How can I use Python to separate thousands with commas in an attribute table

JamieTratalos

I want to format a large number of fields in an attribute table so that  they display with thousands separated by commas.

Is there any way to do this using python?

To do it via the GUI you would 1. display the attribute table, 2. right click on each field name, 3. select 'properties', 4. click on the '...' icon next to 'numeric', 5.click on 'show thousands separators' 6. select 'OK', 7. select 'OK' again.

I want to automate it so that the Python script would do this for all fields with an index number > 5 - that is, ignoring the first few fields which contain non-numeric data.

The reason I want to do this is that I want the field values to be displayed with thousands separators when they are displayed as labels in a map. 

Thanks!

DanPatterson_Retired

If there are 200 fields and more to come, I would strongly recommend that you have an alternate way for the client or you to 'view' the tabular information.  Options would include

• scale the data...
  • ie instead of  meters.... change the field to kilometers
  • kilograms to tonnes
  • small to big .... whatever moves the commas and decimals
• can't those popup things (? what are they called) present 'text' in the format I describe 
• telling the client that it isn't possible given the current budget... or if it is just you... move on

OR

You could

• export everything out to a numpy array,
• do the data type conversion there and
• bring in the new tabular information as a table join
  • (all this would use is TableToNumPyArray,
  • I can guide on the type conversion,
  • followed by an arcpy ExtendTable to bring the tabular information back in as a join

Multiple options, depending who the target audience is and how big a deal it is.