Problem: Unable to Access a PDF File Stored in the Local Drive from the Pop-up in ArcGIS O

Description

In ArcGIS Online, pop-ups can be configured and customized to present the attribute information of a feature in a web map. In some instances, a PDF file attached to the feature cannot be accessed from the pop-up. The image below shows the pop-up of the feature as displayed in Map Viewer.

A local path to a local C: drive is displayed in the pop-up in the web map. There is no hyperlink or attachment in the pop-up that enables access to the PDF file.

Cause

ArcGIS Online is unable to access the data stored in the local drive. As displayed in the pop-up, the PDF is stored in the local C: drive and is not hosted on a file-hosting website or a local server, causing the PDF to be inaccessible.

Solution or Workaround

Choose one of the workarounds below to resolve the issue.

Add the PDF file as public content in ArcGIS Online

In ArcGIS Online, upload the PDF file from the computer. Refer to ArcGIS Online: Add files from your computer for steps to do so.
Change the sharing option of the PDF file to Everyone (public). Refer to ArcGIS Online: Share items with everyone for more information.
Copy the URL of the PDF file.
1. Navigate to Content > My Content, and click the PDF file to access the item details page.
2. On the item details page, scroll to the bottom of the web page, under URL, click the Copy icon.

Copy the URL of the PDF file by clicking the Copy icon in blue color next to box in the URL section.

Replace the local path with the copied URL in the web map.
1. Navigate to Content > My Content, and click the web map to access the item details page.
2. On the item details page, click the drop-down arrow next to Open in Map Viewer Classic, and select Open in Map Viewer.

The 'Open in Map Viewer Classic' button is colored in blue, and to access the option to open the web map in the new Map viewer, click the drop-down arrow next to the blue button, and select 'Open in Map Viewer'.

In Map Viewer, on the right vertical toolbar, click Edit.

Map Viewer displays two vertical toolbars on the page, one on the left (dark), and one on the right (light). To start editing in Map Viewer, navigate to the right vertical toolbar, and click Edit.

In the Editor pane, click Edit feature.

The Editor pane contains two buttons in the pane, the button on top is 'Edit feature', and the button below is 'Add feature'. Click the top button to edit features on the web map in Map Viewer.

Select the feature on the map that contains the local path of the PDF file.
In the Editor pane, paste the URL from Step 3 in the field that contains the local path of the PDF file, and press Enter on the keyboard. In this example, the field is PDFSamples.
Click Update.

Select the feature on the web map that contains the local path (labelled 'e'), and in the Editor pane, paste the URL of the PDF file copied in Step 3 in the field containing the local path to replace the local path (labelled 'f'), and click the Update button in blue at the bottom of the Editor pane (labelled 'g').

On the left vertical toolbar, click Save to save the modification.

Map Viewer displays two vertical toolbars on the page, one on the left (dark), and one on the right (light). To save the modifications made to the web map, navigate to the left vertical toolbar, and click Save.

The PDF is hyperlinked as View via URL in the pop-up.

The hyperlinked text, View is displayed in the pop-up in the web map instead of the local path. The PDF file can now be accessed by clicking the link.

Add the PDF file as an attachment to the feature

In ArcGIS Online, navigate to Content > My Content, click the web map to access the item details page.
On the item details page, click the drop-down arrow next to Open in Map Viewer Classic, and select Open in Map Viewer.
Add the PDF file as an attachment to the feature.
1. In Map Viewer, on the right vertical toolbar, click Edit.
2. In the Editor pane, click Edit feature.
3. Select a feature to edit.
4. In the Editor pane, under Attachments, click Add.

In the Editor pane, click the Add icon under the Attachments section to add the PDF as an attachment to the feature.

Click Select file, and select the PDF file from the computer.

In the Add attachment page, click the 'Select file' button to browse and select the PDF file from the computer.

Click Add.

In the Add attachment page, after the PDF file is selected as an attachment, click the Add button in blue to add the file to the feature.

Display the attachment in the pop-up. Refer to ArcGIS Online: Add attachments for steps to do so.
On the left vertical toolbar, click Save to save the modifications made to the web map.

The PDF file is added as an attachment to the feature and can be accessed in the pop-up.