topic Re: How to delete memory-workspace in Python Questions

How to delete memory-workspace

MattWeber2 — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 14:30:12 GMT

Hello,

how can I delete the memory-workspace after a script has run?

I usually added

arcpy.Delete_management("memory")

to the end of my scripts, but noticed yesterday that this apparently doesn't do anything.

The workaround i found is to loop over all fc in the workspace and delete them one by one.

for fc in arcpy.ListFeatureClasses():
    desc = arcpy.Describe(fc)
    arcpy.Delete_management(desc.catalogPath)

But this help site indicates it should be possible to delete all at once.

Write geoprocessing output to memory—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation

Also, the older in_memory seems to empty itself after a script ran, why doesn't memory do the same?

Cheers

edit: I am using ArcGIS Pro 2.4.3

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

DanPatterson_Retired — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 06:50:30 GMT

The help doesn't differentiate between in_memory and memory for deleting, as you have noted.

I couldn't find anything related to this on the support site (visible to mere mortals), but I stumbled on this

BUG-000120068: Loading data into a memory-workspace consumes about ..

Perhaps more lurks behind the (in_)memory divide.

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

JoshuaBixby — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 18:22:39 GMT

how can I delete the memory-workspace after a script has run?

How exactly are you running your script? As a script tool from within Pro, as a stand-alone script using Pro conda?

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

MattWeber2 — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 08:29:17 GMT

I run it as a script tool from within Pro.

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

DanPatterson_Retired — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 08:46:00 GMT

The full script, might reveal more

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

MattWeber2 — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 14:30:14 GMT

arcpy.AddMessage(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
arcpy.CopyFeatures_management("to_copy", "memory\copied")
arcpy.AddMessage(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
arcpy.Delete_management("memory")
arcpy.AddMessage(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

Output is

False, True, True the first time the script runs, True True True the second time and onwards

So line 4 doesn't do anything, and even after the Tool finished, fc in memory persist.

Replacing line 4 with the specific delete-call:

arcpy.Delete_management(r"memory\copied")
‍‍‍

gives the expected result of False, True, False for any number of runs

If I use the older "in_memory" it works fine by the way.

arcpy.AddMessage(arcpy.Exists(r"in_memory\copied"))
arcpy.CopyFeatures_management("to_copy", "in_memory\copied")
arcpy.AddMessage(arcpy.Exists(r"in_memory\copied"))
arcpy.Delete_management("in_memory")
arcpy.AddMessage(arcpy.Exists(r"in_memory\copied"))‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

Output is:

False, True, False

And even if I remove line 4 and 5 the output is

False, True

for any number of runs. So the temporary fc saved in_memory are not kept in between runs.

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

DanPatterson_Retired — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 14:30:18 GMT

Run from Spyder (IPython console).

dump AddMessage.... use print to rule it out as a culprit

# ---- test featureclass

copied = r"C:\Git_Dan\npgeom\Project_npg\tests.gdb\sq"

# ---- results for 'memory'
print(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(copied, "memory\copied")
print(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
arcpy.Delete_management("memory")
print(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))

False
True
False

# ---- results for 'in_memory'
print(arcpy.Exists(r"in_memory\copied"))
arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(copied, "in_memory\copied")
print(arcpy.Exists(r"in_memory\copied"))
arcpy.Delete_management("in_memory")
print(arcpy.Exists(r"in_memory\copied"))
False
True
False‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

Executable for the above

sys.executable
Out[9]: 'C:\\arc_pro\\bin\\Python\\envs\\arcgispro-py3\\pythonw.exe'‍‍

Run from Python window in Pro

import arcpy
copied = r"C:\Git_Dan\npgeom\Project_npg\tests.gdb\sq"
# ---- results for 'memory'
print(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(copied, r"memory\copied")
print(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
arcpy.Delete_management("memory")
print(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
False
True
False

# ---- results for 'memory'
print(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(copied, r"memory\copied")
print(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
arcpy.Delete_management("memory")
print(arcpy.Exists(r"memory\copied"))
False
True
False
‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

the 'executable' from the python window inpro

import sys
sys.executable
'C:\\arc_pro\\bin\\ArcGISPro.exe'‍‍‍

Use print

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

DanPatterson_Retired — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 10:27:03 GMT

To mess with everyones heads...

Jupyter notebook in pro has some issues with in_memory ( I suspect it only supports 'memory'

Kory Kramer‌ I await beta 2.6 before I invest in Jupyter further, since toolboxes were suggested to be changed (don't know if it happened)

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

MattWeber2 — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 14:30:20 GMT

It works in IPython

sys.executable
'C:\\Program Files\\ArcGIS\\Pro\\bin\\Python\\envs\\arcgispro-py3\\python.exe'‍‍

but the same result in ArcGIS, Python window

or Toolbox

sys.executable
'C:\\Program Files\\ArcGIS\\Pro\\bin\\ArcGISPro.exe'‍‍

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

JoshuaBixby — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:53:18 GMT

You are seeing different behaviors in IPython/Jupyter and ArcGIS Pro because the memory workspace integrates into ArcGIS Pro (in-process) differently than IPython/Jupyter/python.exe (out-of-process).

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

JoshuaBixby — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 16:16:48 GMT

What version of Pro are you running? I just tested your first code block as a script tool in ArcGIS Pro 2.5, and it returns False, True, False every time I run it.

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

DanPatterson_Retired — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 18:19:53 GMT

Attach your script to a tool in Arctoolbox if you must work inside of Pro. You can even set your inputs as the default if you have repetitive tasks with the same data.

I still don't know why you would be running a script inside Pro in any event when you can run it outside without locks. Maybe even try saving the project after the run to see if it frees things up.

I am done, since this may or may not be an error. Workarounds have been provided. Tech support is your next option

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

MattWeber2 — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 08:06:21 GMT

I am running 2.4.3.

Since nobody else can reproduce the behavior, I will resort to the workaround of deleting everything one by one for now.

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

MattWeber2 — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 08:08:51 GMT

Since nobody can reproduce the Problem, I assume it's somekind of setting or maybe bug in the Version of Pro my organization is using.

I will use the workaround to delete all the fc in memory one by one for now.

Thanks for all the help and testing

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

BlakeTerhune — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 22:28:47 GMT

@MattWeber2 were you able to figure out the problem with your memory workspace?

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

DougBrowning — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 18:32:45 GMT

Same here I have a pile of scripts that I ran in ArcMap Python for years that use code like below. None of this will work in ArcPro Python. Seems like a bug to me.

I also added arcpy.Delete_management("in_memory") and it still does not work. Kinda stuck now since I cannot get it to ever delete.

Anyone get this one yet? thanks

    for table in tableList:       
         tempTV = "in_memory\\tempTV"

            # for FC this line must be different
            if table in fcList:
                arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management(appendFromDB + "\\" + table, tempTV)
            else:
                arcpy.MakeTableView_management(appendFromDB + "\\" + table, tempTV)

            # We want to check for dups based on FormID
            arcpy.AddJoin_management(tempTV, "FormID", addToDB + "\\" + sdePrefix + table, "FormID", "KEEP_COMMON")
            joinedCount = int(arcpy.GetCount_management(tempTV).getOutput(0))
            arcpy.RemoveJoin_management(tempTV)
            arcpy.Delete_management(tempTV)

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

BlakeTerhune — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 18:38:28 GMT

You'll want to switch to using the "memory" workspace in ArcGIS Pro rather than the "in_memory" from ArcMap.

Write geoprocessing output to memory—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation

Re: How to delete memory-workspace

DougBrowning — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 18:45:37 GMT

Yes I know and I tried both for testing. Same issue.