID>/rest/services/what3words_EN_English/GeocodeServer.
To find the what3words Locator URL, go to your ArcGIS Online or Portal for ArcGIS, click on the Content > My Organization tab. Search for your locator, you could filter by Item type > Tools > Locators as shown on this screenshot.
Then click on your Locator, scroll down to the bottom of the page, on the right-hand side, you will find the URL of your Locator. You need to copy and paste this URL to the configuration page of the what3words widget, as shown on this screenshot.
The widget is now ready to run inside your web app. Click on the /// button to activate the widget. A message will appear on the map: Click any location on the map to see its whats3words address.
Clicking on the map will allow you to discover what3words addresses at the clicked location. For example, the point selected on the map returned this what3words address: ///filled.count.soap.
