Select to view content in your preferred language

Add option to not use any symbology when loading GP task result

298
4
06-09-2025 05:43 PM
Status: Open
Labels (1)
RTPL_AU
Honored Contributor

In Pro 3.5.1 (and others) when you run a geoprocessing task, the result is added to the map using what seems to be the symbology applioed to some of the GP inputs. 
Quite often Pro gets it wrong due to schema changes from the GP processing so the resulting applied symbology is a mess.

Give us an option to just make Pro dumb and have it load any data using the normal single symbol symbology.
Call it "Add output datasets to an open map without symbology"

Example of the horrors we face:

Input layer with grouped values, custom labels, etc:

RTPL_AU_0-1749516043151.png

What Pro did to the GP result it loaded:

RTPL_AU_1-1749516067177.png

 

4 Comments
DrewFlater
Status changed to: Needs Clarification

@RTPL_AU are you running a custom or system tool that produces the messed up symbology? This looks like a BUG that we would want to resolve. When a tool operation is something like a copy (might not be an exact copy, but some modification like a Clip, but the geometry type and fields from the input are the same), the geoprocessing framework determines if the input used is a layer, and in an effort to make the new output look similar to the input layer, the input layer properties including symbology, charts, popup definitions, and more, are applied to the new output. In general this was what a lot of users were expecting and made them more productive because they didn't have to re-set the layer properties with a post process themselves. But it's clear from your example case that it is not working as expected, which should be logged as a software defect. 

We can leave the Idea open as it's still a valid idea, though for your case we obviously don't want it to be messing up the grouped labels, etc. 

DrewFlater

Oh and one more follow up - if you re-add the output dataset from Catalog/Add Data back to the map, you get the default/normal single symbol right?

RTPL_AU

@DrewFlater  
Symbology is normal/vanilla/default when data is added back into map from Catalog.

It seems to always get it wrong when the source / input layer has complex symbology (not THAT complex, merged labels, a few custom headings, etc) and the same field name may exist in result but contents changed so original symbology doesn't work.  
Rather than going vanilla, Pro seems to then choose chaos.

You know you (Esri) is single-handedly cementing into rock the meme "It's not a bug, it's a feature" with the added fries of "or it can be if you lodge an Idea".......

Now that you've explained that it is a feature, can we have the option to turn it off?

DrewFlater
Status changed to: Open