Unable to save as .shp

[BaranISCEN]

Hello,

I allow myself to ask for your help today, since I can't save a shapefile as .shp.

Basically, I have two shapefiles and need to modify them. Thus, I would like to save them after having done the modifications now.

Maybe, I should also mention that sometimes when I download the "raw" shapefiles or original, I can't open them with Add Data (error opening feature class). 

In fact, if I use the "Save AS" command then I get a xmd. file which I don't want. And if click on the layer, try Export Data and re-write the output feature class from "\Mac\Home\Documents\ArcGIS\Default.gdb..." to "\Mac\Home\Documents\ArcGIS\blablabla.shp" for example, then I get a shp. file, but a random one, with polygons missing and it doesn't take in account my modifs.

Can you help me to fix this ? Thanks a lot!!

[DanPatterson_Retired]

a shapefile consists of at least 3 separate files which share the same name but different extensions... *.shp, *.shx and *.dbf.  I one of those components are missing the file will be in error.

You never modify originals.  make a copy using the Copy tool in Arctoolbox.  Shapefiles must go in a folder of course and not into a gdb.

[BaranISCEN]

Thanks for this answer. I actually did a copy.

The problem is that when modifying the copy, and wanting to export it, I never get a desirable result. Attached is the modified shapefile's layer in green and the layer obtained after having clicked Data -> Export -> etc.

I don't understand why I obtain this weird result, while trying to save this to a new shapefile .shp

[DanPatterson_Retired]

What was the coordinate system of the input shapefile?

Did you only have the shapefile in the dataframe when you were editing?

If not, what was the coordinate system of the dataframe?

it looks like you made edits and saved them in the coordinate system of the dataframe rather than in the original file's coordinates.

As my rule... I never use basemaps, and I never put data in a different coordinate system in with other data unless I just want to look at it.

The fact that the first file added to a dataframe sets the coordinate system of the data frame can lead to problems.  Any subsequent files, get projected on the fly and people can lose track of what coordinate system they want as a final product

So, new dataframe, add file to edit, save edits, and export using the coordinate system of the original data (which better have one defined and defined correctly, not the one you want, but the one it really is in)

[BaranISCEN]

The coordinate system is the following : USA_Contiguous_Albers_Equal_Area_Conic_USGS_version

I always had the shapefile. By curiosity, I added the shapefile and immediately tried to save the initial shapefile as a new .shp. And again, I obtain something very weir even though I didn't realize any modifications.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

get a new file, if you are sure there was no other data in the dataframe or the dataframe wasn't set to a particular coordinate system.

or... zip the shapefile (all the parts!!!) and attach it to your original post (or any one for that matter) using the Advanced Editor when editing your original post