Create forms and templates for editing

The City of New York shares information about local parks on a public website to help residents identify recreational areas that meet their needs. To ensure information remains accurate, the New York City parks dataset must be updated regularly. In this tutorial, you'll act as a GIS data technician working for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. You'll create an editing form that will be used to maintain the New York City parks dataset more efficiently. To accomplish this, you'll configure fields, implement Arcade expressions, and create templates, which help to simplify the editing workflow.

This tutorial was last tested on June 17, 2025.

Requirements

• Publisher or Administrator role in an ArcGIS organization: ArcGIS Online (see options for software access) or ArcGIS Enterprise (learn more)

Create and customize a form

To begin the task of creating a form for the Department of Parks and Recreation, you'll download a file geodatabase containing information about New York City parks. You'll then create a web map and add data to it. To build the form, you'll configure elements and fields. This custom form will help organize the New York City parks dataset, which will simplify data maintenance for editors in your organization.

Add data to a web map

First, you'll download a .zip file that contains a file geodatabase (.gdb). The file geodatabase contains a New York City parks polygon feature class. Once you download the data, you'll create a map in Map Viewer and add the geodatabase feature class as a hosted feature layer. You'll then change the basemap and save the map.

1. Download the NYCParks.gdb.zip file to your computer.
2. Sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have an organizational account, see options for software access.

3. On the ribbon, click the Map tab.

   

   A web map appears, showing the world topographic basemap.

4. On the Contents (dark) toolbar, at the bottom, click the Expand button.

   

   When you expand the toolbars, you can see the button names rather than just the icon. You can expand and collapse either toolbar as needed.

5. On the Contents toolbar, click Add and choose Add layer from file.

   

6. In the Add Layer window, click Your device.

   

7. In the Open window, browse to where you downloaded the NYCParks.gdb.zip file. Select it and click Open.

   Note:

   You also can drag the file from File Explorer onto the Add Layer window.

8. In the Add Layer window, for File type, click the drop-down menu and choose File geodatabase.

   

   The NYCParks.gdb.zip zipped file geodatabase is shown for the File option. There is no need to extract the contents of the .zip file before you add the item into ArcGIS Online. The feature class in the geodatabase will be added as a hosted feature layer in your ArcGIS Online account.

9. Click Next.
10. For Title, type New York City parks, followed by your name or initials.

    Note:

    You cannot create two layers in an ArcGIS organization with the same name. Adding your initials or name to a layer name ensures that other users in your organization can also complete this tutorial. Once a layer has been created, you can rename it in the map to remove your initials, which will not affect the name of the underlying data layer.

11. For Summary, type Location information and properties of New York City parks, 2025.
12. Click Create and add to map.

    

    The New York City parks layer appears on the map

    When you first add a layer to the map, it is symbolized using a random color, which you can change. Also, you can change the basemap to something more fitting for the data you are working with. For example, you may want to show streets instead of terrain or just have a blank canvas for reference purposes.

13. On the Contents toolbar, click Basemap and choose Light Gray Canvas.

    

    On the map, the basemap updates.

    

14. Close the Basemap pane.

    Next, you'll save the map.

15. On the Contents toolbar, click Save and open and choose Save as.

    

    Note:

    Whenever there is a blue dot on the Save and open option, this means that there are unsaved changes in the map.

16. In the Save map window, enter the following information:
    • For Title, type Properties of New York City parks.
    • For Summary, type Location information and properties of New York City parks, 2025.
17. Click Save.

    You have added a layer from a file geodatabase onto a blank map, changed the basemap, and saved the map in your ArcGIS Online account.

Configure elements

Next, you'll open the default editing form to see why configuring a custom form is important. Then, you'll use Group and Info elements to build and organize a form for the New York City parks dataset.

1. On the Contents toolbar, click Layers. Click New York City parks to select the layer.

   

   A blue line to the left of the layer name appears once the layer is selected.

2. For the New York City parks layer, click Options and choose Show table.

   

   The table appears.

   

   You can see the attributes that are collected for each park, such as acres, address, and others if you scroll to the right.

3. Scroll through the table to see the other attributes.
4. When finished, close the table.

   Next, you'll view the unconfigured form. The form displays the same attributes as the table.

5. On the Settings (light) toolbar, click Expand to view the names of the commands.
6. Click Edit.

   

7. Under Edit features, click Select by point.

   

8. On the map, click the northeastern park.

   

   An unconfigured editing form appears.

   

   The editing form shows all the attributes by default, but for your project, most are not needed. You'll configure the form for a customized editing experience for maintenance workers. You'll keep only the needed fields, organize them, and give the fields names that are easier to understand.

   Note:

   A message appears in the form stating that editing is restricted, but that you have privileges to edit the layer. Because you are the data owner, you can edit the layer, but others cannot. You can enable editing in the layer's settings.

9. On the Settings toolbar, click Configure editing and choose Forms.

   

   The Configure form window appears. You'll drag only the necessary items from the Form elements and Fields sections to create a more streamlined form for editing.

10. From the Form elements list, drag Info to the form canvas.

    

    The Info element appears on the form. The Info element is a read-only text element that you can use to provide contextual information or additional details about the form. In the Properties pane, you can add information about the form.

11. In the Formatting section, in the text editor, type or copy and paste This dataset was created using data obtained from NYC OpenData and displays the location of public parks and their properties.

    For the NYC Open text, you'll add a hyperlink to the data source.

12. In the sentence that you added, highlight the text NYC OpenData and click the Link button.

    

13. For Link URL, copy and paste https://nycopendata.socrata.com/Recreation/Parks-Properties/enfh-gkve/about_data and click the Save button.

    

14. Close the Properties pane.

    

    The sentence you added displays at the top of the form and the Open NYC text is highlighted and underlined, indicating that it is a URL link.

    

    Next, you'll add a Group element and organize fields into it.

15. From the Form elements list, drag the Group element to the form canvas and place it below the Info element.

    

    The Group element organizes fields into collapsible sections and allows for related fields to be placed in the same section.

16. In the Properties pane, in the Formatting section, change the Display name to Park properties.

    

    The Display name describes the fields that are contained in the group, like a section heading on a paper form. The asterisk indicates that this value is required.

17. Close the Properties pane.

    You have added the Info and Group elements to the form and modified their properties.

Configure fields

To complete the form, you'll populate the form canvas and Group element with fields and configure them.

1. In the Fields list, click Find fields and type date_updated.

   

   Note:

   You can also scroll through the Fields list to find fields.

2. From the Fields list, drag the date_updated field to the form canvas and place it below the Info element.

   

   The date_updated field appears on the form.

   

   You'll add two more fields to the form and add three fields to the Park properties group.

3. Search for and add the retired field under date_updated.
4. Search for and add the permit field under retired.

   

   Next, you'll add fields to the Park properties group.

5. Search for and add the following fields into the Park properties group:
   • signname
   • acres
   • typecatego

   Note:

   Ensure that the signname, acres, and typecatego fields are in the white boundary of the group and not outside of it.

   

   All the fields you need are now in the form. The next step is to configure each field. The following are the properties you can configure:

   • Display name—Name that appears for the field on the form.
   • Input type—Determines how options appear for data entry.
   • Placeholder—Read-only text that appears in the data entry section of a field to provide the editor with a formatting hint.
   • Description—Read-only text that appears on the form and can be used to add further context, provide clarification, or guide an editor who may be unfamiliar with the dataset.
   • Required—Checking the box next to Required prevents users from submitting the form with the field empty.

   Note:

   To learn more about input types, visit Forms aren't just for ArcGIS Field Maps anymore or the ArcGIS Online documentation.

6. In the form, click the date_updated field.

   

   The Properties pane appears, allowing you to edit the field.

7. Set the following properties:
   • For Display name, type Date updated.
   • For Input type, choose Date.
   • For Description, type (dd/mm/yyyy).

   

   In this scenario, the Department of Parks and Recreation has asked for dates to be entered as day, month, year. An editor might not be aware of this restriction without the accompanying information.

8. In the Logic section, check the box for Required.

   

   The Date_updated field properties update on the form.

   

9. Close the Properties pane.
10. In the form, click the retired field. In the Properties pane, set the following parameters:
    • For Display name, type Retired status.
    • For Input type, choose Switch.
    • For Description, type Is the park retired?
    • Check the Required box.

    

11. In the form, click the permit field. In the Properties pane, set the following parameters:
    • For Display name, type Permit requirements.
    • For Input type, choose Radio buttons.
    • For Description, type Is a permit required to access athletic facilities or use event space?

    

12. In the form, click the signname field. In the Properties pane, set the following parameters:
    • For Display name, type Park name.
    • For Input type, confirm that Text – Single line is selected.
    • For Placeholder, type ex. Brewer Park.

    

13. In the form, click the acres field. In the Properties pane, set the following parameters:
    • For Display name, type Area (acres).
    • For Input type, confirm that Number - Double is selected.
    • For Placeholder, type ex. 200.
    • Check the Required box.

    

14. In the form, click the typecatego field. In the Properties pane, set the following parameters:
    • For Display name, type Park type.
    • For Input type, confirm that Combo box is selected.
    • For Description, type What is the primary use of the park?
    • Check the Required box.

    

    You have added several fields and modified their properties. Next, you'll save the form. There is no save button, but when you click OK, the changes are saved.

15. At the bottom of the form, click OK to save the changes and close the form.

    

    The form closes and the map appears. You'll open the form to see the changes that you have made.

16. On the Settings toolbar, click Edit.
17. On the Editor pane, under Edit features, click Select by point.

    

18. On the map, click a park to open the editing form.

    

    The form appears and displays the modifications that you have made. In just a few minutes, you have created a more polished and easier to interpret editing form.

You have created a form with configured elements and fields that can be used by editors to maintain the New York City parks dataset. Next, you'll use Arcade to make improvements to the form.

Configure fields using Arcade

Next, you'll improve the form by implementing Arcade expressions to reduce data editing errors and increase efficiency. To filter out irrelevant fields, you'll apply a visibility condition. You'll write expressions to automatically populate the Area (acres) and Date updated fields. Then, you'll save and test your form.

Create a condition for visibility

Retired parks are no longer maintained by the City of New York, so a permit is not required to access athletic facilities or use event space. To increase editing efficiency, you'll apply a visibility condition that will dynamically show or hide the Permit requirements field based on the editor's response to the Retired field.

1. On the Settings toolbar, click Configure editing and choose Forms.

   The form appears, showing all the changes you made.

2. On the form, click the Permit requirements field.

   

   The Properties pane appears, allowing you to edit the field.

3. In the Logic section, for Visible, click the settings button.

   

   The Expressions window appears.

4. Click New expression.

   

   The Expression builder window appears.

5. In the Expression builder window, for Title, type Show permit requirements if park is not retired.
6. For Condition, perform the following actions:
   • Click the first drop-down menu and choose retired.
   • Click the second drop-down menu and choose is, or confirm that it is already selected.
   • Click the third drop-down menu and choose No.

   

   A condition includes a field name, an operator, and potentially, a value. The list of available operators is determined by the type of field (string, number, or date).

7. Click Done.

   The Visible badge appears in the Permit requirements field. This expression causes the Permit requirements field to only be visible when a park is not retired.

   

Calculate area

Next, you'll write an Arcade expression that will automatically calculate the area of each park feature to two decimal places in acres. This expression will reduce editing and maintenance errors, ensuring the public continues to have access to reliable information about New York City parks.

1. Click Area (acres) in the form canvas.

   

   The Properties pane appears, allowing you to edit the field.

2. In the Logic section, for Calculated expression, click the settings button.

   

3. In the Calculated expressions window, click New expression.

   

   The expression builder window appears. You'll change the title of your expression.

4. At the top of the window, click New expression and type Park acreage.

   

5. In the expression builder, type Round(Area($feature, 'acres'),2) and press Enter.

   

   The Area function, (Area ($feature, 'acres'), calculates a feature's area in acres. The Round function, Round(<calculated area>, 2), rounds the area value to two decimal places.

   Note:

   A list of available Arcade functions can be found by clicking the Functions button on the right side of the window. To learn more about Arcade, visit the Try ArcGIS Arcade tutorial series.

6. Click Run.

   

   At the bottom of the console, the result appears.

   

   A number result appears. If there are issues with your code, an error message will appear on the Output tab.

7. Click Done.

   The Read-only and Calculated badges appear in the Area (acres) field.

   

Populate a date field automatically

Next, you'll write an expression to automatically populate the Date updated field with the current date to increase editing efficiency and reduce errors.

1. On the form, click Date updated to select it.

   

2. In the Properties pane, in the Logic section, for Calculated expression, click the settings button.
3. In the Calculated expressions window, click New expression.
4. Click the existing title and change it to Today's date.
5. In the New expression window, type today() and press Enter.

   

6. Click Run.

   

   Note:

   Your date and time zone will differ from the example image.

   If there are issues with your code, an error message will appear on the Output tab.

7. Click Done.

   The Read-only and Calculated badges appear in the Date updated field.

   

   Note:

   In the Calculated expressions section for each field, you can have multiple expressions. If you click the settings button again, you'll see the expression you added and the ability to add another expression.

8. Click OK.

   The form is saved and the web map reappears.

Test the form

Before notifying the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation that your assignment is complete, you'll first test your form to ensure you have successfully configured fields and implemented Arcade expressions. To test your form, you'll select an existing feature and review fields to see whether they appear to be correctly populated.

1. On the Settings toolbar, click Edit.

   

   The Editor pane appears. You opened this pane earlier in the tutorial to see what the default editing form looked like. Some of the field names were cryptic and the form was not configured for the data. Next, you'll use the configured form.

2. Under Edit features, click Select by point. On the map, click the northernmost park.

   

   The customized editing form that you configured appears.

   

   The form has updated to include the calculations for the Date updated and Area (acres) fields.

   Note:

   If the form needs adjustments, open the form again by clicking Configure editing > Forms to make the changes.

3. In the Edit feature pane, click the back arrow and click Discard edits.
4. Click another park to see how the form updates.

   The Area (acres) value is different. This value is determined by the Arcade function you added to the expression.

5. Click the back arrow again and click Discard edits.
6. On the Contents toolbar, click Save and open and choose Save.

   You have improved the original form and made it more efficient to edit and maintain by using conditional visibility to hide unnecessary fields. By building Arcade expressions that automatically populate fields, you have limited the likelihood of human error, leading to a more reliable dataset.

Create a template

You have created an organized form to collect more data efficiently. Next, you'll create feature templates to streamline the data collection process and make creating features easier. Templates specify one or more of the following when creating a feature in a layer: default attribute values, and symbology. You can define a template with default attribute values to automatically populate fields, which is useful when you know a field will remain consistent for multiple features. You'll create two templates, one for retired parks and one for active parks.

1. On the Settings toolbar, click Configure editing and choose Templates.

   

   Currently, there is an existing template called New Feature.

2. For Templates, next to the New Feature template, click Duplicate.

   

   The template is duplicated, and a template called Copy of New Feature appears.

   

   You'll edit the New Feature template and modify it for retired parks.

3. Click the New Feature template.

   

4. In the Properties pane, configure the following parameters:
   • For Display name, type Retired.
   • For retired, click the drop-down menu and choose Yes.

   

   You have set the properties for the retired parks template. Next, you'll edit the template copy and configure it for active parks.

5. Click the Copy of New Feature template.

   

6. In the Properties pane, configure the following parameters:
   • For Display name, type Active.
   • For retired, click the drop-down menu and choose No.

   

7. Click OK.

   The templates are saved and the web map reappears. Next, you'll test the templates.

8. On the Settings toolbar, click Edit.

   The templates are visible under Create features.

   

   You have created templates that contain specific information to streamline data entry and maintenance of the New York City parks layer. If you are creating a park that you know is active, you can use the Active template. When you create a park, it will automatically inherit all attributes that you set within the template.

Throughout this tutorial, you have created and configured a form that can be used to edit and maintain the New York City parks dataset. To improve editing efficiency and accuracy, you applied Arcade expressions to hide unnecessary fields and make calculations based on the feature that is selected. Finally, to streamline data entry, you created templates for the form. You can now notify the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation that the form is ready to use for maintaining and editing New York City parks data.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.

Acknowledgements

• The New York City parks dataset used in this tutorial was created using data obtained from NYC OpenData.
• All Adobe Stock images are © 2024 Adobe Stock. All rights reserved.
• World Topographic Map sources: Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community
• Light Gray Canvas map sources: Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community