python script: zoom to each county in a state shp and export a pdf map

baileyhanson

I would like to create a python script that will zoom into each county in a state shapefile and export a pdf map. I have found two DataFrame methods, panToExtent and zoomToSelectedFeatures. I don't want to use panToExtent because I want it to zoom to the shape of the county. My code uses the zoomToSelectedFeatures but i'm not exactly sure how to select features

. This is what my code looks like so far. Thanks for the help!

import arcpy  mxd = "C:/ArcPyTests/Untitled.mxd" mapdoc = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(mxd) counties = "C:/ArcPyTests/countyPopulation.shp" rows = arcpy.SearchCursor(counties) output = "C:/ArcPyTests/" df = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mapdoc)   for row in rows:     mapdoc.extent = row.Shape.extent     df.zoomToSelectedFeatures(mapdoc.extent)     outputname = row.County     arcpy.mapping.ExportToPDF (mapdoc, outputname + ".PDF")     print "Output " + outputname + " complete"      del mapdoc

DanielHall_Ballester

Hi Bailey,
Have you tried using Data Driven pages to do this?
You need to set up an mxd with the data driven pages settings defined, but you can then use python to run the process.
I've attached some code. This does most of what you need.  You just need to change the output filetype to pdf (I'm using tiff here) and delete any of the user-defined parameters I have added.
I hope this helps.
Thanks
Dan

import arcpy mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT") for pageNum in range(1, mxd.dataDrivenPages.pageCount + 1):   mxd.dataDrivenPages.currentPageID = pageNum     # Get the row from the attribute table of the index layer    row = mxd.dataDrivenPages.pageRow    # Get the value from the field called tilename, e.g. ab1234. (This should be a string field)   name = row.getValue("TILE_NAME")    # Set Output location   outputlocation = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(0)      # Concatenate into whole path name   outputName = outputlocation + "\\" + name + "_ArcMap" + ".tif"    #Set the data frame so the output can be cropped to the data frame extent   df = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd, "Layers")[0]    #Set the resolution   dpi= arcpy.GetParameterAsText(1)    #Specify the compression type   Compression = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(2)       # Export to tiff   arcpy.mapping.ExportToTIFF(mxd, outputName, df, df_export_width=5153, df_export_height=5107, tiff_compression=Compression, color_mode="24-BIT_TRUE_COLOR", resolution=dpi)  # Clean up del mxd