topic Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display? in Python Questions

arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

JayLaura — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:03:46 GMT

Via a Python toolbox I am calling arcpy.CreateGraph_management('default.tee', graphobj, 'temp'), where graphobj is a graph object created using the arcpy.Graph() class.

When I execute my tool, the create graph call is made without error, but a graph is never displayed. Additionally, the graph does not appear in the Graph Manager. Oddly, when I start to type the CreateGraph command into the command prompt, I see that 'temp' is available as a '.grf' file to fulfill the first argument.

The CreateGraph documentation suggests that the graph needs to be added to the 'host application', but does not provide any guidance. How can a PythonToolbox create a graph and then display it?

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

JasonScheirer — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:18:40 GMT

Do you have background geoprocessing turned on?

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

JayLaura — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:39:26 GMT

No. I have it turned off (deselected in Geoprocessing Options).

I should add: ArcGIS 10.2.

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

DanPatterson_Retired — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:48:33 GMT

Interesting...in ArcMap 10.2.2 there is no arcpy.CreateGraph_management but there is an arcpy.MakeGraph_management

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

JayLaura — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 20:50:32 GMT

I am calling MakeGraph - apologies.

arcpy.MakeGraph_management(graph_grf, graph, outgraphname)

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

DanPatterson_Retired — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 21:06:43 GMT

Help topic

The output graph is an in-memory graph that can be added to the host ArcGIS application or can be saved using the Save Graph tool.
Make Graph can be used on a Windows platform only.

I don't know if you have to add it manually or do you have the default Arcmap setting of Add Results to Display checked on, or whether you have to go to Save Graph...You are in a better position to experiment

addendum see this help topic as well

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

JayLaura — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 21:37:11 GMT

Dan,

Thanks for the info. Those are the docs. that I have been referencing. No guidance exists (as far as I can tell) for adding to the host ArcGIS application. The graph does not appear to be a layer - so addable in the same way a layer is.

Saving puts the file on disk (not in grf format). If I am forced to go the latter route, I would just use MatPlotLib as I get a lot more control over the final figure. My preference would be to use the former, but experimentation so far has not gotten the figure to display.

In an interactive session, in ArcMap, the graph displays without issue.

Thanks,

Jay

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

DanPatterson_Retired — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 03:54:21 GMT

ArcMap has to be open and you require an existing graph or a template. So your last line pretty well sums up the expected behaviour

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

FilipKrál — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 09:25:25 GMT

Yeah, I think ArcMap is "the host application" that the graph will be added to, as Dan pointed out.

Laura, you mentioned you would use matplotlib to make your plots. I always find that with matplotlib you need to write quite a bit of code to make even fairly basic plot. Have you got any predefined functions or hints that make plotting easier? We have some in arcapi library, but there is a space for enhancements.

Filip.

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

JayLaura — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:55:19 GMT

Dan,

This is running via a Python Toolbox in an instance of ArcMap. So, ArcMap is open. The existing graph, as per the documentation, can be an arcpy.Graph() object, which it is. When running MakeGraph_management as a stand alone tool, via the Data Management toolbox, a new graph window is render. When running the same tool within a PythonToolBox, a window is not rendered. Given this, I am not seeing the expected behavior.

I concur with all the answers that suggest that ArcMap is the host application. The issue is that, via a Python Toolbox, MakeGraph_management is NOT opening a graph window.

Can anyone else confirm this behavior in a running ArcMap instance using a PythonToolBox.

Thanks,

Jay

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

JayLaura — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:57:55 GMT

Filip,

I do not have additional helper functionality for MatPlotLib. Using pyplot or pylab, I have not needed to abstract out much of my work. In conjunction with Pandas, I am pretty well set.

What I would love to see is a more robust library for conversion from MatPlotLib to D3. At this point, the most robust method I have found is to pipe JSON to D3. It would be amazing to have some D3 plotting functionality inline in ArcMap, a la a iPython notebook.

Thanks,

Jay

Re: arcpy.CreateGraph_management - display?

SteveBoyton — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 04:32:13 GMT

I've been having the same issue. This is what worked for me to add the graph to display...

arcpy.env.addOutputsToMap = True

arcpy.MakeGraph_management(graph_grf, graph, outgraphname)

arcpy.env.addOutputsToMap = False