topic Re: update all text elememts (not working) in Python Questions

update all text elememts (not working)

JaredPilbeam1 — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:41:39 GMT

Hi,

I ran this script in PythonWin. I have folder(s) full of mxd documents that will require annual updates such as the year (date), which is what I was attempting here. This script ran but there were no changes made to the doc.

So, the original doc is in one folder and I want to change the date then save it in another folder. I've attached a PDF of the map I'm attempting to update. The year (2016) is in the title and signature. In the title, the year is grouped with the rest. That may be a problem?

Is the script wrong? Or is the title not properly represented in the text string?

Thanks in advance.

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

DarrenWiens2 — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 15:17:57 GMT

I've done this for hundreds of mxds using a script like below:

import arcpy, os
workspace = r'C:\blahblahblah' # starting directory

for root, dirs, files in os.walk(workspace, topdown=True): # starting traversing directories
    for file in files: # loop through file names
        if file.endswith('.mxd'): # if it's an mxd
            mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(os.path.join(root,file))
            els = arcpy.mapping.ListLayoutElements(mxd, 'TEXT_ELEMENT')
            for el in els:
                if 'old text' in el.text:
                    el.text = el.text.replace('old text','new text')
            mxd.save()
            del mxd‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

I suspect your problem is that your text box text doesn't equal '2016' but it contains '2016'.

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

JaredPilbeam1 — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 19:47:37 GMT

Darren,

Thanks for the reply. I'm a little confused on part of your script:

mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(os.path.join(root,file)) <-- What exactly are the parameters you used for the MapDocument function here? Because looking in the ArcPy Help, the parameters in that function appear as such:

Using your template, here is what I have so far:

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

DarrenWiens2 — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 15:18:00 GMT

mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(os.path.join(root,file))

Explanation:

root = the root folder (everything except the filename and extension) for the current mxd file, produced by os.walk

file = the filename and extension for the current mxd file, produced by os.walk

os.path.join(root,file) = the full path to the current mxd file (root + file)

arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(os.path.join(root,file)) = an arcpy map document object for the current mxd file

If it makes it easier, you can split those lines apart like this:

mxd_path = os.path.join(root,file)
mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(mxd_path)‍‍

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

JaredPilbeam1 — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 21:18:28 GMT

Thanks.

I completed the script as such and added mxd.saveACopy supposing that would save it to the new 2017 folder, but then received an error:

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

JoshuaBixby — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 21:41:44 GMT

On line 15, you need to specify a full path to an MXD. The way it looks now, you are trying to save an MXD as a file system folder.

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

DarrenWiens2 — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 21:43:49 GMT

Try passing a full path including '.mxd' rather than the folder name.

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

JaredPilbeam1 — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 21:57:37 GMT

I got the same error after including the document and extension.

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

DarrenWiens2 — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 22:02:14 GMT

May not be the problem, but your path syntax is not necessarily correct - use single forward slash, double backslash, or raw string notation (as you did for the first path).

Other than that, does the folder exist that you're trying to save to? And, obviously, do you have write access?

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

JaredPilbeam1 — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 14:59:54 GMT

This time I ran it using the same path syntax in all instances. It ran and copied over the 1st_District_B.mxd, but that was all it did. Were you saying you used this script to work on all the mxds in a folder/drive? That's what i'm ultimately trying to do here.

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

DarrenWiens2 — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 17:21:15 GMT

Yes, I used my script to change the same text in over 200 mxds within a single folder structure (i.e. including subfolders). The only thing I can think of is that my script used mxd.save() and yours uses mxd.saveACopy(...). Not sure if there is some sort of quirk there.

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

JaredPilbeam1 — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 21:32:21 GMT

Thanks, you've been really helpful. Still getting an error on this, however.

But, your script is just saving into the same folder, correct? I changed your mxd.save() to mxd.saveACopy in order to save to a different folder, as I don't want to copy over the 2016 mxds. That's where I'm confused now.

So, by including the 1st_District_B.mxd in line 15 it seems to want to copy that particular mxd only. If there was a sort of wildcard operation i can run to avoid these problems that would be great.

For instance, I found this method and adapted it:

Here it got past the first part as you see the print mxdname was carried out. But, only one mxd saved into the new folder and the text wasn't changed either.

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

DarrenWiens2 — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 21:57:59 GMT

You can see that the code doesn't ever get into the part where it changes the text (you'd also get an error because you've got elm and eml). Is the entire piece of text in the text element '2016' or 'Will County, Illinois ~ 2016'?

If you want the mxd saved each time through the loop, you need to indent it.

If you want to change the name of the saved mxd dynamically, based on the 'mxdname' variable, it would be something like this:

mxd.saveACopy(os.path.join(path_to_your_folder, mxdname))‍

^ you should use os.path.join to make paths because it handles things like slashes for you.

Re: update all text elememts (not working)

JaredPilbeam1 — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 22:00:18 GMT

@Darren

So, after your suggestions and getting some more help on this I was able to run it successfully. I indented the mxd.saveACopy and added a if in loop, then printed out what changed.

Thanks again for the help.