VectorTileLayer

require(["esri/layers/VectorTileLayer"], function(VectorTileLayer) { /* code goes here */ });
Class: esri/layers/VectorTileLayer
Inheritance: VectorTileLayer Layer Accessor
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.0

Overview

VectorTileLayer accesses cached tiles of data and renders it in vector format. It is similar to a WebTileLayer in the context of caching; however, a WebTileLayer renders as a series of images, not vector data. Unlike raster tiles, vector tiles can adapt to the resolution of their display device and can be restyled for multiple uses. VectorTileLayer delivers styled maps while taking advantage of cached raster map tiles with vector map data.

How the VectorTileLayer displays is defined by the Mapbox Style Specification. VectorTileLayer style information is stored separately from its tiles. This means that one set of vector tiles may be styled in numerous ways without having to generate a new image cache for each style. This helps save space and speeds up the process of creating new map styles.

The ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor is used to design custom vector basemaps. Please refer to Design custom basemaps with the new ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor to learn more about designing custom vector basemaps using the ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor.

If the vector tile service is requested from a different domain, either a CORS enabled server or a proxy is required.

Creating a VectorTileLayer

VectorTileLayers may be created in one of three ways: from a URL (either a service URL or a style URL), an ArcGIS portal item ID, or a JSON style object.

Reference a service URL or a style URL

To create a VectorTileLayer instance from a service, you must set the url property to the REST endpoint of a layer. For a layer to be visible in a view, it must be added to the Map referenced by the view. See Map.add() for information about adding layers to a map.

require(["esri/layers/VectorTileLayer"], function(VectorTileLayer){
  // create a new instance of VectorTileLayer from the service endpoint
  const layer = new VectorTileLayer({
    // esri world vector tile service
    url: "https://basemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Basemap_v2/VectorTileServer"
  });
  map.add(layer);  // adds the layer to the map
});

To create a VectorTileLayer from a style URL, you must set the url property to the style endpoint of the layer.

// create a new instance of VectorTileLayer from the vector tiles style endpoint
const layer = new VectorTileLayer({
  // esri colored pencil style
  url:
   "https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/4cf7e1fb9f254dcda9c8fbadb15cf0f8/resources/styles/root.json"
});
map.add(layer);  // adds the layer to the map

Reference an ArcGIS portal item ID

You can also create a VectorTileLayer from its portal item ID if it exists as an item in ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise. For example, the following snippet shows how to add a new VectorTileLayer instance to a map using the portalItem property.

// points to the charted territory vector tile portal item in ArcGIS Online
// https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=1c365daf37a744fbad748b67aa69dac8
var layer = new VectorTileLayer({
 portalItem:{
   id: "1c365daf37a744fbad748b67aa69dac8"
 }
});
map.add(layer);  // adds the layer to the map

Reference a style JSON object

To create a VectorTileLayer instance from a style JSON object, set the style property of the layer to point to the style JSON object. Check out the VectorTileLayer from JSON sample to see this in action.

// create a new instance of VectorTileLayer from style JSON object
// by setting the layer's style property
const layer = new VectorTileLayer({
  style: {
    glyphs: "glyphsUrl/{fontstack}/{range}.pbf",
    version: 8,
    sprite: "spritesUrl/sprites/sprite",
    sources: {
      esri: {
        url: "https://basemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Basemap_v2/VectorTileServer",
        type: "vector"
      }
    },
    layers: [ ... ]
  }
});
map.add(layer);  // adds the layer to the map

Updating VectorTileLayer style

Replacing an entire style

The VectorTileLayer's style can be replaced in its entirety after the layer is initialized and added to the map. This can be done by calling the layer's loadStyle() method. This method will load a style from a style JSON object or from the style url, and will replace the current style of the layer. This operation will reload the entire layer.

// add a mid-century vector tile layer from its portal item
var layer = new VectorTileLayer({
 portalItem:{
   id: "7675d44bb1e4428aa2c30a9b68f97822"
 }
});
map.add(layer);  // adds the layer to the map

// replace the style of this layer to point to modern antique style
layer.loadStyle(
  "https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/effe3475f05a4d608e66fd6eeb2113c0/resources/styles/root.json"
);

vectortiles-loadstyle

Updating various properties of style layers

Properties of style layers in the VectorTileLayer's current style can be changed after the VectorTileLayer is initialized. The VectorTileLayer offers a number of helper methods that will allow you to update properties of a style layer without having to reload the layer. This can be done only in 2D MapView.

At version 4.10, we introduced getLayoutProperties, getPaintProperties, setLayoutProperties and setPaintProperties. These methods give direct access to the paint and layout properties of a style layer. Check out the VectorTileLayer from JSON sample to see this in action.

// get layout properties of "Admin0 point/large" style layer
const layoutProperties = vtLayer.getLayoutProperties("Admin0 point/large");

// change the text-transform layout property to upper case
layoutProperties["text-transform"] = "uppercase";
layer.setLayoutProperties("Admin0 point/large", layoutProperties);

// get the paint properties for the marine area/1 layer
const paintProperties = vtLayer.getPaintProperties("Marine area");

// change the fill-color paint property for the layer.
paintProperties["fill-color"] = "#93CFC7";
layer.setPaintProperties("Marine area/1", paintProperties);

At version 4.18, we added the following helper methods: getStyleLayer, setStyleLayer, deleteStyleLayer, getStyleLayerVisibility, and setStyleLayerVisibility. The setStyleLayer method will allow you to add a new style layer or re-order style layers. It also allows you to rewrite or change any of the properties of a style layer including filter, source-layer, layout and paint. The deleteStyleLayer method deletes the specified style layer from the style and the setStyleLayerVisibility method toggles the visibility of a style layer. Check out the VectorTileLayer - update style layers sample to see this in action.

// change paint and layout properties of a style layer
const styleLayer = layer.getStyleLayer("City small scale/x large admin0 capital");
styleLayer.paint["text-color"] = "#E400E0";
styleLayer.paint["text-halo-color"] = "#E400E0";
styleLayer.layout["icon-size"] = 1.5;

// delete a style layer from the current style
layer.deleteStyleLayer("Marine areas");

// add a new style layer on top of the existing style
const styleLayer = { style layer json object}
layer.setStyleLayer(styleLayer, 0)

vectortiles-setstylelayer


Known Limitations

  • VectorTileLayer printing requires ArcGIS Server 10.5.1 or later.
  • For printing secure VectorTileLayers with ArcGIS Server 10.5.1 or 10.6.0, the PrintTask will create a client-side image for the VectorTileLayer to use in the printout. This has some limitations related to large size printing quality and a dependency on browser window height/width ratio.
See also:

Constructors

new VectorTileLayer(properties)
Parameter:
properties Object
optional

See the properties for a list of all the properties that may be passed into the constructor.

Example:
// Typical usage
var vtlLayer = new VectorTileLayer({
  // URL to the style of vector tiles
  url: "https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/4cf7e1fb9f254dcda9c8fbadb15cf0f8/resources/styles/root.json"
});

var vtlLayer = new VectorTileLayer({
  // URL to the vector tile service
  url: "https://basemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Basemap_v2/VectorTileServer"
});

var vtlLayer = new VectorTileLayer({
  // from style object
  style: {
    "version": 8,
    "sources": {
      "esri": {
        "type": "vector",
        "url": "https://VectorTileServiceURL"
      }
    },
    "layers": [
    ...
    ]
  }
});

Property Overview

Any properties can be set, retrieved or listened to. See the Working with Properties topic.
NameTypeSummaryClass
String

The URL that points to the location of the layer's attribution data.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
String

Blend modes are used to blend layers together to create an interesting effect in a layer, or even to produce what seems like a new layer.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Object

Indicates the layer's supported capabilities.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Object

The current style information of the VectorTileLayer.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
String

The name of the class.

more details
more detailsAccessor
Effect

Effect provides various filter functions that can be performed on the layer to achieve different visual effects similar to how image filters work.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Extent

The full extent of the layer.

more details
more detailsLayer
String

The unique ID assigned to the layer.

more details
more detailsLayer
String

Indicates how the layer should display in the LayerList widget.

more details
more detailsLayer
Boolean

Indicates whether the layer's resources have loaded.

more details
more detailsLayer
Error

The Error object returned if an error occurred while loading.

more details
more detailsLayer
String

Represents the status of a load operation.

more details
more detailsLayer
Object[]

A list of warnings which occurred while loading.

more details
more detailsLayer
Number

The maximum scale (most zoomed in) at which the layer is visible in the view.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Number

The minimum scale (most zoomed out) at which the layer is visible in the view.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Number

The opacity of the layer.

more details
more detailsLayer
PortalItem

The portal item from which the layer is loaded.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
SpatialReference

The spatial reference of the layer.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Object

A style JSON object of vector tiles that will be used to render the layer.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
TileInfo

The tiling scheme information for the layer.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
String

The title of the layer used to identify it in places such as the Legend and LayerList widgets.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
StringFor VectorTileLayer the type is always "vector-tile". more detailsmore detailsVectorTileLayer
String

The URL to the vector tile service, or the URL to the style resource of vector tiles that will be used to render the layer.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Boolean

Indicates if the layer is visible in the View.

more details
more detailsLayer

Property Details

attributionDataUrl Stringreadonly

The URL that points to the location of the layer's attribution data.

blendMode String
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.16

Blend modes are used to blend layers together to create an interesting effect in a layer, or even to produce what seems like a new layer. Unlike the method of using transparency which can result in a washed-out top layer, blend modes can create a variety of very vibrant and intriguing results by blending a layer with the layer(s) below it.

When blending layers, a top layer is a layer that has a blend mode applied. All layers underneath the top layer are background layers. The default blending mode is normal where the top layer is simply displayed over the background layer. While this default behavior is perfectly acceptable, the use of blend modes on layers open up a world of endless possibilities to generate creative maps.

The layers in a GroupLayer are blended together in isolation from the rest of the map.

In the following screenshots, the vintage shaded relief layer is displayed over a firefly world imagery layer. The color blend mode is applied to the vintage shaded relief and the result looks a new layer.

color-blend

Known Limitations

The following factors will affect the blend result:

  • Order of all layers
  • Layer opacity
  • Opacity of features in layers
  • Visibility of layers
  • By default, the very bottom layer in a map is drawn on a transparent background. You can change the MapView's background color.
Blend modeDescription
normalThe top layer is displayed over the background layer. The data of the top layer block the data of background layer where they overlap.
averageTakes the mathematical average of top and background layers. Result of average blend mode is often similar to the effect of setting the layer's opacity to 50%.

Lighten blend modes:

The following blend modes create lighter results than all layers. In lighten blend modes, pure black colors in the top layer become transparent allowing the background layer to show through. White in the top layer will stay unchanged. Any color that is lighter than pure black is going to lighten colors in the top layer to varying degrees all way to pure white.

Lighten blend modes can be useful when lightening dark colors of the top layer or removing black colors from the result. The plus, lighten and screen modes can be used to brighten layers that have faded or dark colors on a dark background.

Blend modeDescription
lightenCompares top and background layers and retains the lighter color in the top layer. Colors in the top layer become transparent if they are darker than the overlapping colors in the background layer allowing the background layer to show through completely. Can be thought of as the opposite of darken blend mode.
lighterColors in top and background layers are multiplied by their alphas (layer opacity and layer's data opacity. Then the resulting colors are added together. All overlapping midrange colors are lightened in the top layer. The opacity of layer and layer's data will affect the blend result.
plusColors in top and background layers are added together. All overlapping midrange colors are lightened in the top layer. This mode is also known as add or linear-dodge.
screenInverts colors of the background layer and multiplies with colors of the top layer. The resulting colors will be lighter than the original color with less contrast. Screen can produce many different levels of brightening depending on the luminosity values of the top layer. Can be thought of as the opposite of the multiply mode.
color-dodgeCreates a brighter effect by decreasing the contrast between the top and background layers, resulting in saturated mid-tones and bright highlights.

Darken blend modes:

The following blend modes create darker results than all layers. In darken blend modes, pure white in the top layer will become transparent allowing the background layer to show through. Black in the top layer will stay unchanged. Any color that is darker than pure white is going to darken a top layer to varying degrees all the way to pure black.

The multiply blend mode is often used to highlight shadows, show contrast, or accentuate an aspect of a map. For example, you can use multiply blend mode on a topographic map displayed over hillshade when you want to have your elevation show through the topographic layer. See the intro to layer blending sample.

The multiply and darken modes can be used to have dark labels of the basemap to show through top layers. See the darken blending sample.

The color-burn mode works well with colorful top and background layers since it increases saturation in mid-tones. It increases the contrast by tinting pixels in overlapping areas in top and bottom layers more towards the top layer color. Use this blend mode, when you want an effect with more contrast than multiply or darken.

The following screenshots show how the multiply blend mode used for creating a physical map of the world that shows both boundaries and elevation. multiply-blend

Blend modeDescription
darkenEmphasizes the darkest parts of overlapping layers. Colors in the top layer become transparent if they are lighter than the overlapping colors in the background layer, allowing the background layer to show through completely.
multiplyEmphasizes the darkest parts of overlapping layers by multiplying colors of the top layer and the background layer. Midrange colors from top and background layers are mixed together more evenly.
color-burnIntensifies the dark areas in all layers. It increases the contrast between top and background layers, by tinting colors in overlapping area towards the top color. To do this it inverts colors of the background layer, divides the result by colors of the top layer, then inverts the results.

Contrast blend modes:

The following blend modes create contrast by both lightening the lighter areas and darkening the darker areas in the top layer by using lightening or darkening blend modes to create the blend. The contrast blend modes will lighten the colors lighter than 50% gray ([128,128,128]), and darken the colors darker than 50% gray. 50% gray will be transparent in the top layer. Each mode can create a variety of results depending on the colors of top and background layers being blended together. The overlay blend mode makes its calculations based on the brightness of the colors in the background layer while all of the other contrast blend modes make their calculations based on the brightness of the top layer. Some of these modes are designed to simulate the effect of shining a light through the top layer, effectively projecting upon the layers beneath it.

Contrast blend modes can be used to increase the contrast and saturation to have more vibrant colors and give a punch to your layers. For example, you can duplicate a layer and set overlay blend mode on the top layer to increase the contrast and tones of your layer. You can also add a polygon layer with a white fill symbol over a dark imagery layer and apply soft-light blend mode to increase the brightness in the imagery layer.

The following screenshots show an effect of the overlay blend mode on a GraphicsLayer. The left image shows when the buffer graphics layer has the normal blend mode. As you can see, the gray color for the buffer polygon is blocking the intersecting census tracts. The right image shows when the overlay blend mode is applied to the buffer graphics layer. The overlay blend mode darkens or lightens the gray buffer polygon depending on the colors of the background layer while the census tracts layer is shining through. See this in action.

Normal blend modeOverlay blend mode
no-blendmodeoverlay-blend
Blend modeDescription
overlayUses a combination of multiply and screen modes to darken and lighten colors in the top layer with the background layer always shining through. The result is darker color values in the background layer intensify the top layer, while lighter colors in the background layer wash out overlapping areas in the top layer.
soft-lightApplies a half strength screen mode to lighter areas and and half strength multiply mode to darken areas of the top layer. You can think of the soft-light as a softer version of the overlay mode.
hard-lightMultiplies or screens the colors, depending on colors of the top layer. The effect is similar to shining a harsh spotlight on the top layer.
vivid-lightUses a combination of color-burn or color-dodge by increasing or decreasing the contrast, depending on colors in the top layer.

Component blend modes:

The following blend modes use primary color components, which are hue, saturation and luminosity to blend top and background layers. You can add a feature layer with a simple renderer over any layer and set hue, saturation, color or luminosity blend mode on this layer. With this technique, you create a brand new looking map.

The following screenshots show where the topo layer is blended with world hillshade layer with luminosity blend mode. The result is a drastically different looking map which preserves the brightness of the topo layer while adapting the hue and saturation of the hillshade layer.

color-blend

Blend modeDescription
hueCreates an effect with the hue of the top layer and the luminosity and saturation of the background layer.
saturationCreates an effect with the saturation of the top layer and the hue and luminosity of the background layer. 50% gray with no saturation in the background layer will not produce any change.
luminosityCreates effect with the luminosity of the top layer and the hue and saturation of the background layer. Can be thought of as the opposite of color blend mode.
colorCreates an effect with the hue and saturation of the top layer and the luminosity of the background layer. Can be thought of as the opposite of luminosity blend mode.

Composite blend modes:

The following blend modes can be used to mask the contents of top, background or both layers.

  • Destination modes are used to mask the data of the top layer with the data of the background layer.
  • Source modes are used to mask the data of the background layer with the data of the top layer.

The destination-in blend mode can be used to show areas of focus such as earthquakes, animal migration, or point-source pollution by revealing the underlying map, providing a bird’s eye view of the phenomenon. Check out multiple blending and groupLayer blending samples to see composite blend modes in action.

The following screenshots show feature and imagery layers on the left side on their own in the order they are drawn in the view. The imagery layer that contains land cover classification rasters. The feature layer contains 2007 county crops data. The right image shows the result of layer blending where destination-in blendMode is set on the imagery layer. As you can see, the effect is very different from the original layers. The blended result shows areas of cultivated crops only (where both imagery and feature layers overlap).

destination-in

Blend modeDescription
destination-overDestination/background layer covers the top layer. The top layer is drawn underneath the destination layer. You'll see the top layer peek through wherever the background layer is transparent or has no data.
destination-atopDestination/background layer is drawn only where it overlaps the top layer. The top layer is drawn underneath the background layer. You'll see the top layer peek through wherever the background layer is transparent or has no data.
destination-inDestination/background layer is drawn only where it overlaps with the top layer. Everything else is made transparent.
destination-outDestination/background layer is drawn where it doesn't overlap the top layer. Everything else is made transparent.
source-atopSource/top layer is drawn only where it overlaps the background layer. You will see the background layer peek through where the source layer is transparent or has no data.
source-inSource/top layer is drawn only where it overlaps with the background layer. Everything else is made transparent.
source-outSource/top layer is drawn where it doesn't overlap the background layer. Everything else is made transparent.
xorTop and background layers are made transparent where they overlap. Both layers are drawn normal everywhere else.

Invert blend modes:

The following blend modes either invert or cancel out colors depending on colors of the background layer. These blend modes look for variations between top and background layers. For example, you can use difference or exclusion blend modes on two imagery layers of forest covers to visualize how forest covers changed from one year to another.

The invert blend mode can be used to turn any light basemap into a dark basemap to accommodate those who work in low-light conditions. The following screenshots show how setting the invert blend mode set on a feature layer with a simple renderer turns the world terrain basemap into a dark themed basemap in no time.

color-blend

Blend modeDescription
differenceSubtracts the darker of the overlapping colors from the lighter color. When two pixels with the same value are subtracted, the result is black. Blending with black produces no change. Blending with white inverts the colors. This blending mode is useful for aligning layers with similar content.
exclusionSimilar to the difference blend mode, except that the resulting image is lighter overall. Overlapping areas with lighter color values are lightened, while darker overlapping color values become transparent.
minusSubtracts colors of the top layer from colors of the background layer making the blend result darker. In the case of negative values, black is displayed.
invertInverts the background colors wherever the top and background layers overlap. The invert blend mode inverts the layer similar to a photographic negative.
reflectThis blend mode creates effects as if you added shiny objects or areas of light in the layer. Black pixels in the background layer are ignored as if they were transparent.

Possible Values:"average"|"color-burn"|"color-dodge"|"color"|"darken"|"destination-atop"|"destination-in"|"destination-out"|"destination-over"|"difference"|"exclusion"|"hard-light"|"hue"|"invert"|"lighten"|"lighter"|"luminosity"|"minus"|"multiply"|"normal"|"overlay"|"plus"|"reflect"|"saturation"|"screen"|"soft-light"|"source-atop"|"source-in"|"source-out"|"vivid-light"|"xor"

Default Value:normal
See also:
capabilities Objectreadonly
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.8

Indicates the layer's supported capabilities.

Properties:
exportTiles Object

Indicates options supported by the exportTiles operation. Will be null if the supportsExportTiles is false.

exportMap.maxExportTilesCount Number

Specifies the maximum number of tiles that can be exported to a cache dataset or a tile package.

operations Object

Indicates operations that can be performed on the service.

Specification:
supportsExportTiles Boolean

Indicates if the tiles from the service can be exported.

supportsTileMap Boolean

Indicates if the service exposes a tile map that describes the presence of tiles.

currentStyleInfo Objectreadonly

The current style information of the VectorTileLayer. See the object specification below.

Properties:
serviceUrl String

Absolute URL for a vector tile service.

styleUrl String

Absolute URL for vector tile service style.

spriteUrl String

Absolute URL for sprites included in a style.

glyphsUrl String

Absolute template URL for font sets included in a style. The URL includes {fontstack} and {range} tokens.

style Object

Style JSON object for vector tiles. Style object includes version of the style specification, sprite and glyphs properties. It adheres to version 8 of the Mapbox GL style specification.

layerDefinition Object

Vector tile service information.

declaredClass Stringreadonly inherited
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.7

The name of the class. The declared class name is formatted as esri.folder.className.

effect Effect
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.18

Effect provides various filter functions that can be performed on the layer to achieve different visual effects similar to how image filters work. This powerful capability allows you to apply css filter-like functions to layers to create custom visual effects to enhance the cartographic quality of your maps. This is done by applying the desired effect to the layer's effect property as a string or an array of objects to set scale dependent effects.

Known Limitations

Default Value:null
See also:
Examples:
// the following effect will be applied to the layer at all scales
// brightness will be applied first, then hue-rotate followed by contrast
// changing order of the effects will change the final result
layer.effect = "brightness(5) hue-rotate(270deg) contrast(200%)";
// set a scale dependent bloom effect on the layer
layer.effect = [
  {
    scale: 36978595,
    value: "drop-shadow(3px, 3px, 4px)"
  },
  {
    scale: 18489297,
    value: "drop-shadow(2px, 2px, 3px)"
  },
  {
    scale: 4622324,
    value: "drop-shadow(1px, 1px, 2px)"
  }
];

The full extent of the layer. By default, this is worldwide. This property may be used to set the extent of the view to match a layer's extent so that its features appear to fill the view. See the sample snippet below.

Example:
// Once the layer loads, set the view's extent to the layer's fullextent
layer.when(function(){
  view.extent = layer.fullExtent;
});

The unique ID assigned to the layer. If not set by the developer, it is automatically generated when the layer is loaded.

listMode String inherited

Indicates how the layer should display in the LayerList widget. The possible values are listed below.

ValueDescription
showThe layer is visible in the table of contents.
hideThe layer is hidden in the table of contents.
hide-childrenIf the layer is a GroupLayer, BuildingSceneLayer, KMLLayer, MapImageLayer, TileLayer or WMSLayer, hide the children layers from the table of contents.

Possible Values:"show"|"hide"|"hide-children"

Default Value:show
loaded Booleanreadonly inherited

Indicates whether the layer's resources have loaded. When true, all the properties of the object can be accessed.

Default Value:false
loadError Errorreadonly inherited

The Error object returned if an error occurred while loading.

Default Value:null
loadStatus Stringreadonly inherited

Represents the status of a load operation.

ValueDescription
not-loadedThe object's resources have not loaded.
loadingThe object's resources are currently loading.
loadedThe object's resources have loaded without errors.
failedThe object's resources failed to load. See loadError for more details.

Possible Values:"not-loaded"|"loading"|"failed"|"loaded"

Default Value:not-loaded
loadWarnings Object[]readonly inherited

A list of warnings which occurred while loading.

maxScale Number

The maximum scale (most zoomed in) at which the layer is visible in the view. If the map is zoomed in beyond this scale, the layer will not be visible. A value of 0 means the layer does not have a maximum scale. The maxScale value should always be smaller than the minScale value, and greater than or equal to the service specification.

Default Value:0
Examples:
// The layer will not be visible when the view is zoomed in beyond a scale of 1:1,000
layer.maxScale = 1000;
// The layer's visibility is not restricted to a maximum scale.
layer.maxScale = 0;
minScale Number

The minimum scale (most zoomed out) at which the layer is visible in the view. If the map is zoomed out beyond this scale, the layer will not be visible. A value of 0 means the layer does not have a minimum scale. The minScale value should always be larger than the maxScale value, and lesser than or equal to the service specification.

Default Value:0
Examples:
// The layer will not be visible when the view is zoomed out beyond a scale of 1:3,000,000
layer.minScale = 3000000;
// The layer's visibility is not restricted to a minimum scale.
layer.minScale = 0;

The opacity of the layer. This value can range between 1 and 0, where 0 is 100 percent transparent and 1 is completely opaque.

Default Value:1
Example:
// Makes the layer 50% transparent
layer.opacity = 0.5;
portalItem PortalItem

The portal item from which the layer is loaded. This will load the layer from the portal item, not the vector tile service.

Example:
var layer = new VectorTileLayer({
  portalItem: {  // autocasts as new PortalItem()
    id: "4cf7e1fb9f254dcda9c8fbadb15cf0f8"
  }
});
spatialReference SpatialReferenceautocast

The spatial reference of the layer.

style Object
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.6

A style JSON object of vector tiles that will be used to render the layer. If initializing the layer with a style JSON object, the tiles are fetched from the tile servers specified in the style object.

Example:
var vtlLayer = new VectorTileLayer({
  // from style object
  style: {
    "version": 8,
    "sources": {
      "esri": {
        "type": "vector",
        "url": "https://VectorTileServiceURL"
      }
    },
    "layers": [
    ...
    ]
  }
});

The tiling scheme information for the layer.

title String

The title of the layer used to identify it in places such as the Legend and LayerList widgets.

When loading a layer by service url, the title is derived from the service name. If the service has several layers, then the title of each layer will be the concatenation of the service name and the layer name. When the layer is loaded from a portal item, the title of the portal item will be used instead. Finally, if a layer is loaded as part of a webmap or a webscene, then the title of the layer as stored in the webmap/webscene will be used.

type Stringreadonly

For VectorTileLayer the type is always "vector-tile".

url String

The URL to the vector tile service, or the URL to the style resource of vector tiles that will be used to render the layer. If specifying a URL to a style, the tiles are fetched from the tile servers specified in the style object.

Examples:
// URL to the vector tile service
var layer = new VectorTileLayer({
  url: "https://basemaps.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World_Basemap_v2/VectorTileServer"
});
// URL to the style of vector tiles
var layer = new VectorTileLayer({
  url: "https://esri.maps.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/7dc6cea0b1764a1f9af2e679f642f0f5/resources/styles/root.json"
});

Indicates if the layer is visible in the View. When false, the layer may still be added to a Map instance that is referenced in a view, but its features will not be visible in the view.

Default Value:true
Example:
// The layer is no longer visible in the view
layer.visible = false;

Method Overview

NameReturn TypeSummaryClass

Cancels a load() operation if it is already in progress.

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more detailsLayer
Promise<LayerView>

Called by the views, such as MapView and SceneView, when the layer is added to the Map.layers collection and a layer view must be created for it.

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more detailsLayer

Deletes the specified style layer from the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

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more detailsVectorTileLayer

Destroys the layer and any associated resources (including its portalItem, if it is a property on the layer).

more details
more detailsLayer
Boolean

Emits an event on the instance.

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more detailsLayer
Promise<Object>

Fetches custom attribution data for the layer when it becomes available.

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more detailsLayer
Object

Returns an instance of layout properties for the specified style layer.

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more detailsVectorTileLayer
Object

Returns an instance of paint properties for the specified style layer.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Object

Returns an instance of a style layer from the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

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more detailsVectorTileLayer
String

Returns the layer id of the style layer based on its index.

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more detailsVectorTileLayer
Number

Returns the index of the style layer from the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

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more detailsVectorTileLayer
String

Gets the visibility of the specified style layer from the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Boolean

Indicates whether there is an event listener on the instance that matches the provided event name.

more details
more detailsLayer
Boolean

isFulfilled() may be used to verify if creating an instance of the class is fulfilled (either resolved or rejected).

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more detailsLayer
Boolean

isRejected() may be used to verify if creating an instance of the class is rejected.

more details
more detailsLayer
Boolean

isResolved() may be used to verify if creating an instance of the class is resolved.

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more detailsLayer
Promise

Loads the resources referenced by this class.

more details
more detailsLayer
Promise

Loads a style to render a layer from the specified URL to a style resource or style JSON object.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Object

Registers an event handler on the instance.

more details
more detailsLayer

Updates the layout properties to the specified style layer.

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more detailsVectorTileLayer

Updates the paint properties to the specified style layer.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer

Changes the layer properties of the specified style layer.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer

Toggles the visibility of the specified style layer in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

more details
more detailsVectorTileLayer
Promise

when() may be leveraged once an instance of the class is created.

more details
more detailsLayer

Method Details

cancelLoad()inherited

Cancels a load() operation if it is already in progress.

createLayerView(view, options){Promise<LayerView>}inherited

Called by the views, such as MapView and SceneView, when the layer is added to the Map.layers collection and a layer view must be created for it. This method is used internally and there is no use case for invoking it directly.

Parameters:
view *

The parent view.

options Object
optional

An object specifying additional options. See the object specification table below for the required properties of this object.

Specification:
optional

A signal to abort the creation of the layerview.

Returns:
TypeDescription
Promise<LayerView>Resolves with a LayerView instance.
See also:
deleteStyleLayer(layerId)
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.18

Deletes the specified style layer from the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Known Limitations

This method is only supported in 2D MapView.

Parameter:
layerId String

The style layer id as specified in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

See also:
Example:
// remove the specified style layer from the style.
layer.deleteStyleLayer("landcover/grassland");
destroy()inherited
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.17

Destroys the layer and any associated resources (including its portalItem, if it is a property on the layer). The layer can no longer be used once it has been destroyed.

The destroyed layer will be removed from its parent object like Map, WebMap, WebScene, Basemap, Ground, or GroupLayer.

See also:
emit(type, event){Boolean}inherited
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.5

Emits an event on the instance. This method should only be used when creating subclasses of this class.

Parameters:
type String

The name of the event.

event Object
optional

The event payload.

Returns:
TypeDescription
Booleantrue if a listener was notified
fetchAttributionData(){Promise<Object>}inherited

Fetches custom attribution data for the layer when it becomes available.

Returns:
TypeDescription
Promise<Object>Resolves to an object containing custom attribution data for the layer.
getLayoutProperties(layerId){Object}
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.10

Returns an instance of layout properties for the specified style layer.

Parameter:
layerId String

The style layer id in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Returns:
TypeDescription
ObjectLayout JSON object for the specified style layer.
getPaintProperties(layerId){Object}
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.10

Returns an instance of paint properties for the specified style layer.

Parameter:
layerId String

The style layer id in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Returns:
TypeDescription
ObjectPaint JSON object of the style layer.
getStyleLayer(layerId){Object}
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.18

Returns an instance of a style layer from the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Parameter:
layerId String

The style layer id specified in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Returns:
TypeDescription
ObjectThe json object representing the style Layer.
See also:
getStyleLayerId(index){String}
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.10

Returns the layer id of the style layer based on its index.

Parameter:
index Number

Index of the style layer in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Returns:
TypeDescription
StringThe style layer id.
getStyleLayerIndex(layerId){Number}
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.18

Returns the index of the style layer from the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Parameter:
layerId String

The style layer id as specified in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Returns:
TypeDescription
NumberThe style layer index.
See also:
getStyleLayerVisibility(layerId){String}
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.18

Gets the visibility of the specified style layer from the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Parameter:
layerId String

The style layer id as specified in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Returns:
TypeDescription
StringVisibility of style layer. Returns either "none" or "visible".
See also:
Example:
// Get the visibility of the grassland style layer in the style.
const layerVisibility = layer.getStyleLayerVisibility("landcover/grassland");
hasEventListener(type){Boolean}inherited

Indicates whether there is an event listener on the instance that matches the provided event name.

Parameter:
type String

The name of the event.

Returns:
TypeDescription
BooleanReturns true if the class supports the input event.
isFulfilled(){Boolean}inherited

isFulfilled() may be used to verify if creating an instance of the class is fulfilled (either resolved or rejected). If it is fulfilled, true will be returned.

Returns:
TypeDescription
BooleanIndicates whether creating an instance of the class has been fulfilled (either resolved or rejected).
isRejected(){Boolean}inherited

isRejected() may be used to verify if creating an instance of the class is rejected. If it is rejected, true will be returned.

Returns:
TypeDescription
BooleanIndicates whether creating an instance of the class has been rejected.
isResolved(){Boolean}inherited

isResolved() may be used to verify if creating an instance of the class is resolved. If it is resolved, true will be returned.

Returns:
TypeDescription
BooleanIndicates whether creating an instance of the class has been resolved.
load(signal){Promise}inherited

Loads the resources referenced by this class. This method automatically executes for a View and all of the resources it references in Map if the view is constructed with a map instance.

This method must be called by the developer when accessing a resource that will not be loaded in a View.

The load() method only triggers the loading of the resource the first time it is called. The subsequent calls return the same promise.

It's possible to provide a signal to stop being interested into a Loadable instance load status. When the signal is aborted, the instance does not stop its loading process, only cancelLoad can abort it.

Parameter:
optional

Signal object that can be used to abort the asynchronous task. The returned promise will be rejected with an Error named AbortError when an abort is signaled. See also AbortController for more information on how to construct a controller that can be used to deliver abort signals.

Returns:
TypeDescription
PromiseResolves when the resources have loaded.
loadStyle(style, options){Promise}

Loads a style to render a layer from the specified URL to a style resource or style JSON object. It is equivalent of changing the entire CSS style sheet for web page. When loading a style, it is the developer's responsibility to make sure that any relative urls in the style resolve correctly.

Parameters:

The URL to a style of vector tiles or style JSON object.

options Object
optional

An object with the following properties.

Specification:
optional

Signal object that can be used to abort the asynchronous task. The returned promise will be rejected with an Error named AbortError when an abort is signaled. See also AbortController for more information on how to construct a controller that can be used to deliver abort signals.

Returns:
TypeDescription
PromiseReturns a promise that resolves when the style is loaded and applied to the layer.
on(type, listener){Object}inherited

Registers an event handler on the instance. Call this method to hook an event with a listener.

Parameters:

A event type, or an array of event types, to listen for.

listener Function

The function to call when the event is fired.

Returns:
TypeDescription
ObjectReturns an event handler with a remove() method that can be called to stop listening for the event(s).
PropertyTypeDescription
removeFunctionWhen called, removes the listener from the event.
Example:
view.on("click", function(event){
  // event is the event handle returned after the event fires.
  console.log(event.mapPoint);
});
setLayoutProperties(layerId, layout)
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.10

Updates the layout properties to the specified style layer.

Known Limitations

This method is only supported in 2D MapView.

Parameters:
layerId String

The style layer id in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

layout Object

An instance of layout properties to assign to the style layer.

Example:
// get the layout properties for the "Admin0 point/large" layer
const layoutProperties = vtLayer.getLayoutProperties("Admin0 point/large");

// change the text-transform layout property for the layer
layoutProperties["text-transform"] = "uppercase";
vtLayer.setLayoutProperties("Admin0 point/large", layoutProperties);
setPaintProperties(layerId, painter)
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.10

Updates the paint properties to the specified style layer.

Known Limitations

This method is only supported in 2D MapView.

Parameters:
layerId String

The style layer id in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

painter Object

An instance of paint properties to assign to the specified style layer.

Example:
// get the paint properties for the "marine area/1" layer
const paintProperties = vtLayer.getPaintProperties("Marine area/1");

// change the fill-color paint property for the layer.
paintProperties["fill-color"] = "#93CFC7";
vtLayer.setPaintProperties("Marine area/1", paintProperties);
setStyleLayer(layerId, index)
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.18

Changes the layer properties of the specified style layer. It can be used to rewrite or change any of the properties of a style layer including filter, source-layer, layout and paint. You can also use this method to add new style layers to the current style or re-order existing style layers.

Use setLayoutProperties method if you are only changing the layout properties of a style layer. Use setPaintProperties method to change only paint properties of a style layer.

Known Limitations

This method is only supported in 2D MapView.

Parameters:
layerId String

The style layer id specified in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

index Number
optional

Index of the style layer in the style. Set this parameter when adding a new style layer or re-ordering a a style layer.

See also:
Example:
// change style layer paint and layout properties at once
var styleLayer = layer.getStyleLayer("City small scale/x large admin0 capital");
styleLayer.paint["text-color"] = "#E400E0";
styleLayer.paint["text-halo-color"] = "#E400E0";
styleLayer.layout["icon-size"] = 1.5;
layer.setStyleLayer(styleLayer);
setStyleLayerVisibility(layerId, visibility)
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.18

Toggles the visibility of the specified style layer in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

Known Limitations

This method is only supported in 2D MapView.

Parameters:
layerId String

The style layer id as specified in the VectorTileLayer's currentStyleInfo.style.

visibility String

Set this parameter to "none" to hide the style layer or to "visible" to show the style layer.

Possible Values:"none"|"visible"

See also:
Example:
// hide the grassland style layer in the style.
// Will not be visible in the view.
layer.setStyleLayerVisibility("landcover/grassland", "none");
when(callback, errback){Promise}inherited
Since: ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.6

when() may be leveraged once an instance of the class is created. This method takes two input parameters: a callback function and an errback function. The callback executes when the instance of the class loads. The errback executes if the instance of the class fails to load.

Parameters:
callback Function
optional

The function to call when the promise resolves.

errback Function
optional

The function to execute when the promise fails.

Returns:
TypeDescription
PromiseReturns a new promise for the result of callback that may be used to chain additional functions.
Example:
// Although this example uses MapView, any class instance that is a promise may use when() in the same way
var view = new MapView();
view.when(function(){
  // This function will execute once the promise is resolved
}, function(error){
  // This function will execute if the promise is rejected due to an error
});

Event Overview

NameTypeSummaryClass
{view: View,layerView: LayerView}

Fires after the layer's LayerView is created and rendered in a view.

more details
more detailsLayer
{view: View,error: Error}

Fires when an error emits during the creation of a LayerView after a layer has been added to the map.

more details
more detailsLayer
{view: View,layerView: LayerView}

Fires after the layer's LayerView is destroyed and no longer renders in a view.

more details
more detailsLayer

Event Details

layerview-createinherited

Fires after the layer's LayerView is created and rendered in a view.

Properties:
view View

The view in which the layerView was created.

layerView LayerView

The LayerView rendered in the view representing the layer in layer.

See also:
Example:
// This function will fire each time a layer view is created for this
// particular view.
layer.on("layerview-create", function(event){
  // The LayerView for the layer that emitted this event
  event.layerView;
});
layerview-create-errorinherited

Fires when an error emits during the creation of a LayerView after a layer has been added to the map.

Properties:
view View

The view that failed to create a layerview for the layer emitting this event.

error Error

An error object describing why the layer view failed to create.

See also:
Example:
// This function fires when an error occurs during the creation of the layer's layerview
layer.on("layerview-create-error", function(event) {
  console.error("LayerView failed to create for layer with the id: ", layer.id, " in this view: ", event.view);
});
layerview-destroyinherited

Fires after the layer's LayerView is destroyed and no longer renders in a view.

Properties:
view View

The view in which the layerView was destroyed.

layerView LayerView

The destroyed LayerView representing the layer.

API Reference search results

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