ArcMap - GetFeatureInfo URL missing the LAYERS parameter?

[Geoff Dibley]

Bonnie,

We came across the same problem with ESRI clients using the GetFeatureInfo
request.
The Layers parameter in the OGC WMS spec does imply that the Layers parameter
is required.

We followed it up with ESRI in Australia and they came back with this
response;

>>It looks like we are making a change to our software to ensure that we 
>>can perform an Identify on a MapServer WMS. The assigned analyst has 
>>just notified me that:
>>"An enhancement request has been logged to make the LAYERS parameter as 
>>part of the <map_request_copy> portion of the GetFeatureInfo request, 
>>CQ00269950."
>>I don't yet know which Version or Service Pack this will be targeted 
>>for but I know that ArcGIS 9.1 has already been completed so I would 
>>not expect it to >be as soon as that.
>>Thankyou for bringing the issue to our attention.

Regards,
Geoff

========================================
Geoff Dibley
Geospatial and Earth Monitoring Division
Geoscience Australia
GPO Box 378 Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: +61 2 6249 9809
Fax: + 61 2 6249 9937
Email: geoff.dibley at ga.gov.au
Web: http://www.ga.gov.au
=========================================


-----Original Message-----
From: UMN MapServer Users List [mailto:MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU] On
Behalf Of Bonnie Stewart
Sent: Wednesday, 1 June 2005 12:04 
To: MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [UMN_MAPSERVER-USERS] ArcMap - GetFeatureInfo URL missing the LAYERS
parameter?


Hi all,

I'm working on a few WMS services for my organisation (still very much in the
development stage), and I'm testing my mapfiles in IE 6, ArcMap 9.0,
ArcExplorer 4, ArcExplorer 9, and Gaia 2.1.0.

Thus far I've been unable to get GetFeatureInfo requests (via the Identify
tool) working in ArcMap - if I use Identify on a particular layer, I always
get "Nothing found", and if I use it for a group of layers, I get a blank
response. Querying the same area in Gaia 2.0.1 works fine, either on that
layer or the group as a whole. 

I've used my webserver logs to compare the URLs used by both Gaia and ArcMap
for GetFeatureInfo Requests. Below is the entry in the webserver log for
ArcMap's GetFeatureInfo request (edited for readability & path removed). 
2005-06-01 00:33:24 10.0.0.11 GET /scripts/mapserv.exe 

map=<path>\wms_1-250k.map
&VERSION=1.1.1
&REQUEST=GetFeatureInfo
&SRS=EPSG:4326
&BBOX=104.859217282479,-53.2952,162.115782717521,-2.5148
&WIDTH=946
&HEIGHT=839
&QUERY_LAYERS=hotspots_200505161346_P_A_MOD14.shp
&STYLES=
&EXCEPTIONS=application/vnd.ogc.se_xml
&&INFO_FORMAT=text/html
&FEATURE_COUNT=50
&X=343&Y=283 

If I reverse engineer this into the appropriate URL and test it in IE, I get
an XML document back containing the error "msWMSLoadGetMapParams(): WMS
server error. Invalid layer(s) given in the LAYERS parameter." 

Now the interesting part: if I then add on to the URL
"&LAYERS=hotspots_200505161346_P_A_MOD14.shp" (same layer as the QUERY_LAYERS
parameter), then I get a nifty response back - features are found and
displayed via my html template. Incidentally, Gaia's URL does include this
parameter. 

Is this a bug in ArcMap's WMS compliance? How can I get around it?? 


All advice much appreciated! :) 


Cheers, 


Bonnie    
________________________________
Bonnie Stewart
Research Officer
Satellite Remote Sensing Services
Department of Land Information

Email: Bonnie.Stewart at dli.wa.gov.au
Phone: 9387 0342


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