topic Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent in Data Management Questions

Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RyanConnelly — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 20:30:19 GMT

Hi, I'm back.

So I've successfully clipped the extent of all of my layers by drawing a polygon from the Draw toolbar and then going into the Data Frame Properties of the layer and clipping by that polygon. However, when I go into the data attribute table for any of my point feature classes, they still have the same number of records as they did before the clip.

I need to actually remove all data that is outside of the clipped extent from my tables. Not sure if it would help anyway, but I apparently don't have whatever license is needed for the Erase tool.

Is this doable without it?

Thanks,
Ryan

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

OwenEarley — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 22:04:43 GMT

The clip by polygon in the Data Frame Properties only prevents data outside the polygon from displaying on the map.

If you want to delete the data use the Clip tool (available from the Geoprocessing menu). Note that you will need to use a feature class as the clip extent instead of a graphic polygon feature created using the Draw toolbar.

The Clip tool is available at all license levels.

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RobertParty — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 14:15:11 GMT

I am fairly sure you can do this with what you have. With the layers that you have clipped I think you can right click on the layers and go down to Data, then select export data, and export all features in view extent, also when you do that make sure you have zoomed out to see the whole layer you are trying to export.

If that doesnt work then do what the previous reply said and use the Clip Tool. If you are unsure of setting up the feature class all you need to do is either create a new file geodatabase in your catalog window or use your default geodatabase, then right click on the geodatabase and select new feature class, Give it a name, and make sure you have Polygon Features selected as the type, then on the next page select your coordinate system you are using. Then unless you know your specific needs i would leave the rest of the tabs at the default. Once the feature class is created, go to the editor tool bar and select start editing and select the feature class you just made, then go to the far end of the editing tool bar and select create feature and draw your polygon, when you have drawn it, select save edits on the editing tool bar, then select stop editing and then you can use your polygon to clip the features!
Hope that helps!

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RyanConnelly — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 14:38:51 GMT

I'm sorry, but I'm still very confused. I went to the Help File to figure out how to create a new feature class, but how can I customize the shape of the feature class that is created? (In the Help File page that you linked, it was a circle. How do I make mine a custom polygon?)

Also, the dialog box says that choosing a Coordinate System is optional. Is it really?

Everything else is in D_Unknown_Lambert_Azimuthal_Equal_Area, whatever that is. It doesn't seem that that's even an option in Arc.

(I have access to ENVI as well. Any idea if what I'm trying to do is easier in that software?)

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RobertParty — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 14:48:28 GMT

Ok, the coordinate system is technically optional, but if your coordinate systems dont match then the clip tool is going to be clipping from the wrong area. Where is your data coming from? and give me a few minutes to get some pictures together to walk you through it!

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RyanConnelly — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:02:43 GMT

Yeah that's kind of what I thought re: the coordinate system. It's satellite and radar data. The radar data is in WGS 1984, so I kept re-projecting the sat data to that but the other collaborator kept giving me files in Lambert Equal Area... when we met at his office to coregister all of the datasets I just let him re-project them into Lambert.

And thank you! As you can guess, I'm pretty much teaching myself Arc as I go along.

Edit: Also, didn't even see your first reply. When I was saying I was confused, that was still with the first reply. Sorry about that.

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RobertParty — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:07:28 GMT

Make sure the Editor tool bar is enabled

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34876[/ATTACH]

then select start editing, and at the end of the tool bar there is the create features button select that.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34877[/ATTACH]

make sure the polygon creator is selected, then draw your polygon around the data you want.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34878[/ATTACH]

then save your edits and select stop editing.

then use the data you have and the polygon you have in the clip (analysis) tool and it will clip it to the polygon you drew!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34879[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34880[/ATTACH]

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RyanConnelly — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:12:44 GMT

For some reason my Editor toolbar is grayed out. Is this another licensing issue?

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RobertParty — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:15:58 GMT

It could be. Is the whole bar grayed out?

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RobertParty — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:18:34 GMT

What version of ArcGIS do you have? and is the word Editor on the tool bar grayed out? if its not, select start editing and select your polygon layer and that will make the rest of the tool bar selectable.

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RyanConnelly — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:35:40 GMT

ArcGIS 10.2.1

And no, the word is not grayed out.

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RobertParty — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:45:19 GMT

I am looking and cant find anywhere that says that the editor toolbar is only available in certain levels of ArcGIS licensing. I would try going into the customize menu and select extensions and put a check by any of them that you can, it might help. I am running the 60 free trail and i know it comes with a bunch of extra stuff, but it think the tool bar should work in the standard version.

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RyanConnelly — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 16:04:03 GMT

I got the editor to wake up. I just had to select which geodatabase I'm working in (I actually have data from two places in the same document, but that doesn't matter because everything I want to manipulate now is in the same one).

But now after I click Create Features, my Construction Tools box only has "Point" and "Point at end of line" as options. Your example was a point layer but still had Polygon as an option.

Re: Want to delete data outside of a custom extent

RobertParty — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 16:06:46 GMT

i had a point layer that i was clipping, but i made a polygon layer to clip it. right click on your geodatabase and select new feature class and give it a name and make the type Polygon Features, then when you start editing make sure that the feature class is selected and you should be able to draw a polygon!