Configure a vector tile layer

Before you share a vector tile layer, you can configure it to specify the caching method and location, the tiling scheme, the levels of detail to cache, the tiling format, and other properties. This workflow explains how to modify the default configuration of a vector tile layer. To begin the sharing process, set general properties, and finish sharing, see Share a vector tile layer.

1. If necessary, open the Share As Web Layer pane.

   On the General tab, confirm that Vector Tile is selected.

2. Click the Configuration tab. If necessary, click the Configure vector tile layer properties tab below it.
3. Under Caching, choose where to build the cache.

   If you share to ArcGIS Enterprise, you can cache on the server or locally. If you share to ArcGIS Online, you can cache online or locally.

   Cache on the server or Cache online (The option name depends on your portal.)	A vector tile layer is shared with an associated feature layer. The feature layer supports editing, querying features outside the current view, and richer statistics. When this option is available, it is the default.
   Cache locally	A vector tile package (.vtpk) is shared to your portal and used to publish the vector tile layer. An associated feature layer is not published.

   1. If you cache locally, accept the default Temp cache location that is determined by your share and download options settings, or browse to a different location.

   Note:

   If you share a vector tile layer that references registered data to ArcGIS Enterprise, no caching options are presented. The web vector tile layer is cached on the server automatically and associated map image and feature layers are published.

4. Click the Tiling Scheme drop-down arrow and choose a tiling scheme for your cache.

   The tiling scheme determines the number of levels of detail, the tile dimensions, and the tile origin of the cache. These settings in turn define tile boundaries and must be the same for different web layers used in a web map. The available tiling schemes are described in the following table:

   Option	Description
   ArcGIS Online/Bing Maps/Google Maps	The web layer is projected to the WGS 1984 Web Mercator (Auxiliary Sphere) coordinate system. The default tile width and height is 512 by 512 pixels. Scale levels for caching range from zero to 23. This is the only tiling scheme available when you share to Portal for ArcGIS 10.4 or 10.4.1.
   WGS 1984 Geographic Coordinate System, Version 2	The web layer is projected to the WGS 1984 Geographic Coordinate System. The default tile width and height is 512 by 512 pixels. Scale levels for caching range from zero to 22.
   Existing vector tile layer	The tiling scheme of an existing vector tile layer is used. Browse to a location in your portal and select a vector tile layer. The tiling scheme XML file associated with the layer is downloaded to C:\Users\<user profile>\My Documents\ArcGIS\TilingSchemes\Downloaded.
   Tiling scheme file	A tiling scheme that you create is used. You can create a tiling scheme XML file with the Generate Map Server Cache Tiling Scheme geoprocessing tool. Additional tiling scheme files can be imported from C:\Program Files\ArcGIS\Pro\Resources\TilingSchemes. Only tiling schemes with scales that double in progression through levels of detail and have 512 by 512 pixel size are supported. The scale defined at level of detail zero must cover the extent of your data.
   Auto-suggest	This is the default option unless the coordinate system of your map is WGS 1984 Web Mercator (Auxiliary Sphere) or WGS 1984. A tiling scheme is suggested based on the coordinate system of your map. The levels of detail defined in this tiling scheme are valid for a global extent, so any web layers cached using this tiling scheme can be displayed together. Although the tiling scheme is valid for a global extent, only the extent defined in the map properties is cached.

5. Under Levels of Detail, use the sliders to set the map scales for which tiles are generated.

   A default scale range is provided. Depending on the purpose of your map and the estimated cache size, you may choose not to cache some very large or small scales.

6. Under Options, choose a Tiling Format.

   Indexed	Produce tiles based on an index of feature density that optimizes the tile generation and file sizes. This is the default.
   Flat	Produce regular tiles for each level of detail without regard to feature density. This cache is larger than that produced with an indexed structure.

   Note:

   When vector tiles are generated, a contiguous mesh of square tiles is created for each level of detail (LOD) defined by the tiling scheme. The scale of the tiling scheme must double in progression. For example, if the scale is 1:2,000 at LOD1, it must be 1:1,000 at LOD2, 1:500 at LOD3, and so on. When a flat tiling format is used, a complete set of tiles is generated at each LOD without regard to the density of features in any given area. When an indexed format is used, feature density is evaluated to see whether tiles can be reused. For example, an indexed tiling format does not create tiles at high LODs for an area of empty ocean because the area can be represented acceptably by a tile created for a low LOD. This saves tile creation time, storage space, and drawing speed.

   1. Optionally, if you are caching locally and using an indexed tiling format, select or browse to an Index Polygons dataset.

      If the Index Polygons option is disabled because you are caching on the server, or if no dataset is specified, index polygons are automatically generated and used for this caching process; however, they are not saved and can't be reused.

      Tip:

      You can create an index polygons dataset with the Create Vector Tile Index tool. This is useful if you anticipate processing the same map more than once. The dataset can be viewed as a map layer so you can see how the feature density of your data is evaluated.

7. Optionally, check the Allow clients to export cache tiles check box to allow clients to download map tiles for offline use.

   When this option is turned on, you can specify a value in the Limit export to box to limit the number of tiles that can be downloaded in a single request.

Configure parameters

If you are sharing a vector tile layer with an associated feature layer, complete the following steps to configure parameters. For more information, see Service parameters.

1. At the top of the pane, under the Configuration tab, click Configure Parameters .
2. Under Properties, specify a value for Maximum records returned by server.

   This property appears if you are sharing to ArcGIS Enterprise. It specifies the number of records that can be returned by a user query. A large number may result in slower performance. The default value is 2,000.

3. Optionally, under Date Fields, click the Time zone drop-down arrow and choose the time zone in which your date values are stored.

   If your feature layer contains date fields, specifying the time zone allows date and time values to be converted correctly when users interact with the feature layer. If you choose a time zone other than UTC (coordinated universal time) and you want the time zone to account for daylight saving time, check Adjust For Daylight Saving.

   Note:

   If you don't specify a time zone, date values are assumed to be stored in UTC.

4. Optionally, under Settings, uncheck the Ensure map is set to allow assignment of unique IDs check box. If the box is checked (the default), the map is analyzed to confirm that the Allow assignment of unique numeric IDs for sharing web layers option in Map Properties is enabled. If the box is unchecked, the analyzer is skipped. If the option in Map Properties is not enabled, unique IDs are automatically assigned to layers and tables when the web layer is published.

   Note:

   Checking the check box does not automatically enable any option in Map Properties. Authoring the map with assigned layer and table IDs ensures they remain static if the contents or layer ordering in your map change. When overwriting the web layer, assigned IDs must match existing service sublayer IDs to maintain references to them in web maps.

   Learn more about assigning layer IDs