Create Web sites using a Remote ArcIMS Manager installation

Summary

If after successfully installing the Remote ArcIMS Manager you are having problems creating a Web site, follow the steps below.

If you have not been able to successfully install the Remote ArcIMS Manager, see Appendix A of the ArcIMS 3.0 Installation Guide.

This article makes references to the following machines:

¤ The local machine is the Remote ArcIMS Manager
¤ The server is where ArcIMS is installed
¤ The data server is where the data is stored

Procedure

1. Make sure your local machine’s aimsdefaults.properties file contains the correct information so the Remote ArcIMS Manager can successfully create a Web site . This is a sample aimsdefaults.properties file:
   
   

   #ArcIMSSite
   #Wed Aug 02 14:01:19 PDT 2000
   ImageURL=http\://wasatch.esri.com/Output
   HostALIAS=wasatch
   IndexBuilderEXE=C\:/Program\ Files/ESRI/ArcIMS3.0/IndexBuilder/aimsindxb.exe
   WebSiteDir=G\:/Website         
   ImagePath=C\:/ArcIMS/Output
   WorkingDir=G\:/Axl
   Scavenger=10
   HostURL=http\://wasatch.esri.com
   UserName=admin
   HostName=wasatch 

   
   The WebSiteDir and WorkingDir variables point to drives that must be mapped to your Web site’s working directory on the server. In the above example, this would be the C:\ArcIMS directory.
   
   Note that the ImagePath variable is set to C:\ArcIMS\Output even though the directory might not exist on the local machine. This location must be set to the path found on the server, and is used by the Spatial Server to write the output images that it will send back to the client Web browser. If this path is not set to the proper location on the server, your Web site will not be able to write out the images. You will have to manually make this change to the aimsdefaults.properties file using a text editor.
   
   Before making any changes to the aimsdefaults.properties file, you may want to make a backup copy of the original file as a reference.
   
   
2. Make sure the Spatial Server can resolve the data paths in the .axl file (used to create your mapservices).
   
   All paths in the .axl file must be from the server's perspective, as the Spatial Server will be the application accessing these files. If the Spatial Server cannot resolve the paths in the .axl file, you will experience problems when creating a feature service or when trying to add an image service to your web site.
   
   For example, the local machine has the data server mapped to its H:\ drive, and the server has the data server mapped to its K:\ drive. If you author an .axl file using the Remote ArcIMS Manager on the local machine, then you’ll have to manually edit the file to change the drive letters so that the server will be able to resolve them. If you do not change the drive letters, the server will read the .axl file and expect to see the shapefiles on its H:\ drive, when they are actually located on its K:\ drive. You can do one of two things here: 1) change all occurrences of H:\ to K:\, or 2) use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC). Here is an example of the recommended UNC:
   
   

   \\<machine name>\<shared folder>\ 

   
   After making the appropriate changes to the .axl file, you can create your map service. If you’ve already created a map service using the .axl file, you must refresh the map service.
   
   
   You can refresh a MapService using either the stand-alone ArcIMS Administrator application or using the ArcIMS Manager.
   
   To use ArcIMS Administrator:
   A. Click on Administrator > Manager > MapServices
   B. Select the MapService
   C. Click the Refresh MapService button
   
   To use ArcIMS Manager:
   A. Click on Administrator
   B. Select the MapService
   C. Click the Properties button
   D. Click OK
   
   
   
   
3. Make sure your Web site’s ArcIMSParams.js file contains the correct information.
   
   After you design your Web site, you need to make a minor change in the ArcIMSparam.js file (located in your web site’s folder). Open the file in WordPad and search for formFilePath. Change this variable’s value to your Web site’s directory as it is seen by the server. In the above example, you would change this value to C:/ArcIMS/Website/<web site name>.