topic Re: Work Around for os.startfile Crashing arcmap in Python Questions

Work Around for os.startfile Crashing arcmap

BenjaminMittler — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 14:38:26 GMT

Hi All,

I'm currently attempting to develop an addin that creates a KML from a layer within arcmap, and then opens that KML. All seems to be going well except that every time the tool runs it crashes arcmap. I am aware that this is because i am using the "os.startfile()" command. What possible workaround can i use to get this file to open at the end of my script.

Thanks,

Ben

*Not a python expert by any means

Re: Work Around for os.startfile Crashing arcmap

ToddBlanchette — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 14:56:43 GMT

Do you want to open the KML in your current MXD in ArcMap? Or using an outside program like Google Earth?

Re: Work Around for os.startfile Crashing arcmap

BenjaminMittler — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 15:17:14 GMT

Todd,

Google Earth, the file actually opens when my addin is run, it just crashes arcmap in the process of doing so.

Thanks,

Ben

Re: Work Around for os.startfile Crashing arcmap

ToddBlanchette — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 15:36:11 GMT

Ben,

Thanks for more info. If you're using Windows, os.startfile() shouldn't be giving you any issues, and like you said, it starts Google Earth fine (if kml/kmz is associated with that program within windows as the default program). Is there anything else in your code after the os.startfile() is called?

Re: Work Around for os.startfile Crashing arcmap

KevinBell — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 15:40:04 GMT

Jason Schriener at ESRI got this work around for me.

Add this def:

def run_in_other_thread(function): #conflicts w/ os.startfile will crash arcmap. this is a workaround

# functool.wraps will copy over the docstring and some other metadata

# from the original function

@functools.wraps(function)

def fn_(*args, **kwargs):

thread = threading.Thread(target=function, args=args, kwargs=kwargs)

thread.start()

thread.join()

return fn_

Call it like this:

startfile = run_in_other_thread(os.startfile)

startfile(theFilePath)

Re: Work Around for os.startfile Crashing arcmap

BenjaminMittler — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 15:56:58 GMT

Thanks Kevin, worked like a charm.

I actually came across the thread with this information while researching the problem and it ended up that i was just calling it wrong.

For all others running into this error in the future this seems to be the workaround.