idea Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX

AlixBakke_SNC — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 12:26:03 GMT

Today I finally became frustrated enough to suggest a UX change. Change the Delete Field tool UX to a list of fields with check boxes (yup like ArcMap) I just timed myself in setting up the tool to delete a number of fields from an intersect analysis result. Arc Map 19 seconds from clicking the tool to complete task. ArcPro 2 min 1 second for the same task.

Arc Pro also took a lot of additional concentration because a number of the fields had similar names and none of them were "human readable" (Thanks TIGER!) The UX design has a human operator over head of 637% on this one task! Add to it the need to refocus concentration of the larger analysis for which this is a small part and the overhead becomes much larger. Please help me work, don't give me things that take me off track.

Above is a comparison of the UX and the amount of time it took me to navigate the UX to complete the exact same task on the exact same data.

A list of check boxes is incredibly more efficient than a series of drop downs.

Delete Multiple Fields in a Table - ArcGIS Pro frustration‌ Still a problem after 3 years.

Re: Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX

KoryKramer — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 15:29:22 GMT

Does using the Add Many feature help?

Re: Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX

KoryKramer — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 16:29:38 GMT

John Tangenberg‌ I wanted to circle back on this question. Does using the Add Many checkbox UI provide a similar experience to toggling multiple checkboxes in ArcMap?

Use check boxes and field list to delete multiple fields in Delete Field tool

LindsayRaabe_FPCWA — Mon, 24 May 2021 07:13:54 GMT

So I'm in the process of creating a model in Model Builder and are using the Delete Fields tool. Currently, I need to select each field I want to delete one at a time by selecting from a drop down list and scrolling through all the available fields (and non-available fields - would be good if these were hidden too).

It would be much more efficient if instead of having to select fields from a drop down list, one-by-one, all the fields were listed with blank check boxes, so I could rapidly check the ones I want to delete and hit OK (unavailable/system fields greyed out).

Re: Use check boxes and field list to delete multiple fields in Delete Field tool

DanPatterson — Mon, 24 May 2021 07:59:44 GMT

It exists already in Pro 2.8.

Are you saying that dropdown beside the Drop Field doesn't keep the checkbox open when you make a selection?

Re: Use check boxes and field list to delete multiple fields in Delete Field tool

LindsayRaabe_FPCWA — Mon, 24 May 2021 08:04:44 GMT

Nope - I don't see that layout at all. (Yes - running 2.8)

Re: Use check boxes and field list to delete multiple fields in Delete Field tool

DanPatterson — Mon, 24 May 2021 08:15:50 GMT

If that is through modelbuilder, it could be a modelbuilder thing.

I used a geodatabase table in my example... I noticed that yours is a *.csv. See if the behaviour exists with it converted to a gdb table

Re: Use check boxes and field list to delete multiple fields in Delete Field tool

LindsayRaabe_FPCWA — Mon, 24 May 2021 08:27:17 GMT

Yep - still coming up with a table in a GDB. And that is straight through Pro (not in Model Builder).

Re: Use check boxes and field list to delete multiple fields in Delete Field tool

DanPatterson — Mon, 24 May 2021 08:41:28 GMT

Strange... so clicking on the dropdown arrow (right beside Drop Field) in your case doesn't give you a list of fields?

Sounds like a "bug" or install issue, since it certainly works for my data and setup

Re: Use check boxes and field list to delete multiple fields in Delete Field tool

LindsayRaabe_FPCWA — Mon, 24 May 2021 08:45:56 GMT

It does give me al ist of fields, but when I select one, another blank line appears and I have to drop the list down again and pick the next field, and then again and again and again... No check boxes appear as in your picture (which is what I want).

Re: Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX

KoryKramer — Mon, 24 May 2021 12:44:05 GMT

@LindsayRaabe_FPCWA I merged your recent idea with this existing idea about the same topic - the first comment on this one was a question about using the Add Many functionality next to Drop Field as Dan has indicated on your new thread.

That gives you a checkbox experience:

Re: Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX

LindsayRaabe_FPCWA — Tue, 25 May 2021 01:07:53 GMT

@KoryKramer @DanPatterson Thanks to both of you for your assistance. I see now I missed a critical part in Dans original replies to myself. I was clicking the wrong drop down and wasn't seeing the Add Many option. I can confirm that it does appear.

It seems a bit counter intuitive having that option buried behind a button. As a suggestions, why not jsut list all of fields like in the Add Many option and you just check the ones you want to delete instead of having to then select Add and then repeat if you've missed some (or having to click the delete option to remove fields from the list). It would also make it easier instead of having to scroll up and down a long list if you can then drag the window to be taller and display more fields before needing to scroll (like below). Also, the current Add Many option lists fields by alphabetical order. This isn't very helpful when comparing 2 sets of fields. Wouldn't sorting them by the input schema be a better option?

Re: Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX - Status changed to: In Product Plan

DrewFlater — Tue, 25 May 2021 19:10:20 GMT

Re: Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX

KoryKramer — Wed, 26 May 2021 12:52:17 GMT

Thanks for the additional context @LindsayRaabe_FPCWA ! I see that Drew marked this one as In Product Plan, so it looks like the geoprocessing team will look at improving the UX for the Delete Fields tool!

To speak to some of your points, the geoprocessing tool should be seen as a backend way to automate field deletion workflows. For many of the other things you mention (comparing schemas, sorting fields, etc.) working with the Fields view may be a better option.

Cheers

Re: Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX

LindsayRaabe_FPCWA — Thu, 27 May 2021 00:23:26 GMT

@KoryKramer I only mentioned comparing schemas and sorting as an issue because in my current use case, I'm trying to setup the Delete Fields tool to delete a lot of fields so that the output matches an existing dataset (rebuilding an ArcMap model in ArcGIS Pro). Having the fields sorted in the Delete Field tool the same way they display in the Fields view of the other layer would make figuring out which ones needed to go a lot easier. Because one was sorted by the layer schema (Fields view of existing layer) and the other alphabetically (Delete Fields window modifying new layer), I had to keep moving up and down the list to select the fields to delete.

Normally, the Fields view is my go to resource and find that a much better way to manage fields than how it was in ArcMap by a long shot.

Re: Change Pro Delete Field Tool UX - Status changed to: Implemented

KoryKramer — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:34:13 GMT

The Delete Field UI was updated in ArcGIS Pro 2.9 in response to this idea. Thank you!

See and go directly to 2:00 in the video for a quick demo.