topic Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object? in ArcGIS API for Python Questions

Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

IsakL — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 11:57:26 GMT

After returning to work after my summer holidays, I was told that a Python script which we use very frequently had stopped working. The relevant part of the script uploads objects to ArcGIS Online of various types, including File Geodatabases, using Folder.add().

As mentioned in the documentation this function is supposed to return a concurrent.futures.Future object and nothing else. In the past this was true. However what has started to happen is that if the object added is a File Geodatabase it now returns some kind of Job object instead, of a type which I haven't seen documented. (type() names it as arcgis.gis._impl._content_manager.folder.core.Job.) Whether this happens to other types I don't know, I haven't investigated this beyond what our script does.

Crucially, this Job object lacks the done() method which breaks both my script and the sample code on the linked documentation page, although result() still works on it. I was able to fix my script after I discovered that the Job object contained a property called futures. But now I need to have code to detect the type returned, since it varies depending on the type of object added.

I haven't found this change documented anywhere, so I'm not sure what's going on, if this is an intentional change that was not documented or a bug. But whatever it is, it broke scripts that we rely on and it was not easy to fix due to the lack of documentation.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

KenGalliher1 — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:35:04 GMT

Hi @IsakL You're right, the documentation is not accurate. This has been addressed and will be available in the next release. The server is returning a job and the Python API has begun taking advantage of that. The `folder.core.Job` object that is now being returned has the `result` method which will return the added `Item`.

item_props = ItemProperties( title="new_shapefile_item", item_type=ItemTypeEnum.SHAPEFILE.value, tags=["tag1"], snippet="Demo item added from Python API", ) add_job = folder.add( item_properties=item_props, file=r"E:\data\some_lines.zip" ) print(type(add_job)) print(add_job.result()) # >>> <class 'arcgis.gis._impl._content_manager.folder.core.Job'> # >>> <Item title:"new_shapefile_item" type:Shapefile owner:my_username>

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

IsakL — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 06:15:44 GMT

Thank you for the information. Is there an equivalent to done() for the Job class? Preferably something that works the same for either type so we don't have to detect which type is being returned. This is what broke my script, right now I have it checking which type and then I do list(job.futures)[0].done(), not sure if that's the intended way though.

Also, does the Job class have a documentation page? I wasn't able to find one, not for that particular Job anyway.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

KenGalliher1 — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 18:24:22 GMT

@IsakL The documentation page will be updated with samples. The `ContentManger.folder.core.Job` class will have a result method.

# Usage Example: Getting item resulting from a job from arcgis.gis import GIS, ItemTypeEnum, ItemProperties gis = GIS(profile="your_online_profile") csv_file_path = "/path/to/your/data.csv" new_data_item_job = gis_folder.add( item_properties=ItemProperties( title="new_source_csv_item", item_type=ItemTypeEnum.CSV, snippet="A new csv item.", description="CSV data item added through a folder add.", tags=["csv_item", "gis_data"] ), file=csv_file_path ) if not new_data_item_job.done(): print("... job processing...") else: csv_item = new_data_item_job.result() csv_item <Item title:"new_source_csv_item" type:CSV owner:online_data_owner>

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

IsakL — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 06:27:48 GMT

Thank you for the response. I'll wait for the documentation to be updated if nothing else but my question was about .done() not .result().

From your provided sample (which seems to be the same one from the documentation that I based my code on):if not new_data_item_job.done():

if not new_data_item_job.done():

This line is what caused my issue. This throws an exception when the returned object is a `ContentManger.folder.core.Job` rather than a Future. There doesn't seem to be a done() method in the Job class. Hopefully the updated documentation addresses this.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

Ef — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:32:03 GMT

I'm having the exact same problem, and I can't use `result()` immediately because it takes time for the item to upload.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

RobertHolliday — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:52:49 GMT

Greetings,

Are you willing to share a code snippet of your workaround? I've been playing around with list(job.futures)[0].done() in while loops this morning to no avail.

Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

-Bob

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

RobertHolliday — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:53:57 GMT

Same issue here. I've been playing around with list(job.futures)[0].done() as per IsakL without success.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

KenGalliher1 — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:33:20 GMT

Can you try with the latest version of the Python API (2.4.2)? The `folder.add` method returns a `Job` object. The `Job` object has the `done` method to allow for polling of the upload status and the `result()` method to retrieve the `Item`.

arcgis.gis module | ArcGIS API for Python | Esri Developer

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

RobertHolliday — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 19:06:46 GMT

I'll verify API version and try again shortly.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

IsakL — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 07:30:37 GMT

The code that I am currently using looks like this:

if isinstance(target_item_job, concurrent.futures.Future): target_item_future = target_item_job else: target_item_future = list(target_item_job.futures)[0] # Now you can call target_item_future.done()

It works on API version 2.4.1. It remains to be seen if it still works on 2.4.2, although as per the documentation it may no longer be needed since the Job class should have a done() method.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

Ef — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:31:53 GMT

Thanks @KenGalliher1 , I upgraded to 2.4.2, and I'm now able to call `done()` for the `folder.add` returned object

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

RobertHolliday — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:30:19 GMT

I am using API version 2.4.1 & arcpy. Suggestions in this thread have been helpful, but ultimately I ended up using arcpy.management.SharePackage for uploading/publishing vector tile packages.

There was something peculiar about the set of tile packages i was trying to upload via folder.add. Uploads were timing out even after I set a 2 hour timeout. Other packages of the same size and larger are uploading in minutes via folder.add.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

RobertHolliday — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:31:35 GMT

Thank you.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

adongre1 — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 15:35:09 GMT

How did you upgrade? @Ef, The upgrade all button in Package Manager is pretty flaky, and I don't have an option to individually upgrade that package.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

adongre1 — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 15:42:30 GMT

Well, seems that it's allowable directly through miniconda.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

adongre1 — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 20:08:53 GMT

Final thought: Seems that ESRI needs to release a patch to ArcPro so we can get a default conda environment iwth python 3.13 to get the package upgraded to 2.4.2, in lieu of writing my own http requests against their API.

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

SerjStol — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:02:27 GMT

@KenGalliher1 This is a bit confusing. We upgraded from Enterprise 11.3 to 11.5 and our GP Web Tool now returns an error that Job object has no 'done' attribute. Reading the github post it says the documentation has been updated to reflect that but the documentations still says 'done' method exists? Or you have removed and then re added it in the latest 2.4.2 verison of Python API? https://github.com/Esri/arcgis-python-api/issues/2273

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

KenGalliher1 — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:58:22 GMT

@SerjStol Are you able to use the result() method instead of done()? I am not sure why we're seeing a wide range of discrepancies with Folder.add. I tested with ArcGIS Pro 3.5 which has version 2.4.1 of the Python API and get expected results:

from arcgis.gis import GIS import uuid portal = GIS(profile="your_enterprise_profile", verify_cert=False ) portal_folder = portal.content.folders.get() item_props = { "servicePassword": "abc123", "serviceUsername": "arcgis_python", "tags": "Tool, Service, ArcGIS Server", "title": f"test_async_folder_issue_{uuid.uuid4()}", "type": "Geoprocessing Service", "url": "https://elevation.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/Tools/Elevation/GPServer", } svc_item = portal_folder.add(item_props) print(type(svc_item)) print(svc_item.done()) print(svc_item.result()) svc_item.result().delete(permanent=True)

Type: <class 'concurrent.futures._base.Future'> Done: True Result: <Item title:"test_async_folder_issue_329d7c52-fa01-4683-9bfa-2b212a18f387" type:Geoprocessing Toolbox owner:arcgis_python>

Re: Folder.add() no longer always returns a Future object?

SerjStol — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:22:15 GMT

Thanks for the prompt reply. Yes, this is exactly what we did in the end, replace done() with result() and it works now. I was just confused as it worked before in 11.3, then now in with Enterprise 11.5 that has ArcGIS Python API 2.4.1 ( i checked version in ArcGIS Server) it gives an error. Yet the documentation says done() should work. We have ArcGIS Pro 3.3 from where we did the publishing which has 2.3.0 version of Python API, but i would of thought that doesnt matter since its the 2.4.1 version thats running the Web Tool in ArcGIS Server.