ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3 - Silent arcpy.AddMessage & Persistent Geoid18 Transformation Error (000365)

OrlandoGomez — Fri, 09 May 2025 20:25:37 GMT

Hello Esri Community,

I'm encountering a couple of challenging issues with ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3 while working on a Python script for GPS data post-processing, which includes a vertical transformation to NAVD88 using Geoid18. I'd appreciate any insights or suggestions!

Primary Issue: arcpy.AddMessage (and AddError/AddWarning) Failing Silently

This is currently my main blocker. When I run scripts (either in the ArcGIS Pro Python window or as a script tool), any calls to arcpy.AddMessage(), arcpy.AddError(), or arcpy.AddWarning() do not produce any output in the Python window console or in the geoprocessing messages.

However:

Standard Python print() statements do work and show output.
Other arcpy functions, like arcpy.GetInstallInfo() and arcpy.Exists(), also work correctly.

Here's a simple test script I've been using to demonstrate this:

Python

print("--- ARC_TEST_A: Script Start (Python print) ---")
try:
    print("--- ARC_TEST_B: Importing arcpy (Python print) ---")
    import arcpy
    print("--- ARC_TEST_C: arcpy imported (Python print) ---")

    # Test 1: Basic Messaging
    arcpy.AddMessage("--- ARC_TEST_D: arcpy.AddMessage test ---")
    print("--- ARC_TEST_E: After arcpy.AddMessage (Python print) ---")

    # Test 2: Get Install Info & Product Info
    install_info = arcpy.GetInstallInfo()
    product_name = install_info.get('ProductName', 'N/A')
    product_version = install_info.get('Version', 'N/A')
    license_level = install_info.get('LicenseLevel', 'N/A') 

    arcpy.AddMessage(f"--- ARC_TEST_F: Product: {product_name}, Version: {product_version}, License: {license_level} (arcpy.AddMessage) ---")
    print(f"--- ARC_TEST_G: Product: {product_name}, Version: {product_version}, License: {license_level} (Python print) ---")

    # Test 3: Describe something simple 
    temp_gdb_path_for_test = r"C:\temp\dummy.gdb" 
    if arcpy.Exists(temp_gdb_path_for_test): 
        desc = arcpy.Describe(temp_gdb_path_for_test)
        arcpy.AddMessage(f"--- ARC_TEST_H: Describe successful for {temp_gdb_path_for_test}: {desc.dataType} (arcpy.AddMessage) ---")
        print(f"--- ARC_TEST_I: Describe successful for {temp_gdb_path_for_test}: {desc.dataType} (Python print) ---")
    else:
        arcpy.AddMessage(f"--- ARC_TEST_H: Path {temp_gdb_path_for_test} does not exist for Describe test (arcpy.AddMessage). ---")
        print(f"--- ARC_TEST_I: Path {temp_gdb_path_for_test} does not exist for Describe test (Python print). ---")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"--- ARC_TEST_ERROR (Python print): An exception occurred: {str(e)} ---")
    try:
        arcpy.AddError(f"--- ARC_TEST_ERROR (arcpy.AddError): An exception occurred: {str(e)} ---")
    except:
        print("--- ARC_TEST_ERROR (Python print): arcpy.AddError ALSO FAILED during exception handling. ---")
        
print("--- ARC_TEST_J: Script End (Python print) ---")

When I run this, the output I get is:

--- ARC_TEST_A: Script Start (Python print) ---
--- ARC_TEST_B: Importing arcpy (Python print) ---
--- ARC_TEST_C: arcpy imported (Python print) ---
--- ARC_TEST_E: After arcpy.AddMessage (Python print) ---
--- ARC_TEST_G: Product: ArcGISPro, Version: 3.4.3, License: Standard (Python print) ---
--- ARC_TEST_I: Path C:\temp\dummy.gdb does not exist for Describe test (Python print). ---
--- ARC_TEST_J: Script End (Python print) ---

As you can see, messages D, F, and H (from arcpy.AddMessage) are missing. This makes debugging any geoprocessing tool failures (like the one below) very difficult as I don't get the arcpy.GetMessages() output.

Original Problem Context: ERROR 000365: Invalid geographic transformation for Geoid18

The silent messaging issue was discovered while trying to debug why the following vertical transformation fails with ERROR 000365 in Stage 3 of my main script (and also when tested manually in the Project tool):

Input VCS (for point features): NAD83(2011) Ellipsoidal Height (Meters) (WKT used in script for input CS definition: PROJCS['NAD_1983_2011_StatePlane_Tennessee_FIPS_4100_Ft_US',GEOGCS['GCS_NAD_1983_2011',DATUM['D_NAD_1983_2011',SPHEROID['GRS_1980',6378137.0,298.257222101]],PRIMEM['Greenwich',0.0],UNIT['Degree',0.0174532925199433]],PROJECTION['Lambert_Conformal_Conic'],...,UNIT['Foot_US',...]],VERTCS['NAD_1983_2011_Height',DATUM['D_NAD_1983_2011',SPHEROID['GRS_1980',...]],...,UNIT['Meter',1.0]])
Target VCS: NAVD88 Orthometric Height (Meters) (WKT used in script for output CS definition: PROJCS['NAD_1983_2011_StatePlane_Tennessee_FIPS_4100_Ft_US',...,VERTCS['NAVD_1988_Height',VDATUM['North_American_Vertical_Datum_1988'],...,UNIT['Meter',1.0]])
Transformation String: NAD_1983_2011_To_NAVD88_CONUS_GEOID18_Height

Environment:

ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3
License: Standard
Windows OS
Coordinate Systems Data: I have confirmed the file g2018u0.bin exists in C:\Users\MyUserName\AppData\Local\Programs\ArcGIS\CoordinateSystemsData\pedata\vertical\north-america\us\geoid\ (where MyUserName is my actual username).

Troubleshooting Steps Taken:

Upgraded from ArcGIS Pro 2.4 to 3.4.3.
Ensured "ArcGIS Coordinate Systems Data" was selected during the latest Pro setup/modification (confirmed g2018u0.bin file location).
Performed a "Repair" of the ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3 installation.
(If you tried the profile reset, mention it here: e.g., "Attempted to reset ArcGIS Pro user profile by renaming ESRI folders in AppData.")
Verified script logic for case sensitivity of field names, handling different geometry types, etc.
Confirmed the specific bug BUG-000154640 is not applicable due to Pro version and message content.

Questions for the Community:

Has anyone experienced arcpy.AddMessage, arcpy.AddError, etc., failing silently in ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3 (or similar versions) where Python print() still works and other arcpy functions are operational? Are there any known causes or fixes beyond a repair or profile reset?
Regarding ERROR 000365 for NAD_1983_2011_To_NAVD88_CONUS_GEOID18_Height: Even with g2018u0.bin present in the per-user CoordinateSystemsData path, are there other reasons this might fail that I haven't covered (assuming the silent messaging issue is resolved so I can see proper errors)? For example, does Pro 3.4.3 specifically require a .gsb version for this named transformation, or are there other registration steps for per-user data?

Any suggestions or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Re: ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3 - Silent arcpy.AddMessage & Persistent Geoid18 Transformation Error (000365)

DanPatterson — Fri, 09 May 2025 20:51:22 GMT

Does GetAllMessages reveal the hidden one? (see the code example and explanations)

GetAllMessages—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation

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ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3 - Silent arcpy.AddMessage & Persistent Geoid18 Transformation Error (000365)

Re: ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3 - Silent arcpy.AddMessage & Persistent Geoid18 Transformation Error (000365)