topic Re: Enable Time for a layer using arcpy in Python Snippets Questions

Enable Time for a layer using arcpy

IanIrmischer — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 16:21:11 GMT

I have over 1000 feature classes that I am loading into a map document. I have figured out how to automate this process in using Arcpy. Each feature class has a field with datetime. I can enable time on the layers one by one by right clicking on the layer once it is in arcmap and clicking the box "enable time on this layer". I would like to automate the process using arcpy. Can anyone help?

Ian

Re: Enable Time for a layer using arcpy

IanMurray — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 16:37:18 GMT

Hi Ian

I don't believe there is a direct way to do this with arcpy.mapping.Layer. However, if you have a saved Layer file that does have time enabled, you should be able to use arcpy.mapping.UpdateLayerTime to update the time properties of the layers you are adding from an existing .lyr file.

see:(copy/paste) http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#/UpdateLayerTime/00s300000064000000/

I'd test on a single layer first.

Ian M

Re: Enable Time for a layer using arcpy

DanPatterson_Retired — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 16:51:25 GMT

This post is a duplicate of

https://community.esri.com/message/548340#548340

possible links are on that thread. post and/or update in one thread, then share to spaces, don't just try again the next day

Re: Enable Time for a layer using arcpy

IanMurray — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 16:58:02 GMT

There was another duplicate over in python snippets Space. I went ahead and shared with a few other Places

Re: Enable Time for a layer using arcpy

IanIrmischer — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 17:32:15 GMT

Apologies, I didn't know the protocol.

Ian

Re: Enable Time for a layer using arcpy

IanIrmischer — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 17:32:35 GMT

Thanks Ian.

Re: Enable Time for a layer using arcpy

IanIrmischer — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 18:19:08 GMT

Ian, Thanks very much for the help. This method worked. It might be nice for ESRI to build an arcpy tool in the future but this method works for my purposes. I was able to load all the files via arcpy. Then I enabled time on the 1st layer in the TOC. Then I used arcpy to enable time in all the other layers via code below:

MXD = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")

DF = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(MXD)[0]

sourceLayer=arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(MXD,"",DF)[0]

updateLayer=arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(MXD,"",DF)

for layers in updateLayer:

arcpy.mapping.UpdateLayerTime (DF,layers, sourceLayer)

Re: Enable Time for a layer using arcpy

IanMurray — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 14:24:57 GMT

They are very hit and miss about what layer properties you can set with arcpy, and which ones you need ArcObjects to directly manipulate. Luckily they had somewhat of a workaround for this particular scenario.