Attribute Transfer Tool Equivalency in ArcGIS Pro

[RichardFairhurst]

The Attribute Transfer Tool behavior in ArcGIS Pro is not equivalent to the behavior of this tool in ArcMap Desktop.  The tool behavior is only equivalent when the user's clicks on a single feature for both the source and the transfer targets, in which case no dialogs appear in either program.  However, if the user ever clicks on more than one feature for either the attribute transfer source feature or destination feature in ArcMap Desktop, a dialog listing the features by their layer Display tab expression that provides access to a list of feature attributes appears to allow the user to select the exact feature they want to use as the source or destination feature.  Clicking on more than one feature can occur when a user clicks on the boundary between two adjacent features in feature classes that aren't designed to have actual overlapping features and can't be avoided in feature classes that are designed to have overlapping features.  An example of the dialogs that appear in ArcMap Desktop when more than one feature is clicked for either an attribute transfer source feature or destination feature is shown below:

In ArcGIS Pro when the user clicks on more than one feature for the source or the target no dialogs appear and the tool always uses the feature with the lowest ObjectID to do the transfer.  If the user didn't want to use the feature with the lowest ObjectID for either the source or the target, the tool behavior nonetheless does a transfer based on that rule and results in data corruption.  The ArcGIS Pro version of the Attribute Transfer tool needs to provide an option for the user to choose the source or destination feature they want whenever they click on more than one feature that provides the same functionality that the ArcMap Desktop Attribute Transfer tool dialogs above provide.

[JenniferCadkin]

Implemented in ArcGIS Pro 3.5

https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/editing/transfer-attributes-between-features.htm 

[RichardFairhurst2]

The help topic examples indicate that the source and target dialogs will now appear if there are at least two feature layers each with a feature at the location I clicked on my map.  This is probably due to the field mapping for copy/paste and attribute transfers continuing to be merged together in Pro, which is different from ArcMap.  Am I correct in assuming that the list order of the layers is controlled by the layer order in the Table of Contents?

The help does not illustrate what happens in the dialog when there is more than one feature in a single layer at the location I clicked.  Am I correct in assuming that multiple features for that layer will appear in the list and not just the top feature?  That should be illustrated and explained by the help.

Assuming multiple features for a layer are listed together as a set, are the features always ordered by their ObjectID/drawing order?

I also notice that unlike ArcMap, the Pro dialog does not provide access to the complete list of feature attributes. I frequently use that aspect of the dialog in ArcMap rather than just relying on the feature display value and was not expecting to see the full field list dropped.  In it's absence, the help should point out the importance of setting up the layer Display expression as controlling the value that appears in the second column.

In ArcMap, the layers used and displayed in the dialogs by the Attribute Transfer tool are limited to layers that are marked as both Selectable and Visible  Is all of that still true for Pro?  If so, that behavior should be mentioned in the Transfer Attribute help.

I would appreciate clarification on these tool behaviors, since they all inform the user on what they should expect and what they may be able to do to optimize their map to meet the needs of their editing workflow to compensate for the differences between Pro and ArcMap.

[Scott_Harris]

Thanks for the feedback @RichardFairhurst2 . I'll try to address your questions/comments below.

The help topic examples indicate that the source and target dialogs will now appear if there are at least two feature layers each with a feature at the location I clicked on my map.  This is probably due to the field mapping for copy/paste and attribute transfers continuing to be merged together in Pro, which is different from ArcMap.

The source and target pop-up windows will be available via the chip that appears on the map if there are overlapping features detected during the source click and/or the target click. The current help topic is correct about this.

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Am I correct in assuming that the list order of the layers is controlled by the layer order in the Table of Contents?

No. At 3.5, The list of features in the pop-ups didn't have a pattern to it. We fixed this in the next release, and it will be sorted by drawing order then by Display Expression.

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Am I correct in assuming that multiple features for that layer will appear in the list and not just the top feature?  That should be illustrated and explained by the help.

Yes, this is illustrated in the help at 3.5,

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I also notice that unlike ArcMap, the Pro dialog does not provide access to the complete list of feature attributes. I frequently use that aspect of the dialog in ArcMap rather than just relying on the feature display value and was not expecting to see the full field list dropped.  In it's absence, the help should point out the importance of setting up the layer Display expression as controlling the value that appears in the second column.

I agree. The doc will need to make this clear. We will fix this.

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In ArcMap, the layers used and displayed in the dialogs by the Attribute Transfer tool are limited to layers that are marked as both Selectable and Visible Is all of that still true for Pro? If so, that behavior should be mentioned in the Transfer Attribute help.

That behavior has not changed. Layers must be Selectable and Editable to work with Transfer Attributes in ArcGIS Pro. The doc will need to make this clear. We will fix this as well.

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Thanks again for the valuable feedback!

[RobBlash]

@Scott_Harris are there any plans to separate the attribute mapping for the attribute transfer tool from the “global” attribute mapping that exists across an ArcGIS Pro project? This tends to cause issues, especially because it is pre-populated with all fields in all layers in the project. 

Copy/paste operations typically serve very different purposes than attribute transfers in my workflows. I almost always want all matching fields to come across in a copy/paste, whereas I typically want specific fields only to come across using attribute transfer. 

[Scott_Harris]

Hey @RobBlash we are aware of that Idea, which I think most closely matches this one (at least some of the comments and/or merged ideas: https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/multiple-field-mapping-scenarios-in-editor/idi-p/1004... but do not have it in the product plan yet.

[RichardFairhurst2]

@Scott_Harris Thank you for your responses clarifying aspects about the tools' behaviors and the additions to the help you intend to address.

You said that layers must be Selectable and Editable.  Both of those requirements should only apply to the target layer.  The source layer only needs to be Selectable in ArcMap, not Editable. Please verify this is still true for the source layer in Pro. Many times in ArcMap my source layer for the Attribute Transfer is not editable, only my target layer.

You also did not indicate that a layer must be Visible.  That is required in ArcMap.  In ArcMap I often change the visibility of my layers rather than selectability to control the Attribute Transfer behavior.  Also, any group layers containing the source or target layers must also be visible for Attribute Transfers to work in ArcMap.  In ArcMap, full visibility is required so features are flashed when they are clicked and when a row in the dialogs is single clicked.

Is layer visibility and group layer container visibility still required for Attribute Transfers in Pro?  Do features flash when clicked on the map or through single clicking an item in the dialog as part of Attribute Transfers in Pro?

Thanks again for responding to my comments and making this idea a reality at Pro 3.5.

[RobBlash]

Thanks @Scott_Harris, that's not quite what I'm after, but it's close. I've started a new idea. If you see fit to merge them that's fine with me. I think this would be very complimentary to the attribute transfer enhancements at 3.5, and would be another big step in the right direction to make ArcGIS Pro easier to use for the folks who spent years using ArcMap.

Create a separate Field Mapping for the attribute ... - Esri Community

[Scott_Harris]

@RichardFairhurst2 

You said that layers must be Selectable and Editable.  Both of those requirements should only apply to the target layer.  The source layer only needs to be Selectable in ArcMap, not Editable. Please verify this is still true for the source layer in Pro.

Yes, this is still the case in Pro. Only the target needs to be editable. Source and target layers will both need to be selectable. I'll make sure this is clear in the documentation.

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You also did not indicate that a layer must be Visible. That is required in ArcMap.

Yes, layers are required to be visible in Pro in order to work in the tool.

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Do features flash when clicked on the map or through single clicking an item in the dialog as part of Attribute Transfers in Pro?

Yes, exactly, the features flash in the map when you single click on them in the pop-ups.

[Scott_Harris]

@RobBlash Great! We like Ideas that have the requirements spelled out, but we can sometimes infer what is required based on all the feedback we get. Thanks for adding a new Idea with your specific requirements.