Remove Geometry from map using ArcGIS API for JavaScript?

Question

I need to remove a geometry from the map. It may be a marker, circle, polyline etc. I don't see any method like remove, clear or destroy. I already know how to clear everything on the map but this is not what I need.

I would like to remove it with javascript.

• Reza: In ArcMap,simply start editing (from editor toolbar) and pressing delete key,deletes any selected feature from different layers.But seems this is not exactly what you want.May you provide more information how you want geometries get removed from map?
• Manolis Xountasis: Thanks for your fast response. I have a button and on click I want to delete the geometry with javascript.
• Reza: And how you select geometry which must get selected?is it included in map selection list?
• Manolis Xountasis: I use esri/toolbars/edit and when user clicks on a shape then the toolbar is activated. A global variable is used to "store" the selected geometry.
• Stephen Lead: @Reza note that this question is about the ArcGIS Server JavaScript API rather than ArcMap

Answer 1

If the Graphic is added directly to the map, you can just call map.graphics.remove(the_graphic), where the_graphic is the graphic that you want to remove.

You can also call map.graphics.clear(); to remove all graphics added in this way.

If you have added graphics to a particular graphics layer, then you need to remove the graphic from that particular layer, by calling something like gLayer.remove(the_graphic) where gLayer is your graphic layer and the_graphic is the graphic that you want to remove.

For completeness sake, if you want to remove all graphics contained in the map, you can use the following function:

 function clearGraphics() {
 //first remove all graphics added directly to map
 map.graphics.clear();
 //now go into each graphic layer and clear it
 var graphicLayerIds = map.graphicsLayerIds;
 var len = graphicLayerIds.length;
 for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
 var gLayer = map.getLayer(graphicLayerIds[i]);
 //clear this Layer
 gLayer.clear();
 }
 }

• Manolis Xountasis: I wanted to remove only one graphic, not the whole map.

Answer 2

The trick is to know the graphic that coresponds to the geometry.

So you only have to use :

map.graphics.remove(your_graphic);

• Devdatta Tengshe: You should note that this will not work if the given graphic is added to a particular graphic layer
• Manolis Xountasis: I don't use layers. I add them dirrectrly to the map.graphics.
• Devdatta Tengshe: You might not be doing this right now, but this warning for other people who search for this, and reach this post in the future. The clarification is for them.
• Stephen Lead: this answer seems almost like a copy/paste of the longer and more thorough answer that @DevdattaTengshe gave. Why not just accept that?
• Manolis Xountasis: Because @DevdattaTengshe removes all graphics, I wanted to remove only one graphic.

Answer 3

It sounds like you're working with graphics elements on the map, which were added using the Editor toolbar.

In this case, the graphics are probably located in the map's default graphicsLayer, or in another graphics layer. See map.graphicsLayerIds for a method to iterate through these layers.

Once you have a pointer to the graphic via its layer, you can then delete it.