where clause

Question

How do I pass a text value from a GetParameterAsText into a where clause:

Example:

Within a geodatabase feature class ( FC ) is an attribute = Title

Title has several rows that have "Seal" within the title such as "Harbor Seals within Cook Inlet", "Seal Population near Point Lay", etc.

I want to create a Python Tools where the user can input a word search from the Title attribute = Seals

input = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(0)  # input = "Seal"

cursor = arcpy.SearchCursor(fc, "Title LIKE input")  # obviously this line of code does not work

I need to include a "where clause" that include the "input" = seals

Thx.

bixb0012 · Answer

As written, the expression will only find rows that start with "Seal." The following expression will capture seal anywhere and regardless of case: input = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(0) # input = "Seal" expression = "LOWER(TITLE) LIKE '%" + input.lower() + "%'" cursor = arcpy.SearchCursor(fc, expression)‍‍‍

MicahBabinski · Answer

Ravi's answer should work for you. If you want an exact match for your input parameter you could use: input = arcpy.GetMarameterAsText(0) # python 2 str.format() function inserts the string variable into your expression with out needing to concatenate strings expression = "TITLE = '{}'".format(input) cursor = arcpy.da.SearchCursor(fc, expression)‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ Tip: you may wish to use the data access module search cursor (as I've demonstrated above) if you are using a recent release of ArcGIS. It works the same but faster! SearchCursor—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop

Anonymous User · Answer

I haven't tested the code but just looking at it, I assume the expression in the following format would work. Can you try the below expression? input = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(0) # input = "Seal" expression = "TITLE LIKE '" + input + "%'" cursor = arcpy.SearchCursor(fc, expression)‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ Also refer the following links for more examples on using the where clause SearchCursor—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop Problems using the where clause with searchcursor method cursor - Not Able to Pass Where Clause in SearchCursor in ArcPy - Geographic Information Systems Stack Exchange Cheers, Ravi