Publish, revise, and share
As you author an item in one of the ArcGIS StoryMaps builders, it is saved automatically as a draft. The draft version is only visible to you and others with administrative privileges in your ArcGIS organization. Publishing is the process of finalizing your content and making it visible to a broader audience.
During the publishing process, the following occurs:
The ArcGIS StoryMaps item is shared to make it viewable by your selected audience.
The builder checks for mismatches related to the sharing of related ArcGIS content such as web maps, web scenes, layers, and the theme. You will be prompted to update the sharing of items, if needed (and if you have permission).
Summary information about the item is written to its ArcGIS item details, unless you opt out using the Update ArcGIS item details when publishing option described in the next section. For more information, see Add cover details and media.
Summary information about the item is made available to web search engines for stories shared with everyone, unless you opt out using the Show in web search results option described in the next section. For more information, see Web search.
Warning:
The ArcGIS StoryMaps builders notify you when a theme or related content item is not shared sufficiently for your audience. This notification is not available if you adjust the sharing of an ArcGIS StoryMaps content item from your ArcGIS content page or its ArcGIS item page.
It is recommended that you make sharing changes for ArcGIS StoryMaps items through the ArcGIS StoryMaps builders by republishing or changing the sharing settings.
Publish content
Use the following steps to publish an ArcGIS StoryMaps item:
In the builder header, click Publish.
In the Details panel, customize the item details, or metadata, that will be displayed when this item appears on social media sites and in search engine results.
This information is also used to represent the item on the ArcGIS StoryMaps content page and when it appears in ArcGIS. For more information, see Add cover details and media.
Optionally, update the thumbnail image, title, and summary.
Use the Update ArcGIS item details when publishing check box to control whether the ArcGIS item details are updated with these details each time the item is published.
Note:
Advanced users who prefer to manage item details manually should uncheck Update ArcGIS item details when publishing to prevent the ArcGIS item details from being overwritten whenever the item is republished.
Click the Reset button to remove edits made to the details.
After you reset, the details will use the current item title, subtitle, and thumbnail unless you edit them again in Publish options.
Note:
Editing details is not available when publishing a theme.
In the Share panel, choose the audience: Private, My Organization, or Everyone (Public). Optionally, share to groups for which you have sharing permissions.
Check the Allow duplication check box to provide ArcGIS users with access to duplicate the item. This check box will not be available if the item is not shared.
Check the Show in web search results check box to allow the item to appear in web searches.
This check box is only available if you are using a subscription account and the item is shared publicly. For more information, see Web search.
Important:
Enabling this option will make the item available for search engines to crawl and index; however, it may take time for it to appear in web search results (possibly days or weeks). For more information, refer to the search engine's documentation and best practices.
Before publishing, click the Settings link at the bottom of the page to review or configure other features. For more information, see Configure settings.
To publish, click Publish.
The publishing process begins, and the builder checks for any maps, scenes, layers, or other resources that are not shared at the required level and would not be visible to the selected audience. You may be prompted to change the sharing on some items, if needed.
The item is published and available to the selected audience.
Note:
A theme must be visible to the readers of the ArcGIS StoryMaps item to which it is applied. If its theme is not shared to the same level, the content will be shown using the standard Summit theme.
If your ArcGIS administrator has designated an approved themes group in the Organization settings, members of this group will see it at the top of the group list when publishing a theme.
Change published content
Some items may need to be revised or updated after their initial publication. ArcGIS StoryMaps supports a workflow that allows you to make, preview, and publish changes to existing items. In this workflow, updates are stored as unpublished changes and are not visible to the audience until you are ready to share them and republish.
Use the following steps to republish an ArcGIS StoryMaps item:
In the builder header, click Publish.
Choose who can view the item by selecting a sharing level: Private, My organization, or Everyone (Public). Optionally, share the item with groups through the Group settings section.
The item is republished with the changes.
Discard unpublished changes
If you have unpublished changes and want to revert to the currently published version of an item, you can discard the unpublished changes.
Use the following steps to discard unpublished changes for an ArcGIS StoryMaps item:
In the builder header, click the More actions button ⋯.
Click Discard unpublished changes.
Confirm that you want to discard the changes by clicking Yes, discard changes.
The unpublished changes are discarded, and you can now edit the previously published version of your item in the builder.
Unpublish content
If you no longer want a published item to be available to others, you can unpublish it. Unpublishing removes the ability to view the item from the selected audience by returning it to a draft state and changing its sharing to private.
Use the following steps to unpublish an ArcGIS StoryMaps item:
In the builder header, click the More actions button ⋯.
Click Unpublish.
Confirm that you want to unpublish the item by clicking Yes, unpublish.
The item is unpublished, its sharing is changed to private, and it is no longer accessible to the previous audience.
Note:
During initial publication, the ArcGIS StoryMaps builder prompts you to change the sharing for dependent content items (web maps, web scenes, layers, and theme), if needed, to ensure they are shared to the same level as the ArcGIS StoryMaps item. When unpublishing, the sharing permissions for dependent content items are not checked. To change the sharing permissions for maps, scenes, or layers after publication, go to their ArcGIS item pages.
Update sharing settings
After an item has been published, you can change the Sharing settings options to change its audience.
Warning:
If you update the sharing of an ArcGIS StoryMaps item from your ArcGIS content page or its ArcGIS item page, the sharing of dependent items may not be updated.
Always change the sharing settings for an ArcGIS StoryMaps item from its ArcGIS StoryMaps builder using the steps below.
Use the following steps to change the sharing of a published ArcGIS StoryMaps item:
In the builder header, click the More actions button ⋯.
Click Sharing settings.
Choose who can view the item by selecting a sharing level: Private, My organization, or Everyone (Public).
Optionally, you can share the item with people in specific groups through the Group settings section.
Click Update sharing settings.
The Sharing settings menu closes, and the audience of the item is changed.
The builder checks the sharing of dependent content items—such as web maps, web scenes, layers, and the theme. If any adjustments are required, you will be prompted to update sharing on one or more items.
View published content
Use the following steps to view the published version of an ArcGIS StoryMaps item:
In the builder header, click the More actions button ⋯.
Click View published item.
The published version of the item is shown.
Note:
When previewing a draft item or viewing an item with unpublished changes, there is a colored dot in the Edit button that indicates the state of the item. You can hover over the dot to get more information and click the button to edit it in the builder.