topic Re: Custom brochure printing Python in Python Questions

Custom brochure printing Python

AicamLaacouri — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 02:03:59 GMT

Hi everyone- I have an idea and I am just starting to learn Python so I would like to know if my idea can be executed using Python... So I have a polygon shapefile with 1000 polygons. Each polygon is a field/farm, the attribute table has the name of the owner and his/her address. I also happen to have a raster image that cover the same geography (satellite image). I want to print a brochure/newsletter to send it to these clients. In the front page of the brochure I will have texts and the address of the client (for postage). In the back, I want to print the clipped raster using the polygon for each field (each client has one corresponding polygon) as the clipping extent. Can I make a Python script that will my client specific brochures, so that the front of the brochure has the name and address of the client, and the back of the brochure has an image of the field (from the satellite raster image). I want to spend time and learn about this idea but I thought to ask first if such a task is possible using python/arcmap. Thanks. Esam

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

DarrenWiens2 — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 05:49:45 GMT

Yes, all possible. Look up data driven pages, page definitions, and dynamic text.

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

AicamLaacouri — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 19:47:11 GMT

Thanks Darren! does the grid index need to have polygons of the same size? Because the polygon parcel data I have contains parcels of variable sizes..

Thanks

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

DarrenWiens2 — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 23:45:26 GMT

No, your grid can vary in size. In fact, the index layer is often not a grid at all, rather a feature class' individual polygons. The data driven pages can zoom to the appropriate scale based on the extent of the index feature.

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

AicamLaacouri — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 23:50:29 GMT

Thanks again! Do I need to explode the parcel polygon shapefle? Right now all the parcels are contained in one shapefile..

many thanks

Aicam

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

DarrenWiens2 — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 14:44:55 GMT

Yes, explode. Data driven pages make one page per index feature.

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

SepheFox — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 16:33:00 GMT

It's fine to have the parcels in one shapefiles, in fact data driven pages will be based on one shapefile. Just make sure that the parcels for each client are one feature. If a client has several parcels, you may actually want to dissolve on client name.

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

AicamLaacouri — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 20:57:33 GMT

Thanks! Do I need to have two data frames in order to print in both sides of the brochure? Would a template be needed in order to specify the dynamic text location (the dynamic text will be the mailing address in this case).

Thanks

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

SepheFox — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 21:23:40 GMT

As an ex graphic designer myself, I think what I would do in this case is have a page size of your entire unfolded brochure. Use guides, which can be pulled out from the page rulers, to lay out the two sides of the brochure. On the front side, you can have the text boxes, one of which will include the dynamic text for the label address. On the back side will be your data frame which will include the parcel shapefile used to drive the pages, and any other layers you need. You can also specify a page title field, perhaps client name, which can be used to name the exported pages.

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

DarrenWiens2 — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 22:16:56 GMT

Personally, I like Sephe's suggestion of keeping everything in one mxd, but here is an alternative using two mxds and a Python script, that would also suit your needs.

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

AicamLaacouri — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 01:41:52 GMT

Thanks Sephe. Would this apply also to one sheet (face and back) brochure. It is not folded

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

SepheFox — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 02:52:15 GMT

Well that kind of depends how your getting it printed. If at a print shop, I would ask the printer how they prefer your file to be laid out.

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

DanPatterson_Retired — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 03:34:18 GMT

For future reference

What are data driven pages 6 sections

Creating a map book 19 sections

Exporting data driven pages

Arcpy general reference lots of sections

Arcpy's mapping module a good read

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

AicamLaacouri — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 21:56:39 GMT

Thanks Sephe for the suggestion. I have tried your method for making a page the size of the entire brochure (back and face). It worked well. However, when I talked to the printing service, they asked for the front and back of the one page brochure to be in separate pdf files...

Thanks

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

AicamLaacouri — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 21:57:00 GMT

It was a good read indeed:)

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

AicamLaacouri — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 21:58:22 GMT

Yes I have tried the two mxd projects and it worked the best especially after combining the two pdfs...

Thanks

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

SepheFox — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 22:01:27 GMT

Great! It's always best to get the exact specs form the printer. Happy designing to you! Do you mind marking your question as answered, if that is the case. Thank you!

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

IanMurray — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 22:33:23 GMT

Just adding my own two cents to this.

I do this sort of work fairly regularly, but instead of using DDP, I just have several map templates which already have the polygon feature, make a feature layer based on each ID number zoom to extent then change text elements based on attribute fields and export to PDF. It loops through each row with a cursor and exports out each map to pdf. Haven't tried with DDP, but might look into it in the future.

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

AicamLaacouri — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 20:16:02 GMT

Hi guys

This is a related question: so using one of the solutions above (either DDP, layout with guides/dynamic labels or Ian's solution), you will get a PDF for each polygon based on the shapefile. Now, would the PDF display an image background or just the plain polygon?

Ian: Thanks for the explanation. So do you use python at all in doing this task? I have not worked with templates before.

Thanks

Re: Custom brochure printing Python

IanMurray — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 12:59:46 GMT

Yes I use Python extensively with my templates. I had to create the same set of three maps for several hundred polygon features, so I set up a template for each of the three maps I need, and used python to make a feature layer of each polygon ID in turn, zoom to it, then control each text elements already in the templates with data from the attribute table accessed via a search cursor. All the layers I need for each map already exist in the templates and I have them turned on and off via python depending on other attributes. So in the end I created ~2000 map documents and pdfs for the several hundred geometries in my feature class.

I could post a sample code for working with one of the templates if you wanted to see what it looked like, the arcpy mapping module has a good amount of control for controlling elements within map documents. I wouldn't post more than 1 though, since the code gets a bit long.