idea Append Tool Input Features vs Target Layer should switch in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

Append Tool Input Features vs Target Layer should switch

laurentideicesheet — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:39:36 GMT

The append geoprocessing tool used to put input features as the first parameter and target features as the second. In a recent update, they switched. I'm not certain, though it may have to do with batch inputs and reserving space for the target feature slot to always remain accessable without scrolling? Conjecture.

This is opposite of intuitive, especially since so many other gp tools standardly put the input features as the first ordered item in the tool interface. Please switch these back (unless there's a super duper good reason they switched in the first place)

Re: Append Tool Input Features vs Target Layer should switch

KevinSaavedra — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:42:57 GMT

Pro 3.5 added Append API support for feature services, which appears as a checkbox for target feature services that support the optimization.

Not all of the Append parameters are supported when in optimize mode, and those are hidden when the optimize mode is selected. In order to support feature service validation and align with existing Append APIs that have the Append operation based off of the target dataset, the target parameter appears first in the tool UI in Pro 3.5+.

Note that when calling the Append tool in Python, the inputs parameter is still first in order to preserve backwards compatibility for scripting.

Geoprocessing tools are not always consistent in parameter order. For example, Merge and Join Field/Add Join have "Input Datasets/Table" as their first parameter but Spatial Join/Add Spatial Join have "Target" as their first parameter.

Re: Append Tool Input Features vs Target Layer should switch

MarieDucharmeFEC — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 21:19:09 GMT

I agree....I have made the mistake so many times.