topic Re: deleting fields from a shapefile doesn't work in my python script in Python Questions

deleting fields from a shapefile doesn't work in my python script

YimeiWang — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:39:58 GMT


# Import system modules
import sys, string, os, arcgisscripting

# Create the Geoprocessor object
gp = arcgisscripting.create(9.3)

# Set a default workspace
gp.workspace = "C:\\arcgisserver\\gisdata"

# Set a default workspace
gp.toolbox = "management"

KeepList = ['FID', 'Shape', 'AREA', 'PERIMETER', 'PLACENAME', 'INCORP_FLA', 'COUNTY', 'STATE', 'SMARTLABEL', 'JURIS_NA_8', 'TAID']

fields = gp.ListFields("KY_TaxAreas.shp")


for field in fields:
        if field.Name not in KeepList:
                gp.deletefield("KY_TaxAreas.shp", "field.Name")
                print field.Name + " is deleted"

The whole processing seems right, and I got all print message for those fields which I want to delete. However, when I open the shapefile in ArcCatalog, those deleting fields are still there. Any idea?

Re: deleting fields from a shapefile doesn't work in my python script

DarrenWiens2 — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:52:15 GMT

Does it work if you remove the quotes from around "field.name"? If it stays in quotes, python tries to delete a field literally called "field.Name", not the variable value.

Re: deleting fields from a shapefile doesn't work in my python script

YimeiWang — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:00:58 GMT

Thank you so much, dkwiens! you fix the problem.

Does it work if you remove the quotes from around "field.name"? If it stays in quotes, python tries to delete a field literally called "field.Name", not the variable value.