color

AMD: require(["esri/smartMapping/renderers/color"], (colorRendererCreator) => { /* code goes here */ });
ESM: import * as colorRendererCreator from "@arcgis/core/smartMapping/renderers/color.js";
Object: esri/smartMapping/renderers/color
Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.2

This object contains helper methods for generating data-driven visualizations with continuous color or class breaks based on a field value or expression from features in a Layer. The methods in this module generate renderer or visual variable objects that may be applied directly to a supported layer. The renderers specify how features should be visualized based on data values and colors compatible with the view's background.

Known Limitations

  • SceneLayers must have the supportsRenderer and supportsLayerQuery capabilities enabled unless a predefined statistics object is provided to the statistics parameter of the method. To check a SceneLayer's capabilities, use the getFieldInfoUsage() method.
  • You cannot generate renderers and visual variables using SQL expressions for client-side FeatureLayers in a SceneView.

Method Overview

Name Return Type Summary Object

Generates a continuous color Renderer representing the age of features based on one or more fields.

color

Generates a ClassBreaksRenderer that may be applied directly to the layer used to call this method.

color

Generates a Renderer that may be applied directly to the layer used to call this method.

color

Generates a PointCloudStretchRenderer with a color scheme best-suited for the view's background based on statistics returned from a given field of a PointCloudLayer.

color

Generates a PointCloudRGBRenderer based on the RGB field of a given PointCloudLayer.

color

This method generates a color visual variable with default stops that are optimally chosen based on the statistics queried for the indicated field or expression and colors determined by the view's background.

color

Method Details

createAgeRenderer

Method
createAgeRenderer(params){Promise<AgeRendererResult>}
Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.9 color since 4.2, createAgeRenderer added at 4.9.

Generates a continuous color Renderer representing the age of features based on one or more fields. The age of a feature is calculated based on a given startTime and endTime, one of which must be a date field in the input layer. This method generates an Arcade expression and calculates statistics on the output of the expression to accomplish this. The resulting renderer contains a continuous color visual variable that maps optimal colors based on the view's background to data values based on the resulting statistics of the expression.

You are required to provide a layer, view, startTime, and endTime to generate this renderer. Optionally, you can set a unit and a theme for the visualization. Other options are provided for convenience for more involved custom visualization authoring applications. For example, if you already generated statistics in another operation, you can pass the statistics object to the statistics parameter to avoid making an extra call to the server.

Parameters
Specification
params Object

Input parameters for generating a continuous color visualization of age for time data returned from start and/or end date field(s). See the table below for details of each parameter.

Specification

The layer for which the visualization is generated.

view View

The view where the input layer is rendered. This method inspects the view's background (i.e. basemap, web map background, or view container) to determine optimal colors for the output renderer.

startTime Date|String|Number

The name of the field, or a date value representing the start time in the age calculation. If a date value is specified, then the endTime parameter must reference a Date field in the layer.

endTime Date|String|Number

The name of the field, or a date value representing the end time in the age calculation. If a date value is specified, then the startTime parameter must reference a Date field in the layer.

unit String
optional

The time unit used to calculate the difference between endTime and startTime. If a unit is not specified, then a suggested unit is determined based on the spread and distribution of the data.

Possible Values:"years"|"months"|"days"|"hours"|"minutes"|"seconds"

maxValue Number
optional

Sets a maximum age for the visualization. Even if data exists above this value, only statistics will be calculated for values between the minValue and maxValue. Added at version 4.15.

minValue Number
optional

Sets a minimum age for the visualization. Even if data exists below this value, only statistics will be calculated for values between the minValue and maxValue. Added at version 4.15.

theme String
optional
Default Value: high-to-low

Determines which values will be emphasized in the continuous ramp and the map. Possible values are listed below.

Value Description Example
high-to-low High values are emphasized with strong colors. The data values above one standard deviation from the mean are assigned the strongest color. Data values below one standard deviation from the mean are assigned the weakest color. All other values are interpolated. high-to-low
above High values are emphasized with strong colors. The max data value is assigned the strongest color. The middle or average data value is assigned the weakest color. All other values are interpolated. above
below Low values are emphasized with strong colors. The min data value is assigned the strongest color. The middle or average data value is assigned the weakest color. All other values are interpolated. below
above-and-below Values centered on a meaningful data value (e.g. the average) are visualized with weak colors while other values are emphasized with strong colors. All other values are interpolated. above-and-below
centered-on Values centered on a meaningful data value (e.g. the average) are emphasized with strong colors while other values are visualized with weak colors. All other values are interpolated. centered-on
extremes High and low values are emphasized with strong colors. All others are visualized with weak colors. All other values are interpolated. extremes

Possible Values:"high-to-low"|"above"|"below"|"above-and-below"|"centered-on"|"extremes"

filter FeatureFilter
optional

Since 4.31 When defined, only features included in the filter are considered in the attribute and spatial statistics calculations when determining the final renderer. This is useful when a lot of variation exists in the data that could result in undesired data ranges. A common use case would be to set a filter that only includes features in the current extent of the view where the data is most likely to be viewed. Currently, only geometry filters with an intersects spatial relationship are supported. All other filter types (including where) are ignored.

outlineOptimizationEnabled Boolean
optional
Default Value: false

For polygon layers only. Indicates whether the polygon outline width should vary based on view scale. When set, a valid MapView instance must be provided in the view parameter. This option is not supported for 3D SceneViews.

sizeOptimizationEnabled Boolean
optional
Default Value: false

For point and polyline layers only. Indicates whether symbol sizes should vary based on view scale. When set, a valid MapView instance must be provided in the view parameter. This option is not supported for 3D SceneViews.

legendOptions Object
optional

Provides options for modifying Legend properties describing the visualization.

Specification
title String
optional

The title used to represent the age color ramp in the Legend.

showLegend Boolean
optional

Indicates whether to include the age renderer in the legend.

optional

A statistics object generated from the summaryStatistics function. The createAgeRenderer() method generates an Arcade expression and executes a statistics query against the layer for the result of the expression. If statistics for the expression have already been generated, then pass the object here to avoid making a second statistics query.

colorScheme ColorScheme
optional

In authoring apps, the user may select a pre-defined color scheme. Pass the scheme object to this property to avoid getting one based on a theme and the view's background.

symbolType String
optional
Default Value: 2d

The type of symbol to generate. This depends on the view in which you are working and the desired visualization. This parameter does not need to be specified for layers with a mesh geometry type. Possible values are described below.

Value Description
2d Generates a visualization using 2D symbols such as SimpleMarkerSymbol, SimpleLineSymbol, or SimpleFillSymbol. Use this option if generating a visualization for data in a MapView.
3d-flat Generates a visualization using 3D symbols with flat symbol layers such as IconSymbol3DLayer, LineSymbol3DLayer, or FillSymbol3DLayer. Use this option if generating a 2D visualization for data in a SceneView.
3d-volumetric Generates a visualization using 3D symbols with volumetric symbol layers such as ObjectSymbol3DLayer, PathSymbol3DLayer, or ExtrudeSymbol3DLayer. Use this option if generating a 3D visualization for data in a SceneView. A SceneView instance must be provided to the view parameter if this option is used.
3d-volumetric-uniform Generates a visualization using uniformly sized 3D symbols with volumetric symbol layers. Use this option if generating a 3D visualization for data in a SceneView and the symbol should be sizes uniformly, for example with spheres. A SceneView instance must be provided to the view parameter if this option is used.

Possible Values:"2d"|"3d-flat"|"3d-volumetric"|"3d-volumetric-uniform"

defaultSymbolEnabled Boolean
optional
Default Value: true

Enables the defaultSymbol on the renderer and assigns it to features with no value.

colorMixMode String
optional
Default Value: replace

This option only applies to generating renderers for mesh SceneLayers. Specifies how the symbol's color is applied to the geometry color/texture. See the documentation in FillSymbol3DLayer.material for more context. See the table below for possible values.

Value Description
tint Applies the symbol color to the desaturated geometry/texture color.
replace Removes the geometry/texture color and applies the symbol color.
multiply Multiplies geometry/texture color value with the symbol color value. The result is a darker color. Multiplying with white keeps the geometry color the same.
signal AbortSignal
optional

Allows for cancelable requests. If canceled, the promise will be rejected with an error named AbortError. See also AbortController.

Returns
Type Description
Promise<AgeRendererResult> Resolves to an instance of AgeRendererResult.
Examples
const layer = new FeatureLayer({
  url: "https://services.arcgis.com/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/311_Service_Requests_from_2015_50k/FeatureServer/0"
});

// visualization based age of incidents closed passed their due date
// or the number of days an incident was overdue at the time of closure.

const ageParams = {
  layer: layer,
  view: view,
  startTime: "Due_Date",
  endTime: "Closed_Date",
  unit: "days",
  theme: "above-and-below"
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the renderer to the layer
colorRendererCreator.createAgeRenderer(ageParams)
  .then(function(response){
    layer.renderer = response.renderer;
  });
const layer = new CSVLayer({
  url: "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/v1.0/summary/2.5_week.csv",
  copyright: "USGS Earthquakes"
});

// visualization based off current age of incident
const ageParams = {
  layer: layer,
  view: view,
  startTime: "time",
  endTime: Date.now(),
  legendOptions: {
    title: "Time since earthquake struck"
  }
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the renderer to the layer
colorRendererCreator.createAgeRenderer(ageParams)
  .then(function(response){
    layer.renderer = response.renderer;
  });

createClassBreaksRenderer

Method
createClassBreaksRenderer(params){Promise<ClassBreaksRendererResult>}
Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.6 color since 4.2, createClassBreaksRenderer added at 4.6.

Generates a ClassBreaksRenderer that may be applied directly to the layer used to call this method. The resulting renderer defines the symbol color of each feature based on the value of the given field value. A default color scheme is determined based on the view's background. Depending on the classificationMethod, class breaks (or data ranges) are generated based on the statistics of the data. Each feature is assigned a color based on the class break in which the value of the field falls.

In most cases you will provide a layer, view, field, and classificationMethod to generate this renderer. This is a scenario in which the statistics of the data aren't well known and the user doesn't know what colors to use in the visualization. You can also use a valueExpression instead of a field to visualize features based on a value returned from a script executed at runtime.

The other options are provided for convenience for more involved custom visualization authoring applications.

Parameters
Specification
params Object

Input parameters for generating a classed color visualization based on data returned from a given field or expression. See the table below for details of each parameter.

Specification

The layer for which the visualization is generated.

view View
optional

The view where the input layer is rendered. This method inspects the view's background (i.e. basemap, web map background, or view container) to determine optimal colors for the output renderer. This parameter should always be set in practice, but if not provided this method will assume the generated renderer will display on a light background. This parameter is required when creating renderers using a valueExpression or for renderers intended for display in a SceneView.

field String
optional

The name of the field whose data will be queried for statistics and classified. This property is ignored if a valueExpression is used.

normalizationField String
optional

The name of the field to normalize the values of the given field. Providing a normalization field helps minimize some visualization errors and standardizes the data so all features are visualized with minimal bias due to area differences or count variation. This option is commonly used when visualizing densities.

normalizationType String
optional

Indicates how the data is normalized. The data value obtained from the field is normalized in one of the following ways before it is compared with the class breaks. See the table below for a list of possible values.

Possible Value Description
field Divides the field value by the value of normalizationField. This value is set by default if the normalizationField is provided.
log Computes the base 10 logarithm of the data value. This can be a useful approach for some data distributions because it reduces the influence of very large data values.
percent-of-total Divides the data value by the sum of all data values then multiplies by 100. Use normalizationTotal to define the total value by which to normalize. This value is set by default if the normalizationTotal is provided.

With the exception of log normalization, data normalization creates a ratio by dividing two values. When comparing attribute values between features, normalization minimizes the effect of varying map areas and the number of observations. For example, dividing the 18 to 30 year old population by the area of a polygon feature yields a density value that can be compared evenly with other features, regardless of their size.

Possible Values:"field"|"log"|"percent-of-total"

normalizationTotal Number
optional

When normalizationType is percent-of-total, this property contains the total of all data values.

classificationMethod String
optional
Default Value: equal-interval

The classification method used for generating breaks. See the table below for a list of possible values.

Possible Value Description
equal-interval Divides the range of attribute values into equal-sized subranges. For example, if you specify three classes for a field whose values range from 0 to 300, this method will create three classes with ranges of 0–100, 101–200, and 201–300. Equal interval is best applied to familiar data ranges, such as percentages and temperature. This method emphasizes the amount of an attribute value relative to other values. For example, it could show if a store is part of the group of stores that make up the top one-third of all sales.
natural-breaks Groups similar values that maximize the differences between classes. Features are divided into classes whose boundaries are set where there are relatively big differences in the data values. Natural breaks are data-specific classifications and not useful for comparing multiple maps built from different underlying information.
quantile Assigns the same number of data values to each class. This is well suited to linearly distributed data. Because features are grouped in equal numbers in each class, the resulting map can often be misleading. Similar features can potentially be placed in adjacent classes, or features with widely different values can be put in the same class. You can minimize this distortion by increasing the number of classes.
standard-deviation Creates class breaks with equal value ranges that are a proportion of the standard deviation. This is usually done at intervals of one, one-half, one-third, or one-fourth standard deviations from the mean.

Possible Values:"equal-interval"|"natural-breaks"|"quantile"|"standard-deviation"

standardDeviationInterval Number
optional
Default Value: 1

If a standard-deviation classification method is used, then this indicates the interval by which to generate class breaks.

Possible Values: 1 | 0.5 | 0.33 | 0.25

numClasses Number
optional
Default Value: 5

The number of class breaks to generate. This is ignored if a standard-deviation classification method is specified.

colorScheme ColorScheme
optional

In authoring apps, the user may select a pre-defined color scheme. Pass the scheme object to this property to avoid getting one based on the view's background.

valueExpression String
optional

An Arcade expression following the specification defined by the Arcade Visualization Profile. Expressions may reference field values using the $feature profile variable and must return a number. This property overrides the field property and therefore is used instead of an input field value.

valueExpressionTitle String
optional

Text describing the value returned from the valueExpression. This is used by the Legend widget.

sqlExpression String
optional

A SQL expression evaluating to a number.

sqlWhere String
optional

A SQL where clause used to filter features for the statistics query. For example, this is useful in situations where you want to avoid dividing by zero as is the case with creating a predominance visualization.

filter FeatureFilter
optional

Since 4.31 When defined, only features included in the filter are considered in the attribute and spatial statistics calculations when determining the final renderer. This is useful when a lot of variation exists in the data that could result in undesired data ranges. A common use case would be to set a filter that only includes features in the current extent of the view where the data is most likely to be viewed. Currently, only geometry filters with an intersects spatial relationship are supported. All other filter types (including where) are ignored.

outlineOptimizationEnabled Boolean
optional
Default Value: false

For polygon layers only. Indicates whether the polygon outline width should vary based on view scale. When set, a valid MapView instance must be provided in the view parameter. This option is not supported for 3D SceneViews.

legendOptions Object
optional

Provides options for setting a title to describe a field instead of using the field name. This title will represent the field in the Legend.

Specification
title String
optional

The title used to represent the given field or expression in the Legend.

minValue Number
optional

A minimum value set by the user. Use this in conjunction with maxValue to generate class breaks between lower and upper bounds. This will be the lower bound of the lowest class break.

maxValue Number
optional

A maximum value set by the user. Use this in conjunction with minValue to generate class breaks between lower and upper bounds. This will be the upper bound of the highest class break.

defaultSymbolEnabled Boolean
optional
Default Value: true

Enables the defaultSymbol on the renderer and assigns it to features with no value and features that do not fall within the configured data range.

symbolType String
optional
Default Value: 2d

The type of symbol to generate. This depends on the view in which you are working and the desired visualization. This parameter does not need to be specified for layers with a mesh geometry type. Possible values are described below.

Value Description
2d Generates a visualization using 2D symbols such as SimpleMarkerSymbol, SimpleLineSymbol, or SimpleFillSymbol. Use this option if generating a visualization for data in a MapView.
3d-flat Generates a visualization using 3D symbols with flat symbol layers such as IconSymbol3DLayer, LineSymbol3DLayer, or FillSymbol3DLayer. Use this option if generating a 2D visualization for data in a SceneView.
3d-volumetric Generates a visualization using 3D symbols with volumetric symbol layers such as ObjectSymbol3DLayer, PathSymbol3DLayer, or ExtrudeSymbol3DLayer. Use this option if generating a 3D visualization for data in a SceneView. A SceneView instance must be provided to the view parameter if this option is used.
3d-volumetric-uniform Generates a visualization using uniformly sized 3D symbols with volumetric symbol layers. Use this option if generating a 3D visualization for data in a SceneView and the symbol should be sizes uniformly, for example with spheres. A SceneView instance must be provided to the view parameter if this option is used.

Possible Values:"2d"|"3d-flat"|"3d-volumetric"|"3d-volumetric-uniform"

colorMixMode String
optional
Default Value: replace

This option only applies to generating renderers for mesh SceneLayers. Specifies how the symbol's color is applied to the geometry color/texture. See the documentation in FillSymbol3DLayer.material for more context. See the table below for possible values.

Value Description
tint Applies the symbol color to the unsaturated geometry/texture color.
replace Removes the geometry/texture color and applies the symbol color.
multiply Multiplies geometry/texture color value with the symbol color value. The result is a darker color. Multiplying with white keeps the geometry color the same.
forBinning Boolean
optional

Indicates whether the generated renderer is for a binning visualization. If true, then the input field(s) in this method should refer to aggregate fields defined in the featureReduction property of the layer.

signal AbortSignal
optional

Allows for cancelable requests. If canceled, the promise will be rejected with an error named AbortError. See also AbortController.

Returns
Type Description
Promise<ClassBreaksRendererResult> Resolves to an instance of ClassBreaksRendererResult.
Examples
let layer = new FeatureLayer({
  url: "https://services.arcgis.com/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/counties_politics_poverty/FeatureServer/0"
});

// visualization based on field and normalization field
let colorParams = {
  layer: layer,
  view: view,
  field: "POP_POVERTY",
  normalizationField: "TOTPOP_CY",
  classificationMethod: "quantile",
  numClasses: 4
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the renderer to the layer
colorRendererCreator.createClassBreaksRenderer(colorParams)
  .then(function(response){
    layer.renderer = response.renderer;
  });
let layer = new FeatureLayer({
  url: "https://services.arcgis.com/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/counties_politics_poverty/FeatureServer/0"
});

// visualization based off Arcade expression
let colorParams = {
  layer: layer,
  valueExpression: "($feature.POP_POVERTY / $feature.TOTPOP_CY) * 100",
  view: view,
  sqlWhere: "TOTPOP_CY > 0",
  legendOptions: {
    title: "% of people living in poverty"
  }
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the renderer to the layer
colorRendererCreator.createClassBreaksRenderer(colorParams)
  .then(function(response){
    layer.renderer = response.renderer;
  });

createContinuousRenderer

Method
createContinuousRenderer(params){Promise<ContinuousRendererResult>}

Generates a Renderer that may be applied directly to the layer used to call this method. The renderer contains a continuous color visual variable that maps optimal colors based on the view's background to specific stop values based on queried statistics from the indicated field or expression.

In most cases you will provide a layer, view, field, and theme to generate this renderer. This is a scenario in which the statistics of the data aren't well known and the user doesn't know what colors to use in the visualization. You can also use a valueExpression instead of a field to visualize features based on a value returned from a script executed at runtime.

The other options are provided for convenience for more involved custom visualization authoring applications. For example, if you already generated statistics in another operation, you can pass the statistics object to the statistics parameter to avoid making an extra call to the server.

Parameters
Specification
params Object

Input parameters for generating a continuous color visualization based on data returned from a given field or expression. See the table below for details of each parameter.

Specification

The layer for which the visualization is generated.

view View
optional

The view where the input layer is rendered. This method inspects the view's background (i.e. basemap, web map background, or view container) to determine optimal colors for the output renderer. This parameter should always be set in practice, but if not provided this method will assume the generated renderer will display on a light background. This parameter is required when creating renderers using a valueExpression or for renderers intended for display in a SceneView.

field String
optional

The name of the field whose data will be queried for statistics and used for the basis of the data-driven visualization. This property is ignored if a valueExpression is used.

normalizationField String
optional

The name of the field to normalize the values of the given field. Providing a normalization field helps minimize some visualization errors and standardizes the data so all features are visualized with minimal bias due to area differences or count variation. This option is commonly used when visualizing densities.

theme String
optional
Default Value: high-to-low

Determines which values will be emphasized in the continuous ramp and the map. Possible values are listed below.

Value Description Example
high-to-low High values are emphasized with strong colors. The data values above one standard deviation from the mean are assigned the strongest color. Data values below one standard deviation from the mean are assigned the weakest color. All other values are interpolated. high-to-low
above High values are emphasized with strong colors. The max data value is assigned the strongest color. The middle or average data value is assigned the weakest color. All other values are interpolated. above
below Low values are emphasized with strong colors. The min data value is assigned the strongest color. The middle or average data value is assigned the weakest color. All other values are interpolated. below
above-and-below Values centered on a meaningful data value (e.g. the average) are visualized with weak colors while other values are emphasized with strong colors. All other values are interpolated. above-and-below
centered-on Values centered on a meaningful data value (e.g. the average) are emphasized with strong colors while other values are visualized with weak colors. All other values are interpolated. centered-on
extremes High and low values are emphasized with strong colors. All others are visualized with weak colors. All other values are interpolated. extremes

Possible Values:"high-to-low"|"above"|"below"|"above-and-below"|"centered-on"|"extremes"

colorScheme ColorScheme
optional

In authoring apps, the user may select a pre-defined color scheme. Pass the scheme object to this property to avoid getting one based on a theme and the view's background.

valueExpression String
optional

An Arcade expression following the specification defined by the Arcade Visualization Profile. Expressions may reference field values using the $feature profile variable and must return a number. This property overrides the field property and therefore is used instead of an input field value.

valueExpressionTitle String
optional

Text describing the value returned from the valueExpression. This is used by the Legend widget.

sqlExpression String
optional

A SQL expression evaluating to a number.

sqlWhere String
optional

A SQL where clause used to filter features for the statistics query. For example, this is useful in situations where you want to avoid dividing by zero as is the case with creating a predominance visualization.

filter FeatureFilter
optional

Since 4.31 When defined, only features included in the filter are considered in the attribute and spatial statistics calculations when determining the final renderer. This is useful when a lot of variation exists in the data that could result in undesired data ranges. A common use case would be to set a filter that only includes features in the current extent of the view where the data is most likely to be viewed. Currently, only geometry filters with an intersects spatial relationship are supported. All other filter types (including where) are ignored.

outlineOptimizationEnabled Boolean
optional
Default Value: false

For polygon layers only. Indicates whether the polygon outline width should vary based on view scale. When set, a valid MapView instance must be provided in the view parameter. This option is not supported for 3D SceneViews.

sizeOptimizationEnabled Boolean
optional
Default Value: false

For point and polyline layers only. Indicates whether symbol sizes should vary based on view scale. When set, a valid MapView instance must be provided in the view parameter. This option is not supported for 3D SceneViews.

legendOptions Object
optional

Provides options for setting a title to a field when an expression is provided instead of a field name. This title will represent the field in the Legend.

Specification
title String
optional

The title used to represent the given field or expression in the Legend.

showLegend Boolean
optional

Indicates whether to describe the renderer in the legend.

optional

A statistics object generated from the summaryStatistics function. If statistics for the field have already been generated, then pass the object here to avoid making a second statistics query to the server.

minValue Number
optional

A custom minimum value set by the user. Use this in conjunction with maxValue to generate statistics between lower and upper bounds. This will be the lowest stop in the returned color visual variable.

maxValue Number
optional

A custom maximum value set by the user. Use this in conjunction with minValue to generate statistics between lower and upper bounds. This will be the uppermost stop in the returned color visual variable.

defaultSymbolEnabled Boolean
optional
Default Value: true

Enables the defaultSymbol on the renderer and assigns it to features with no value and features that do not fall within the configured data range.

symbolType String
optional
Default Value: 2d

The type of symbol to generate. This depends on the view in which you are working and the desired visualization. This parameter does not need to be specified for layers with a mesh geometry type. Possible values are described below.

Value Description
2d Generates a visualization using 2D symbols such as SimpleMarkerSymbol, SimpleLineSymbol, or SimpleFillSymbol. Use this option if generating a visualization for data in a MapView.
3d-flat Generates a visualization using 3D symbols with flat symbol layers such as IconSymbol3DLayer, LineSymbol3DLayer, or FillSymbol3DLayer. Use this option if generating a 2D visualization for data in a SceneView.
3d-volumetric Generates a visualization using 3D symbols with volumetric symbol layers such as ObjectSymbol3DLayer, PathSymbol3DLayer, or ExtrudeSymbol3DLayer. Use this option if generating a 3D visualization for data in a SceneView. A SceneView instance must be provided to the view parameter if this option is used.
3d-volumetric-uniform Generates a visualization using uniformly sized 3D symbols with volumetric symbol layers. Use this option if generating a 3D visualization for data in a SceneView and the symbol should be sizes uniformly, for example with spheres. A SceneView instance must be provided to the view parameter if this option is used.

Possible Values:"2d"|"3d-flat"|"3d-volumetric"|"3d-volumetric-uniform"

colorMixMode String
optional
Default Value: replace

This option only applies to generating renderers for mesh SceneLayers. Specifies how the symbol's color is applied to the geometry color/texture. See the documentation in FillSymbol3DLayer.material for more context. See the table below for possible values.

Value Description
tint Applies the symbol color to the unsaturated geometry/texture color.
replace Removes the geometry/texture color and applies the symbol color.
multiply Multiplies geometry/texture color value with the symbol color value. The result is a darker color. Multiplying with white keeps the geometry color the same.
forBinning Boolean
optional

Indicates whether the generated renderer is for a binning visualization. If true, then the input field(s) in this method should refer to aggregate fields defined in the featureReduction property of the layer.

signal AbortSignal
optional

Allows for cancelable requests. If canceled, the promise will be rejected with an error named AbortError. See also AbortController.

Returns
Type Description
Promise<ContinuousRendererResult> Resolves to an instance of ContinuousRendererResult.
Examples
let layer = new FeatureLayer({
  url: "https://services.arcgis.com/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/counties_politics_poverty/FeatureServer/0"
});

// visualization based on field and normalization field
let colorParams = {
  layer: layer,
  view: view,
  field: "POP_POVERTY",
  normalizationField: "TOTPOP_CY",
  theme: "above-and-below"
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the renderer to the layer
colorRendererCreator.createContinuousRenderer(colorParams)
  .then(function(response){
    layer.renderer = response.renderer;
  });
let layer = new FeatureLayer({
  url: "https://services.arcgis.com/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/counties_politics_poverty/FeatureServer/0"
});

// visualization based off Arcade expression
let colorParams = {
  layer: layer,
  valueExpression: "($feature.POP_POVERTY / $feature.TOTPOP_CY) * 100",
  view: view,
  sqlWhere: "TOTPOP_CY > 0",
  legendOptions: {
    title: "% of people living in poverty"
  }
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the renderer to the layer
colorRendererCreator.createContinuousRenderer(colorParams)
  .then(function(response){
    layer.renderer = response.renderer;
  });

createPCContinuousRenderer

Method
createPCContinuousRenderer(params){Promise<PCContinuousRendererResult>}
Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.5 color since 4.2, createPCContinuousRenderer added at 4.5.

Generates a PointCloudStretchRenderer with a color scheme best-suited for the view's background based on statistics returned from a given field of a PointCloudLayer. All that's required is a layer instance, field name, and basemap id. You can optionally set the size and density of the points to suit the needs of the desired visualization.

Parameters
Specification
params Object

Input parameters for generating a renderer based on the given field of the input layer. See the table below for details of each parameter.

Specification

The layer for which the visualization is generated.

field String

The name of the field whose data will be queried for statistics and used for the basis of the data-driven visualization. The only field names used for this renderer type are elevation and intensity.

basemap String|Basemap
optional
Default Value: gray

The named string or basemap object of the Esri basemap that will be paired with the output visualization.

size String
optional
Default Value: 100%

The size of each point expressed as a percentage. This value will determine point sizes scaled based on the given density of points. When the value is 100%, the size of each point is set so that it minimizes the number of gaps between neighboring points. Any value above 100% will allow for points to overlap neighboring points scaled to the given value. Values below 100% scale point sizes smaller so there appear to be more gaps between points.

density Number
optional
Default Value: 25

The number of points per inch in the view.

colorScheme ColorScheme
optional

In authoring apps, the user may select a pre-defined color scheme. Pass the scheme object to this property to avoid getting one based on the basemap.

optional

A statistics object generated from the summaryStatistics function. If statistics for the field have already been generated, then pass the stats object here to avoid making a second statistics

signal AbortSignal
optional

Allows for cancelable requests. If canceled, the promise will be rejected with an error named AbortError. See also AbortController. query to the server.

Returns
Type Description
Promise<PCContinuousRendererResult> Resolves to an object containing the renderer to set on the input layer. See PCContinuousRendererResult for more details.
Example
let layer = new PointCloudLayer({
  url: "https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/BARNEGAT_BAY_LiDAR_UTM/SceneServer"
});

let params = {
  layer: layer,
  field: "INTENSITY",
  basemap: "satellite"
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the renderer to the layer
colorRendererCreator.createPCContinuousRenderer(params)
  .then(function(response){
    layer.renderer = response.renderer;
  });

createPCTrueColorRenderer

Method
createPCTrueColorRenderer(params){Promise<PCTrueColorRendererResult>}
Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.5 color since 4.2, createPCTrueColorRenderer added at 4.5.

Generates a PointCloudRGBRenderer based on the RGB field of a given PointCloudLayer. This method simplifies the experience of creating a PointCloudRGBRenderer manually. All that's required is a layer instance. You can optionally set the size and density of the points to suit the needs of the desired visualization.

Parameters
Specification
params Object

Input parameters for generating a true color visualization based on the RGB field of the input layer. See the table below for details of each parameter.

Specification

The layer for which the visualization is generated.

size String
optional
Default Value: 100%

The size of each point expressed as a percentage. This value will determine point sizes scaled based on the given density of points. When the value is 100%, the size of each point is set so that it minimizes the number of gaps between neighboring points. Any value above 100% will allow for points to overlap neighboring points scaled to the given value. Values below 100% scale point sizes smaller so there appear to be more gaps between points.

density Number
optional
Default Value: 25

The number of points per inch in the view.

signal AbortSignal
optional

Allows for cancelable requests. If canceled, the promise will be rejected with an error named AbortError. See also AbortController.

Returns
Type Description
Promise<PCTrueColorRendererResult> Resolves to an object containing the renderer to set on the input layer. See PCTrueColorRendererResult for more details.
Examples
let layer = new PointCloudLayer({
  url: "https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/BARNEGAT_BAY_LiDAR_UTM/SceneServer"
});

// generates an RGB renderer using default values for the given layer.
colorRendererCreator.createPCTrueColorRenderer({
  layer: layer
}).then(function(response){
  layer.renderer = response.renderer;
});
let layer = new PointCloudLayer({
  url: "https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/BARNEGAT_BAY_LiDAR_UTM/SceneServer"
});

// sets options for configuring size of points
let params = {
  layer: layer,
  density: 25,  // points per square inch
  size: "100%"  // minimizes gap between points
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the renderer to the layer
colorRendererCreator.createPCTrueColorRenderer(params)
  .then(function(response){
    layer.renderer = response.renderer;
  });

createVisualVariable

Method
createVisualVariable(params){Promise<VisualVariableResult>}

This method generates a color visual variable with default stops that are optimally chosen based on the statistics queried for the indicated field or expression and colors determined by the view's background.

There are two different ways this method may be called. The most common case is by providing a layer, view, field, and theme. This is the scenario where the statistics of the data aren't well known and the user doesn't know what colors to use. You can optionally use a valueExpression instead of a field to visualize features based on a numeric value returned from a script executed at runtime.

The other options are provided for convenience for more involved custom visualization authoring applications. For example, if you already generated statistics in another operation, you can pass the object in the statistics parameter to avoid making an extra call to the server. You can also provide a colorScheme if you don't want one picked for you. In this case the view and theme options would be ignored.

Parameters
Specification
params Object

Input parameters for generating a color visual variable based on data returned from a given field or expression. See the table below for details of each parameter.

Specification

The layer for which the visual variable is generated.

view View
optional

The view where the input layer is rendered. This method inspects the view's background (i.e. basemap, web map background, or view container) to determine optimal colors for the output renderer. This parameter should always be set in practice, but if not provided this method will assume the generated renderer will display on a light background. This parameter is required when creating renderers using a valueExpression or for renderers intended for display in a SceneView.

field String
optional

The name of the field whose data will be queried for statistics and used for the basis of the data-driven visualization. This property is ignored if a valueExpression is used.

normalizationField String
optional

The name of the field to normalize the values of the given field. Providing a normalization field helps minimize some visualization errors and standardizes the data so all features are visualized with minimal bias due to area differences or count variation. This option is commonly used when visualizing densities.

theme String
optional
Default Value: high-to-low

Determines which values will be emphasized in the continuous ramp and the map. Possible values are listed below.

Value Description Example
high-to-low High values are emphasized with strong colors. The data values above one standard deviation from the mean are assigned the strongest color. Data values below one standard deviation from the mean are assigned the weakest color. All other values are interpolated. high-to-low
above High values are emphasized with strong colors. The max data value is assigned the strongest color. The middle or average data value is assigned the weakest color. All other values are interpolated. above
below Low values are emphasized with strong colors. The min data value is assigned the strongest color. The middle or average data value is assigned the weakest color. All other values are interpolated. below
above-and-below Values centered on a meaningful data value (e.g. the average) are visualized with weak colors while other values are emphasized with strong colors. All other values are interpolated. above-and-below
centered-on Values centered on a meaningful data value (e.g. the average) are emphasized with strong colors while other values are visualized with weak colors. All other values are interpolated. centered-on
extremes High and low values are emphasized with strong colors. All others are visualized with weak colors. All other values are interpolated. extremes

Possible Values:"high-to-low"|"above"|"below"|"above-and-below"|"centered-on"|"extremes"

colorScheme ColorScheme
optional

In authoring apps, the user may select a pre-defined color scheme. Pass the scheme object to this property to avoid getting one based on a theme and the view's background.

valueExpression String
optional

An Arcade expression following the specification defined by the Arcade Visualization Profile. Expressions may reference field values using the $feature profile variable and must return a number. This property overrides the field property and therefore is used instead of an input field value.

valueExpressionTitle String
optional

Text describing the value returned from the valueExpression. This is used by the Legend widget.

sqlExpression String
optional

A SQL expression evaluating to a number.

sqlWhere String
optional

A SQL where clause used to filter features for the statistics query. For example, this is useful in situations where you want to avoid dividing by zero as is the case with creating a predominance visualization.

filter FeatureFilter
optional

Since 4.31 When defined, only features included in the filter are considered in the attribute and spatial statistics calculations when determining the final renderer. This is useful when a lot of variation exists in the data that could result in undesired data ranges. A common use case would be to set a filter that only includes features in the current extent of the view where the data is most likely to be viewed. Currently, only geometry filters with an intersects spatial relationship are supported. All other filter types (including where) are ignored.

legendOptions Object
optional

Provides options for setting a title to a field when an expression is provided instead of a field name. This title will represent the field in the Legend.

Specification
title String
optional

The title used to represent the given field or expression in the Legend.

showLegend Boolean
optional

Indicates whether to describe the renderer in the legend.

optional

A statistics object generated from the summaryStatistics function. If statistics for the field have already been generated, then pass the object here to avoid making a second statistics query to the server.

minValue Number
optional

A custom minimum value set by the user. Use this in conjunction with maxValue to generate statistics between lower and upper bounds. This will be the lowest stop in the returned color visual variable.

maxValue Number
optional

A custom maximum value set by the user. Use this in conjunction with minValue to generate statistics between lower and upper bounds. This will be the uppermost stop in the returned color visual variable.

worldScale Boolean
optional

Indicates if the size units of the symbols will be in meters. This should be true when generating visualizations with 3D volumetric symbology, except for layers with a mesh geometry type. A view must be provided if this property is set to true.

forBinning Boolean
optional

Indicates whether the generated renderer is for a binning visualization. If true, then the input field(s) in this method should refer to aggregate fields defined in the featureReduction property of the layer.

signal AbortSignal
optional

Allows for cancelable requests. If canceled, the promise will be rejected with an error named AbortError. See also AbortController.

Returns
Type Description
Promise<VisualVariableResult> Resolves to an instance of VisualVariableResult.
Examples
let layer = new FeatureLayer({
  url: "https://services.arcgis.com/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/counties_politics_poverty/FeatureServer/0"
});

// visualization based on field and normalization field
let colorParams = {
  layer: layer,
  view: view,
  field: "POP_POVERTY",
  normalizationField: "TOTPOP_CY",
  theme: "above-and-below"
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the visual variable to the renderer
colorRendererCreator.createVisualVariable(colorParams)
  .then(function(response){
    let renderer = layer.renderer.clone();
    renderer.visualVariables = [ response.visualVariable ];
    layer.renderer = renderer;
  });
let layer = new FeatureLayer({
  url: "https://services.arcgis.com/V6ZHFr6zdgNZuVG0/arcgis/rest/services/counties_politics_poverty/FeatureServer/0"
});

// visualization based off Arcade expression
let colorParams = {
  layer: layer,
  view: view,
  valueExpression: "($feature.POP_POVERTY / $feature.TOTPOP_CY) * 100",
  sqlWhere: "TOTPOP_CY > 0",
  legendOptions: {
    title: "% of people living in poverty"
  }
};

// when the promise resolves, apply the visual variable to the renderer
colorRendererCreator.createVisualVariable(colorParams)
  .then(function(response){
    let renderer = layer.renderer.clone();
    renderer.visualVariables = [ response.visualVariable ];
    layer.renderer = renderer;
  });

Type Definitions

AgeRendererResult

Type Definition
AgeRendererResult
Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.9 color since 4.2, AgeRendererResult added at 4.9.

The result object of the createAgeRenderer() method. See the table below for details of each property.

Properties

The renderer object configured to best match the background of the view and the spread of the data. Set this on a layer's renderer property to update its visualization.

visualVariable ColorVariable

A color visual variable configured based on the statistics of the data and the background of the view.

unit String

The time unit used to represent age in the output renderer.

colorScheme ColorScheme

The color scheme used by the visual variable.

defaultValuesUsed Boolean

Indicates whether default values are used in the absence of sufficient data and/or statistics from the layer. Default values are typically used when all features have the same field value or no value at all.

Basic statistics returned from a query to the service for data from the given field name or expression.

basemapId String

The ID of the basemap used to determine the optimal fill color of the features.

basemapTheme String

Indicates whether the average color of the input view's basemap is light or dark.

ClassBreaksRendererResult

Type Definition
ClassBreaksRendererResult
Since: ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript 4.6 color since 4.2, ClassBreaksRendererResult added at 4.6.

The result object of the createClassBreaksRenderer() method. See the table below for details of each property.

Properties

The renderer object configured to best match the background of the view and the spread of the data. Set this on a layer's renderer property to update its visualization.

classBreaksResult ClassBreaksResult

This object describes class breaks generated from data in a layer for a given field with a specified classification method.

colorScheme ColorScheme

The color scheme used for the class breaks.

defaultValuesUsed Boolean

Indicates whether default values are used in the absence of sufficient data and/or statistics from the layer. Default values are typically used when all features have the same field value or no value at all.

basemapId String

The ID of the basemap used to determine the optimal fill color of the features.

basemapTheme String

Indicates whether the average color of the input view's basemap is light or dark.

ContinuousRendererResult

Type Definition
ContinuousRendererResult

The result object of the createContinuousRenderer() method. See the table below for details of each property.

Properties

The renderer object configured to best match the view's background and the spread of the data. Set this on a layer's renderer property (or the featureReduction.renderer property to update its visualization.

visualVariable ColorVariable

A color visual variable configured based on the statistics of the data and the view's background.

colorScheme ColorScheme

The color scheme used by the visual variable.

defaultValuesUsed Boolean

Indicates whether default values are used in the absence of sufficient data and/or statistics from the layer. Default values are typically used when all features have the same field value or no value at all.

Basic statistics returned from a query to the service for data from the given field name or expression.

basemapId String

The ID of the basemap used to determine the optimal fill color of the features.

basemapTheme String

Indicates whether the average color of the input view's basemap is light or dark.

PCContinuousRendererResult

Type Definition
PCContinuousRendererResult

The result object of the createPCContinuousRenderer() method. See the table below for details of each property.

Properties

The renderer object configured to best match the background of the view and the spread of the data. Set this object on the input layer's renderer property to update its visualization.

colorScheme ColorScheme

The color scheme used by the renderer.

defaultValuesUsed Boolean

Indicates whether default values are used in the absence of sufficient data and/or statistics from the layer. Default values are typically used when all features have the same field value or no value at all.

Basic statistics returned from a query to the service for data from the given field name.

basemapId String

The ID of the basemap used to determine the optimal color scheme for the output renderer.

basemapTheme String

Indicates whether the average color of the input view's basemap is light or dark.

PCTrueColorRendererResult

Type Definition
PCTrueColorRendererResult

The result object of the createPCTrueColorRenderer() method. See the table below for details of each property.

Property

The renderer object configured to represent the true color of each point in the point cloud. This gives the PointCloudLayer a realistic visualization of how it looks in the real world. Set this object on the input layer's renderer property to update its visualization.

VisualVariableResult

Type Definition
VisualVariableResult

The result object of the createVisualVariable() method. See the table below for details of each property.

Properties
visualVariable ColorVariable

A color visual variable configured based on the statistics of the data and the view's background.

colorScheme ColorScheme

The color scheme used by the visual variable.

Basic statistics returned from a query to the service for the given field or expression.

defaultValuesUsed Boolean

Indicates whether default values are used in the absence of sufficient data and/or statistics from the layer. Default values are typically used when all features have the same field value or no value at all.

basemapId String

The ID of the basemap used to determine the optimal fill color of the features.

basemapTheme String

Indicates whether the average color of the input view's basemap is light or dark.

authoringInfo AuthoringInfo

Authoring information related to the creation of the visual variable. This includes information related to UI inputs from sliders and selected themes.

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