Publish a survey from Survey123 Connect containing two geopoint questions when the first geopoint has bind::esri:fieldType set to null

Summary

In Survey123 Connect, the bind::esri:fieldType column controls the field type created when the hosted feature layer is published. In addition to the valid field type inputs, this column also accepts "null", which causes the survey to omit field creation for that question. Questions that are set to null are still present in the form, but their value is not stored in the layer itself.

By setting a question to null, the question's input is temporarily stored, and the values can be used in calculations of other questions. Any question type can be set to null, including geopoint, geoshape, and geotrace questions. By setting one of these geometry questions to null, a survey form can contain multiple map questions, where one is calculated based on the input of the other.

In most cases where one geometry question is used to calculate another, you'll likely want the non-calculated, null question to appear before the other in the survey form, since that is the question that will require user input. When the first of these questions has been set to null, however, the survey will publish as a hosted table rather than a hosted feature layer. See How does specifying the bind::esri:fieldType column as null affect the survey in ArcGIS Survey123?

This article walks through the process of publishing a hosted feature layer rather than a hosted table from a survey that contains two geopoint questions, the first of which has the bind::esri:fieldType column set to null.

Procedure

1. Create a survey from the Advanced Template in Survey123 Connect.
2. Add one geometry question and do not set an input in the bind::esri:fieldType column.
   • Additionally, you may enter any calculations now, or save them until later.

3. Save the .XLSForm and publish the survey.
4. Return to the XLSForm and add a second geometry question.
   • Leave this question's bind::esri:fieldType blank, but set the first geometry question's bind::esri:fieldType column to null

5. Republish the survey. Because it has already been published as a hosted feature layer, the first geometry question being set to null does not impact the published output format.
6. Open the web form and answer the first geometry question.
   • If you have set up calculations, the second geometry question should automatically populate.
   • If you have not set up any calculations, simply answer the second geometry question as well.

7. Open the web map and see that the first (null) geometry point does not appear, but the second one (not null) does.

Note:
There is a known defect, BUG-000184545, that as of the publishing date of this article, causes records submitted via the Survey123 Field App to mistakenly appear at the null geometry's location.