topic Re: Query and save an empty feature layer in ArcGIS API for Python Questions

Query and save an empty feature layer

JillianStanford — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 17:08:45 GMT

Hello!

I am using ArcGIS for Python to save some sub layers in a hosted feature service to a feature geodatabase.

My code is as follows:

feature_layer_item = gis.content.get("xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx") layer = feature_layer_item.layers[0] featureSet = layer.query() featureSet.save(arcpy.env.workspace, "MyLayer")

This works perfectly except when there are no features in the layer. If that's the case then the save function creates a table in the fgdb instead of an empty polygon feature class. If I add a bogus record to the layer and execute the same tool, a polygon feature class is created.

Has anyone encountered this? I assume it's because the query returns an empty feature set. I have tried setting the spatial_reference and geometry_type on the feature set, which looks like it should be possible but no luck.

Anybody have a workaround?

Thanks!

Jill

Re: Query and save an empty feature layer

Clubdebambos — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 11:24:29 GMT

Hi @JillianStanford

Using ArcPy

import arcpy ## url to the feature layer fl = "https://services-eu1.arcgis.com/*******/arcgis/rest/services/County_Boundaries/FeatureServer/0" ## file geodatabase path ## NOTE you can use arcpy to create a geodatabase rather than having an existing gdb = r"C:\Path\to\Documents\fgdb.gdb" ## path for saving output feature class out_fc = "{0}\\exported_layer".format(gdb) ## create feature class from feature layer ## you can also use FeatureClassToFeatureClass in older versions of ArcGIS Pro arcpy.conversion.ExportFeatures(fl, out_fc)

In the example above I have hardcoded the url but you could replace with the below.

fl = feature_layer_item.layers[0].url

You could also change the hardcoded "exported_layer" name to be the name of the layer you are exporting.

Re: Query and save an empty feature layer

JillianStanford — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 18:03:11 GMT

Hey @Clubdebambos ,

That worked perfectly.

Thank you!

Jill