Edit features

Draw new features in a layer, reshape them, and keep their values up to date on the web. Your edits are saved as you go.

To add, reshape, or delete a layer's features, or edit their values, click Edit map in the toolbar at the top right of the map, or Contribute if you have Contribute access. Felt saves your edits as you make them, and everyone viewing the map sees them.

Add a feature to a layer

1. In edit mode, click Add to map (the pencil icon) in the toolbar, and select the layer in the menu. With Contribute access, the button reads Add. After your first add, the button repeats your most recent one, such as adding to the same layer; click the arrow next to it to open the menu.

2. Click the map to place a point, or click to place each vertex of a line or polygon. To finish a line or polygon, click Finish drawing.

3. In the feature editor, enter the attribute values.

4. Click Done, or press Enter. Felt adds the feature using the layer's style. To color features by an attribute, see Categories.

A feature can't be saved until its required fields are filled in.

To add many features in a row, click Add in bulk at the top of the feature editor. To place a point at exact coordinates, search for the coordinates, then click Add… in the result's popup and select the layer. To create a new empty layer for editing, see Create layers.

Reshape or move a feature

1. In edit mode, double-click the feature on the map. Or click it once and click Edit (the pencil icon) in its popup.

2. Change the geometry:

   • To move the whole feature, such as a misplaced point, drag it.

   • To move a vertex, drag it.

   • To add a vertex, hover over the middle of a line segment or polygon edge and drag the point that appears.

   • To delete a vertex or enter its exact coordinates, click the vertex and click Delete or Edit coordinates….

   • To continue a line, click one of its end vertices and click Extend.

3. Click Done.

As you draw or drag a vertex, it snaps to the nearest vertex of a feature in any visible layer, so shapes line up with existing data. Snapping is on by default. To turn it off or back on, open the Felt menu and click View > Snap to vertices. See Snap to vertices.

Felt can't split a feature; draw the pieces as new features and delete the original. You also can't move or copy a feature from one layer to another.

Edit attribute values

When you change a feature's name, status, or other values, its styling and labels update to match.

1. In edit mode, double-click the feature on the map.

2. In the feature editor, change the values.

3. Click Done.

In the table, select the row, then click a cell, enter the new value, and press Enter. Editing a latitude or longitude column doesn't move the feature; reshape or move it on the map instead.

You can't box-select several features to edit, move, or delete together. To change an attribute on many features, ask Felt AI. To keep only some features, filter the layer and save the result as a new layer. See Filter layers.

Add, rename, or delete attributes

Changing a layer's attributes (columns) needs Edit access to the map. You can add, rename, reorder, or delete them without uploading the data again.

1. In edit mode, click the layer's ··· menu in the legend and click Edit attributes.

2. Make your changes:

   • To add an attribute, click Add attribute and select its type.

   • To rename an attribute, click its name in the list and enter a new one.

   • To reorder attributes, drag them in the list.

   • To delete an attribute, hover over it and click Delete.

3. Click Update layer.

You can't change a saved attribute's type; add a new attribute of the type you need. Use the dialog's other settings to configure the form people fill in. See Forms.

Deleting an attribute deletes its values from every feature. Felt lists any styling, filters, or components that use it before you confirm.

Delete a feature

Deleting a feature removes it and its values from the layer. In edit mode, click the feature on the map and press Delete. Or, in the table, right-click its row and click Delete.

To undo an edit or a deletion, press Cmd+Z (Mac) or Ctrl+Z (Windows). Undo covers only your own changes. See Save and undo changes.

Layers you can't edit

You can edit vector layers you create or add to a map. If you can't edit a layer or feature, check whether:

• You're not in edit mode, or you have View access to the map.

• It's a raster layer, a layer streamed from a tile service, or a layer Felt is still processing.

• It's a synced Felt Server layer and you have View access to the Felt Server. Turn off sync to edit a copy on your map. See Felt Servers.

• Someone else is editing the feature. Each person's edits are outlined in their assigned color. You can edit the feature once they're done.

Edits and the original data

Edits change the layer on this map, not the uploaded file, the source, or other maps with the same data. Edits to a synced Felt Server layer appear on every map that uses it.

Editing a layer from a URL or a data source turns off its Live refresh, because a refresh would overwrite your edits. Felt asks you to confirm: click Edit anyway.

Felt doesn't write edits back to the source. Turning Live back on, refreshing, or uploading a new version replaces the layer's data and discards your edits. See Refresh data. To update a source with your edits, export the edited layer with the REST API and write it to the source with your own script.