topic Re: Script Tool Return Value in Geoprocessing Questions

Script Tool Return Value

JeffWard — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:59:04 GMT

Hi,

I am trying to set up a model to do a task that I do every month. Part of that model is a stand-alone python script that creates a file name with the date tagged on to the end of it. How do I write my script so that it returns this string and I can use it as input for another geoprocessing tool? I have searched the forums and help, but can't find any examples of this.

Any help is much appreciated.

Jeff

Re: Script Tool Return Value

MikeMacRae — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:25:51 GMT

Are you trying to use the current date or a date that you want to set?

If so, try importing datetime, create the date and then pass it to a string variable. From there, build your file name and concatenate your string date variable where you want it.

x = str(yourdatevariable)

Here are some good examples on how datetime works.

http://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2008/06/how-to-get-current-date-and-time-in/

Re: Script Tool Return Value

JasonScheirer — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:52:03 GMT

You can set up an output parameter of type string and then use SetParameterAsText to populate the value at the end of your script.

Re: Script Tool Return Value

JeffWard — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:25:38 GMT

Thanks for the quick responses. After looking into the output parameter, I have added my script to the model as a script tool and created an output parameter as a string type. The file name is hard coded into the script, so I don't have any parameters in the script. Do I need to create one for the setParameterAsText? Can you point me to some examples of what the a script with an output parameter looks like and I can figure out how to plug it into the model?

Thanks again for the quick replies.

Re: Script Tool Return Value

DaleHoneycutt — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:15:53 GMT

See Setting script tool parameters. It appears you want a single derived output parameter, so pay particular attention to the write-ups about derived output parameters.

Re: Script Tool Return Value

JeffWard — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:02:17 GMT

Thanks everyone for your help. Thanks for that link Dale, that is what I needed to get what I was calling a return value. I created a derived output string parameter for my script tool and added this line to the end of my script: arcpy.SetParameterAsText(0, fileName).

Thanks again.