ArcGIS Online (and Portal) offer many way to create apps.
The easiest way to create an app is from the Content page and click on the Create app button.
The ArcGIS Online documentation has a matrix for most of these methods.
- Web AppBuilder – has been and still is a standard for many years. Lots of configuration options, including many widgets. An example of this is the City of Sacramento Historical Cemetery Map.
- Configurable Apps – has several “templates” that can work with many different kinds of options and my cut down on the design time.
- Dashboards (aka Ops Dashboards) – typically used for many aggregate or count type visualizations (see the John’s Hopkins Covid Dashboard) that most of us are already familiar with.
- Experience Builder – came out summer/fall 2020. This is a good option for a “hub” to show case many different kinds of apps, tabs, very configurable for a single “location” to find a lot of related apps, data, etc for different thematic types of work. Has capability of creating header rows for navigation to other pages.
- Story Maps – mostly a “text” (I refer to Story Maps as a “digital marketing platform”) that can be used to highlight themes or aspects of an organization. Typically, a scrolling list of text with or without interactive maps, apps, various kinds of media and links. Story Maps also has a template for a “tabbed” layout. City of Sacramento Landscape Story Map that is found on the City of Sacramento, Dept of Utilities Sustainability page.
- Instant Apps – released at the 2021 ESRI User Conference (UC). Currently, only a few pre-built templates to get web app published quickly. Viewing and some basic interaction options.
- Sites – an option to provide a “hub” option. Pre-dated Experience Builder. Different look and feel than experience builder, but can add navigation, links to other pages/apps, etc.
jenningsplanet 