topic Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set in Python Questions

deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

FredericPiche — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 12:49:11 GMT

I'm trying to delete a row from a coverage

I'm using arcpy 10.3.1

the code that i am using is (to be able to reproduce the issue)

import arcpy

def count_row(data):
    i = 0
    for row in data:
        i += 1

    data.reset()

    return i

arcpy.env.workspace = 'C:/Data/cea01apr'
feature = 'point'
fidfilter= 'fid = 1'

featureClassList = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses()

fieldList = arcpy.ListFields(feature)
fieldString = [str(x.name) for x in fieldList]

with arcpy.da.UpdateCursor(feature, fieldString, fidfilter) as cursorupdate:
    print('Number of rows:' + str(count_row(cursorupdate)))
    rowupdate = cursorupdate.next()
    print(rowupdate[12])

    rowupdate[12] +=  'h'
    cursorupdate.updateRow(rowupdate)

with arcpy.da.SearchCursor(feature, fieldString, fidfilter) as cursorupdate:
    print('Number of rows:' + str(count_row(cursorupdate)))
    rowupdate = cursorupdate.next()

    if rowupdate:
        print(rowupdate[12])

with arcpy.da.UpdateCursor(feature, fieldString, fidfilter) as cursorupdate1:
    print('Number of rows:' + str(count_row(cursorupdate1)))
    for row in cursorupdate1:
        cursorupdate1.deleteRow()

raw_input('Press the <ENTER> key to exit')‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

the output of that script is

C:\Data>test.py
Number of rows:1
 hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Number of rows:1
 hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Number of rows:1
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Data\test.py", line 39, in <module>
    cursorupdate1.deleteRow()
SystemError: error return without exception set‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

I have tried this

arcpy.MakeTableView_management(feature, 'test')
arcpy.SelectLayerByAttribute_management('test', 'NEW_SELECTION', fidfilter)
arcpy.DeleteRows_management('test')‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

and i'm getting this error

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Data\test.py", line 41, in <module>
    arcpy.DeleteRows_management('test')
  File "C:\***\cots\ArcGIS\Desktop10.3\ArcPy\arcpy\management.py", line 15352, in DeleteRows
    raise e
arcgisscripting.ExecuteError: ERROR 999999: Error executing function.
Failed to execute (DeleteRows).‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

trying the old arcpy.UpdateCursor

cursorupdate2 =  arcpy.UpdateCursor(feature)
#print('Number of rows:' + str(count_row(cursorupdate2)))
row = cursorupdate2.next()
print('delete')
cursorupdate2.deleteRow(row)‍‍‍‍‍

will result into

C:\Data>test.py
ArcInfo
Number of rows:1
 hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Number of rows:1
 hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
delete
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Data\test.py", line 56, in <module>
    cursorupdate2.deleteRow(row)
  File "C:\***\cots\ArcGIS\Desktop10.3\ArcPy\arcpy\arcobjects\arcobjects.py", line 110, in deleteRow
    return convertArcObjectToPythonObject(self._arc_object.DeleteRow(*gp_fixargs(args)))
RuntimeError: ERROR 999999: Error executing function.‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

uncommenting the line for the number of rows will actually crash python.exe

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

DanPatterson_Retired — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 21:40:57 GMT

Your code is unreadable, you need to use Python syntax highlighting... follow the ... (3 dots), then select More, then

syntax highlighting, python, and paste your code inside and save.

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

FredericPiche — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 11:34:56 GMT

thanks, i was looking for that but didn't know it was under highlighting. updated

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

JoshuaBixby — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 14:45:30 GMT

You seem to have narrowed down the issue quite a bit, I recommend contacting Esri Support to see if this is a bug.

Beyond contacting Esri Support, working with coverages continues to get more and more tenuous with each version of ArcGIS for Desktop. Given that the ArcPy Data Access module was introduced back in ArcGIS 10.1, it could be the locking doesn't quite work with coverages because coverages would not have been a focus of the new cursors. Have you tried a similar workflow using the original cursors, the ones that pre-date the arcpy.da cursors?

If you try your exact same workflow on shapefiles and feature classes in a file geodatabase, does it work? If so, then it likely points to an issue with coverages. If not, then the problem lies somewhere in the code and how cursors are being handled.

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

NeilAyres — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 15:01:05 GMT

Just to be a little picky about naming variables....

This is a list of field objects (not a straight list) :

fieldList = arcpy.ListFields(feature)

This is a list of strings (not a string) :

fieldString = [str(x.name) for x in fieldList]

I must agree with Joshua. Coverages, really.... Havn't met one of those for a very looong time.

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

FredericPiche — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 15:02:05 GMT

I don't have a shapefile or geodatabase right now available to me, i cannot test that.

i did test the old arcpy.updatecursor, see my question for the result

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

FredericPiche — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 15:03:13 GMT

right now i 'm just trying to do a delete, naming convention and everything else will follow 😉

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

JoshuaBixby — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 15:22:52 GMT

My guess, it is a "coverage thing." Even if you contact Esri Support and they log a bug, I don't believe it will be addressed given the problem is with coverages. My advice is to migrate the data from coverages to feature classes in a file geodatabase.

Regarding shapefiles and geodatabases for testing, if you have a license to use ArcPy Data Access cursors, you have all of the tools available for creating shapefiles and feature classes to test them.

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

FredericPiche — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 16:03:02 GMT

I did a quick test (converted one of my coverage into gdb) and i am able to delete a row.

I hope to make my delete work on the coverage since I need to do a clean_arc after deleting stuff

the clean_arc doesn't seem to work on a geodatabase file

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

FredericPiche — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 16:11:48 GMT

also converting to gdb change the shape(geometry) values, losing precision

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

RebeccaStrauch__GISP — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 12:49:13 GMT

I answered your aml to arcpy question in the other thread is it possible to convert this AML into python? (arcedit)

Basically, my suggestion if you are just trying to select certain features that you want to keep is to not use a cursor or arcedit, just use the arcpy.Reselect_arc to select and copy the features to a new coverage. Based on the code you had in the other thread, I was able to get everything but the correct syntax for the"infoExpress", which is the process of RES, NSEL, RES, etc to get the set you will push out to the new coverage. Here is the code again, but I am getting an error on the last line. I have the help pages for Reselect_arc in a comment

import arcpy

inCover = r"C:\Workspace\test\bl01"
# inCover = r"c:\Data\cea01apr"     # this assumes cea01apr is the Coverage name
arcpy.env.workspace = inCover

featureType = 'point'   # this is the feature type
recCountIn = int(arcpy.GetCount_management(featureType).getOutput(0))
print("Number of {0} records in {1}: {2}".format(featureType, inCover, recCountIn))

# these aren't used, but good info
featureClassList = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses()
fieldList = arcpy.ListFields(inCover, "", featureType)
fieldString = [str(x.name) for x in fieldList]
print(fieldString)

tempCover = r"C:\Workspace\test\cl01testIn"
try:
     arcpy.Copy_management(inCover, tempCover)
     print("\nCopy worked")
except:
     print("\nCopy didnt work, may already exist")

tempCoverOut = r"C:\Workspace\test\cl01Out"

fidfilter= 'fid < 16'    # just for the sake of showing 15 vs  one record...

# take a look at http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#/Select/001300000005000000/
# or http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/10.3/tools/coverage-toolbox/select.htm 

print("\nReselect {0} from {1} then nselect for the other {2} and save to new coverage".format(fidfilter, recCountIn, (recCountIn - int(fidfilter[-3:]))))

infoExpress = ["RESELECT FID LT 16",
               "NSELECT"]

print("\n my test infoExpress: {0}\n  but doesn't work".format(infoExpress))

"""
# sample from help pages
infoExpress = ["RESELECT stream_name CN 'AQUEDUCT'",
               "NSELECT",
               "RESELECT stream_order > 3",
               "ASELECT length > 10000"]
"""


# Execute Reselect
arcpy.Reselect_arc(tempCover, tempCoverOut, infoExpress, featureType, "", "")‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

This doesn't look like anything that you were trying to do in this thread, but I'm assuming that what you were trying to do is in the other.....bad assumption??? anyway, that's all I can do tonight. Hopefully that is enough to get you going. Have fun!

Re: deleteRow() return SystemError: error return without exception set

FredericPiche — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 12:40:43 GMT

i'm trying to delete rows from feature class based on some condition, this could have worked but like you i can't make the infoexpress work.