Frequently asked question

Is it possible to export a sketch layer in ArcGIS Online?

Last Published: February 15, 2023

Answer

No, there is no option to export a sketch layer in ArcGIS Online and this is a known limitation. However, there are two workarounds.

Create a new feature layer to trace over the sketch layer and export the feature layer

  1. In ArcGIS Online, navigate to Content > My Content > New item > Feature layer to create a new feature layer.
  2. In the Create a feature layer window, click Define your own layer > Next.
Selecting Define your own layer in the Create a feature layer pop-up window
  1. Specify a name for the layer and select the type of feature. In this example, the feature layer is named ‘Sketch Copy’, and Polygon layer is selected.
Naming the feature layer and selecting the layer type as a Polygon layer
  1. Click Next and provide additional information in the New item window, if necessary.
  2. Click Next. The new hosted feature layer opens to the Overview tab on the layer’s item page.
The Overview tab in the new hosted feature layer item page
  1. Open the web map with the sketch layer and click Add > Browse layers.
  2. Search for the newly created feature layer and click Add to add the layer to the map. In this example, the Sketch Copy layer is added to the map with the Original Sketch layer.
Adding the new feature layer to the map
The original sketch layer and new feature layer in the Layers pane
  1. On the Settings (light) toolbar, click Edit > New Feature.
Selecting New Feature to edit the new feature layer
  1. Click the map and trace over the sketch. In this example, the vertices of the sketch layer are traced to recreate the shape.
Tracing the original sketch layer by clicking the vertices to recreate the shape
Note:
Enable snapping in Snapping Settings and select the initial sketch layer for a more precise drawing.
  1. Press Enter to finish drawing the feature.
  2. Click Create once the feature is drawn.
  3. Click Save on the Contents toolbar.
Saving the web map on the Contents toolbar
  1. Navigate to the ArcGIS Online My Content tab and open the new feature layer’s Overview tab on the layer’s item page.
  2. Click Export Data and select the export file form. In this example, Export to Shapefile is selected.
Exporting the layer as a shapefile from the Overview tab in the layer item page
  1. Specify any relevant information in the export pop-up window and click Export. ArcGIS Online creates the item file in the root folder of My Content.
  2. Once the item is created, click Download to download the file.
Downloading the exported file from the item Overview tab

Export the web map to ArcGIS Pro to convert the sketch layer using the Feature Class to Polygon tool and publish the layer to ArcGIS Online

  1. In ArcGIS Online, navigate to the web map through the My Content tab. Click More options and click Open in ArcGIS Pro. The web map is downloaded to the desktop as an ArcGIS Pro Portal Item (item.pitemx) file.
Opening the web map in ArcGIS Pro from ArcGIS Online
  1. Double-click the item.pitemx file to open the file in ArcGIS Pro.
Note:
Refer to ArcGIS Pro: Add a web map or web scene for an alternative method to open the web map in ArcGIS Pro.
  1. On the ArcGIS Pro ribbon, click Analysis > Tools to open the Geoprocessing pane.
  2. In the Geoprocessing pane, search for and select the Feature to Polygon tool.
Note:
Depending on the sketch layer type, select the Feature to Point or Feature to Line tool. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: An overview of the Features toolset for more information on these feature transformation tools.
  1. On the Feature to Polygon Parameters tab, select the sketch layer for the Input Features parameter. In this example, Polygons is selected.
Configuring the Input Features parameter
  1. Click Run. The generated output is a new polygon layer above the sketch layer. In this example, the Polygons_FeatureToPolygon layer is generated.
The output generated as a new polygon layer above the sketch layer
  1. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: Share a web feature layer to publish the newly created layer to ArcGIS Online as a hosted feature layer.
  2. In ArcGIS Online, navigate to the published feature layer in My Content and open the Overview tab on the layer’s item page.
  3. Click Export Data and select the export file form. In this example, Export to Shapefile is selected.
Exporting the feature layer as a shapefile
  1. Specify any relevant information in the export pop-up window and click Export. ArcGIS Online creates the item file in the root folder of My Content.
  2. Once the item is created, click Download to download the file.
Downloading the exported file from the item Overview tab

Article ID:000029177

Software:
  • ArcGIS Online
  • ArcGIS Pro 3 0
  • ArcGIS Pro 2 8 x
  • ArcGIS Pro 2 x

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