topic Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features in ArcGIS Pro Questions

Applying field calculator only on selected features

NavidMoghadam — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 16:40:25 GMT

In #ArcGISPro 2.0.1 Field calculator applies the value on ALL features and not only SELECTION. The same operation worked perfectly with the same data in the same FGDB in ArcMap.

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

DanPatterson_Retired — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 18:10:04 GMT

That hasn't been my experience. Do you have an image of running the calculate field when the table is open with records selected to demonstrate? It is a file geodatabase table I presume? or is it some other form of table?

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

NavidMoghadam — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 19:24:37 GMT

Hi Dan,

I can't find the reason but I retried it and now it's working! It applies only to selected features. I posted it on ArcGIS Ideas anyways and will return to this post if it repeats again.

Thanks for your answer

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

WKennedy — Mon, 21 May 2018 20:59:03 GMT

Recently, I had the same problem in AGP 2.1. Here's what I found:

Calculate Field ignored the selection parameters when calculating a field in a feature class that was included multiple times in the map. Once I removed the copies of the feature class, Calculate Field worked as expected (calculated only the selected features). Hope this helps, and hope ESRI documents/fixes this!

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

KoryKramer — Tue, 22 May 2018 15:28:10 GMT

Are we talking duplicate layer names or two differently named layers that reference the same gdb dataset?

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

WKennedy — Tue, 29 May 2018 20:40:48 GMT

It occurs when multiple copies of the same source feature class are in the map. Aliases don't seem to matter.

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

DanPatterson_Retired — Tue, 29 May 2018 20:47:26 GMT

Interesting find. I have never used multiple copies of the same featureclass in the same map before. PRO is probably getting confused, or perhaps taking the first incarnation that it finds in the Table of Contents rather than the selected and delimited one.

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

KoryKramer — Tue, 29 May 2018 20:57:10 GMT

This is a known issue when more than one layer has the same name in the Contents pane which is why the statement "aliases don't seem to matter" is critical. I cannot reproduce this when the layer names are different.

Let me walk you through my testing:

In the screenshot below, I want to calculate the subtype for record 3. I right-click the subtype field > Calculate Field

Then for some reason I decide that I want to calculate record 1 to equal Medium (subtype 2) in my other table, for the other layer, so in the tool, I switch to points:2, and calculate to = 2.

Nothing happens – well, nothing appears to happen but what actually happened was that record 3 in points:1 already equals 2 so it was calculated to the same value:

This seems to be because the tool is still referencing the selection from the first layer on the left.

Because even though I’m now referencing points:2 in the tool, and record 1 is selected, if I now set that to equal 1 (should change record 1 to Small in the right-hand attribute table) it calculates it for points:1

This is the scenario that we know about. I haven’t seen this happen when the layers are actually named differently.

Please either provide a reproducible case with step-by-step instructions and screenshots like above where you have different layer names, or open a case with technical support to fully investigate and report the issue. Thank you!

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

WKennedy — Tue, 29 May 2018 22:03:57 GMT

I haven't been able to reproduce the error or the issue you documented. I just updated to 2.1.3 in the past week, but I didn't see anything in the change log about this. Are you in 2.1.3?

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

KoryKramer — Tue, 29 May 2018 22:18:51 GMT

I'm glad that you can't reproduce this. I don't think the version is important here. I could reproduce what I outlined above in 2.x (and probably in 1.x if we needed to prove it) because this is a known issue with layers in the Contents pane that have the same name. We would need a reproducible case of this happening with layers that are named differently in the Contents pane, because that is not something we're aware of and is not something that we've been able to reproduce. Please do follow up here if you can show us a way that that happens. Thank you!

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

DanPatterson_Retired — Tue, 29 May 2018 22:36:33 GMT

2.2 two copies, selection in one, field calculation (changing 'hello' to None)

The file is updated even though there is a selection in one

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

KoryKramer — Tue, 29 May 2018 22:42:58 GMT

Dan, with both tables open side by side like you have them, make sure you have no selection in the table on the left.

Select only one record in the table on the right.

Open Calculate Field by right-clicking the test field from the table on the left (there is no selection on this table).

With the Calculate Field tool open, NOW switch the input layer to the other table (table on the right where you have a selection). We think we should now be calculating only the selected record in the table on the right.

Calculate.

What happens?

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

DanPatterson_Retired — Tue, 29 May 2018 23:41:29 GMT

Sorry for the delay

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

KoryKramer — Wed, 30 May 2018 03:56:38 GMT

Right. So you're seeing what I see and this is the issue that we are aware of. Both of your layers have the same name.

If the layers are named differently, this isn't an issue.

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

WKennedy — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 14:49:13 GMT

I've finally had a chance to look at this again. I think the issue here is confusion about which table is which. The bug, from what I can tell, is that the Calculate Field tool always sets the Input Table default value to the first instance of the feature layer no matter the table used to open the tool. Rather than trusting the default value, if the Input Table value is set to the correct table, the field calculator works as expected on selected fields. When you switched to the "other table," you actually switched to the table from which you opened the tool. See screenshots below:

Figure 1. Right click and open Calculate Field from StatesTest:1. The default Input Table is StatesTest:1.

Figure 2. Right click and open Calculate Field from StatesTest:2. The default Input Table is still StatesTest:1

Kory, please let me know if there is a separate bug related to the Calculate Field tool and selected features, or if the Calculate Field - Input Table default value is the root of the trouble.

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

DanPatterson_Retired — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 15:57:26 GMT

Just as an observation, did you try clicking on the folder beside the drop down arrow and navigate to the featureclass on disk rather than relying on the name that appears on the input line? Assuming that the two files of the same name are in different locations, then the correct file should be selected

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

WKennedy — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 20:01:49 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, this is specifically for the issue of limiting a field calculation to the selected features in a feature class (the OP's question) when multiple copies of the same feature class are in the map as different layers (my guess at the reason for the OP's issues). Using the file browser to select an absolute path for the Input Table ignores all selections (as expected, and as it worked in ArcMap when calculating a field from ArcToolbox). In ArcMap when you have multiple copies of the same feature class and you calculate a field from the Field Calculator (right click on a field name > Field Calculator), the field calculation only applies to the selected records in the table from which you opened the field calculator (regardless of duplicate layers). ArcGIS Pro is causing problems because when you follow the same steps (right click on field name > Calculate Field), the default Input Table is not necessarily the table and selected records from which the tool was opened, but instead the first instance of that layer name found in the Contents panel (former Table of Contents).

The other very tricky thing I just found is that if you are working from the python line, if you use Send To Python Window (or Copy Python command) from Geoprocessing history, even if the Calculate field ran on the selected features from the correct Input Table (e.g., "StatesTest:2" from above screenshot), the field calculation runs on the first instance of the feature class in the Contents pane and whichever records are selected in that layer, since python doesn't include or allow (that I can tell) the ':2' notation that works in the Calculate Feature tool.

tl;dr Don't have layers with the same names, but if you have to have them, put them in group layers with different names. (you can do even more damage without realizing it if you use Calculate Field when ToC includes different feature classes with the same layer/alias name)

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

ReneAubut — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 17:37:09 GMT

Had the same bug (selection not respected with Calculate Field) but not because I had the same layer loaded more than once. On my side, it looks more because it is a Feature Layer from AGOL,created from Survey123. From my experience, Pro has numerous functions that are not supported with these feature layers

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

ChristopherHanni — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 23:05:38 GMT

Is there any development on a simple toggle button for selected or all features?

Re: Applying field calculator only on selected features

ThomasL — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 08:28:48 GMT

We had the same bug (selection not respected with Calculate Field) because of same layer names loaded (fc from a FGDB).

Kory Kramer Is this a known bug at Esri?