5.4.2 VectorTileLayer

Description:

• newer technology than raster tiles
• data are still cached, but aren’t just static pictures
• service passes geometry and styling info to client, which then does the rendering
• Attributes are not included, popups and other feature interactions are not available
• same set of tiles can be styled in many ways
• also mostly associated with basemaps; the -vector options of the Map’s basemap property result in the addition of a VectorTileLayer
• tile creation much shorter process than for raster tiles
• tile creation can be done in ArcGIS Pro, but not ArcMap

How do I know I’m dealing with a VectorTileLayer?

• unlike the other layer types described here, vector tile layers can only be discovered through ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Portal
• in ArcGIS Online, when viewing the layer’s Details page, its Source will be listed as a Vector Tile Service and it will have a View Style button

Class description in the SDK:

• ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript: VectorTileLayer

Example service:

• several world-scale vector tile layers (all based on the same data, just styled differently) created by Esri and hosted on ArcGIS Online: ArcGIS Vector Basemaps

Code sample:

• ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript Sandbox
• note the layer’s url property can be set to the service itself (and drawn with default styling) or to a JSON style object; see ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript: VectorTileLayer