concept ArcGIS API in category arcgis
This is an excerpt from Manning's book ArcGIS Web Development.
Before I get into the details of the ArcGIS API for JavaScript, you may want to visit http://esriurl.com/js for a quick overview of the code samples and reference materials. This book doesn’t regurgitate the documentation, but the documentation is the source material for the API and will be a key source of information in your exploration of the ArcGIS API for JavaScript.
The ArcGIS API for JavaScript is a natural choice if you’re working with ArcGIS Server. The JavaScript API seamlessly translates the information from ArcGIS Server to provide a rich web mapping experience. Figure 1.1 shows how GIS data that previously was accessible only to a few users can now be shared using ArcGIS Server and the ArcGIS API for JavaScript.
The purpose of this book is to introduce you to the basics of the ArcGIS API for JavaScript and how use the API to interact with various ArcGIS services. You’ll also look at how to interact directly with ArcGIS Server if you need information that you can’t easily use the API for, and you’ll learn how to extend the API to build your own tools to meet your needs.
At this point, you’ve seen a few examples that cover the basics of building a web mapping application by using the ArcGIS API for JavaScript. Some of the samples, like those in chapter 2, were intentionally introductory, to show you how simple it can be to get a web mapping application up and running. In chapter 3, you got more in depth, using parts of the ArcGIS API for JavaScript and Dojo to build a custom legend and table of contents widget, and you even took advantage of communicating directly with the ArcGIS Server REST API to do so. In this chapter, you’re going to build what could be a real-world application to deploy to your users or customers. This application will focus on the specific task of collecting data.
A popular item these days is a web application capable of being used on mobile devices. A browser-based web application is incredibly convenient for users and developers alike. Users don’t need to worry about having the right device, and developers can focus on building a better application without the overhead of building platform-specific versions or having to learn a new programming language. In this section, you’ll focus on building a web application that works on most mobile devices. I say most because, honestly, so many devices are available that I’m hesitant to say they all work the same, even in a browser environment. Small variances might occur when you tap your finger on an older Android device running the latest Android operating system, versus when you tap your finger on a brand-new Microsoft tablet using Internet Explorer. Nothing is perfect, but the tools in the ArcGIS API for JavaScript handle most compatibility issues for you under the hood, so you won’t need to be too concerned about them. We’ll discuss more about possible compatibility issues with HTML5 functionality later in the chapter and also in chapter 5.