topic updateConnectionProperties doesn't work in group layers? in Python Questions

updateConnectionProperties doesn't work in group layers?

AlexanderGray — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 18:03:54 GMT

ArcGIS pro 3.3.1 here I have a map with some group layers. Inside the group layers there are layers pointing to two different filegeodatabase. I need to update one on the fgdbs (the old database) for the entire map and leave the other (otherdatabase) one intact.

The problem I am trying to use updateConnectionProperties with the old and the new fgdb but the problem is as soon as a layer where the source is the fgdb I am NOT updating, it stops updating the layers below. So it will do the first few layers then stop and leave the ones at the bottom with the original database. If I take the layers out of group or if I place the ones that I am not changing below, it works. Changing the order is not practical. The schema of the old and the new database is identical. The other database is different. Everything is on the local workstation.

aprx = arcpy.mp.ArcGISProject('CURRENT')
mymap = aprx.activeMap
mymap.updateConnectionProperties(current_connection_info=r'C:\oldpath\database.gdb', new_connection_info=r'C:\newpath\database.gdb', ignore_case=True)

Re: updateConnectionProperties doesn't work in group layers?

TonyAlmeida — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 18:25:53 GMT

Maybe use the group layers name.

import arcpy # Paths to the old and new geodatabases old_geodatabase_path = r"C:\path\to\old\geodatabase.gdb" new_geodatabase_path = r"C:\path\to\new\geodatabase.gdb" # Define the path to your map document mxd_path = r"C:\path\to\your\Text.mxd" # Group layer names that need their layers' connections updated target_group_layer_names = ["GroupLayer1", "GroupLayer2"] mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(mxd_path) # update connection properties for layers within a group layer def update_layer_connection_properties(layer, old_path, new_path): if layer.isGroupLayer: for sublayer in layer: if sublayer.supports("dataSource"): sublayer.replaceDataSource(new_path, "FILEGDB_WORKSPACE") # Iterate over each data frame in the map document for df in arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd): for layer in arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, "", df): if layer.isGroupLayer and layer.name in target_group_layer_names: update_layer_connection_properties(layer, old_geodatabase_path, new_geodatabase_path) # update the data frame source if needed df.updateConnectionProperties(old_geodatabase_path, new_geodatabase_path) mxd.save() # Clean up del mxd

Re: updateConnectionProperties doesn't work in group layers?

AlexanderGray — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:03:49 GMT

this sort of works but some layers are not in group layers at all. I can just get all the layers from the map and then iterate through each one and check if supports('datasource') and attempt to change regardless of source database. I still don't know why it doesn't work on the map though. I used updateConnectionProperties on the layer. That way if the source is the other fgdb it won't do anything.

Re: updateConnectionProperties doesn't work in group layers?

BlakeTerhune — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:10:26 GMT

Maybe this is a bug in how updateConnectionProperties() works on workspaces. I have had luck iterating over each layer rather than applying to the whole map.

for layer in mymap.listLayers(): layer.updateConnectionProperties( current_connection_info=r'C:\oldpath\database.gdb', new_connection_info=r'C:\newpath\database.gdb', ignore_case=True )

Re: updateConnectionProperties doesn't work in group layers?

AndrewBryson1 — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 23:07:18 GMT

Just ran into this bug in 3.4.3. In my case, I was trying to use the updateConnectionProperties method of the ArcGISProject object to repath multiple layers on different maps (like you can do from the Catalog view in Pro). I couldn't understand how it could update one layer and fail to update another, when both layers are in the same map and have the same source database. But we do have a lot of group layers, so that must be it.

Guess it's back to listLayers and lyr.supports("dataSource") for me...