topic Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer in Python Questions

Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

DavidMatthews2 — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 05:11:56 GMT

I would like to automatically populate a parameter in a toolbox with the name of the currently selected objects layer.

Is this possible in Arcpy?

Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

DarrenWiens2 — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 08:02:53 GMT

I believe you'd have to list the layers (map object) and inspect the FIDSet property (layer object), and update the parameter with tool validation.

Map—ArcPy | ArcGIS Desktop

Layer properties—ArcPy Functions | ArcGIS Desktop

Understanding validation in script tools—Geoprocessing and Python | ArcGIS Desktop

Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

JoeBorgione — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 14:51:34 GMT

I don't have an answer, but it's just cool to reply to a post from Dave Mathews...

Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

JoshuaBixby — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 15:13:56 GMT

This question seems related to Get Currently Selected Layer in ArcMap Table of Contents‌, which suggests using the pythonaddins module.

Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

DavidMatthews2 — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 04:56:23 GMT

Thank you all for the help, especially Darren Wiens‌ for pointing me to fidSet.

I went with this:

mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")
layers = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd)
sel_layers=[str(i.name) for i in layers if arcpy.Describe(i.name).fidSet]‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

which returns a list of the selected layers.

Also found this helpful arcgis 10.1 - Getting all results from Selection made by Attribute or Location using ArcPy? - Geographic Information Sys…

Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

DavidMatthews2 — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 22:45:22 GMT

Thank you. See my solution below

Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

JoshuaBixby — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 23:29:46 GMT

Looking at your original question and the code you provided, I am a bit confused by your terminology. What exactly do you mean by "name of the currently selected objects layer?" Do you mean the layer or layers that a user has highlighted/selected in the table of contents?

Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

DarrenWiens2 — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 23:40:30 GMT

I took it to mean "the feature layer with a selected feature" not "the selected feature layer".

Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

JoshuaBixby — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 04:56:26 GMT

I guess you read minds better than I do.

If your interpretation is correct, which it seems to be given the OPs final code snippet, the results can also be obtained using getSelectionSet() on the layer object itself:

>>> mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")
>>> sel_lyrs = [lyr.name
...             for lyr
...             in arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd)
...             if lyr.getSelectionSet()]
...             
>>> ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

Re: Arcpy get the name of a selected feature's layer

DavidMatthews2 — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 02:40:37 GMT

Thanks bixb0012‌ that is more elegant.

Sorry for not being clearer with my question