Enhance Append Tool to Allow Python/Arcade Expressions for Unmapped Fields
Enhance the Append Tool's functionality by allowing users to utilize Python or Arcade expressions to fill in output fields that do not have a 1:1 match between the two data sets.
Example:
Many exploratory data analysis feature classes start from source data with their own attribution. In the process of analysis, an individual may add/remove some fields but otherwise keep the data similar. One workflow is to then append additional records from the source data, selecting "use the field map to reconcile field differences" is useful to just add the new data, but then the user has to go into the table, highlight the newly added records and then run field calculations for each of the new columns their analysis dataset might have.
Or a different example, you have two datasets that are similar, but one is missing some relevant individualized fields-- --or has the same data in incompatible fields (it has a string and you need a numeric). You can create these fields easily enough with a field calculation expression and should be able to do this at the point of entry within the append tool.
The enhancement would look this, for a field(s) you could write in expressions to fill out the data programmatically as it uploads to your established dataset.
It would be great to see such functionality in ArcGIS Pro Append Tool.
I have about 10 shapefiles which I import into one EGD feature class. There is attribute type which I set based on shapefile name (points_fixed.shp, points_calculated.shp, points_temp.shp, ...). Having option to set Constant value would resolve my problem.
Another use case is when there is Non-NULL field in target dataset which is absent in input dataset. You can't append such data without redesigning input dataset scheme (which not always is possible).
When using the Append geoprocessing tool, you have the option to use the field map to reconcile field differences between the Input data and Target data.
My idea, is that when you do use this method, you have an additional option under field sources to input a default value for those fields that don't have a match. In my example below, I'm appending data from one layer with a simple Label option, into another layer that has a corresponding "Comments" fields, but also a "Class" field with 4 class options (for basic data categorisation). It would be a good time saver, if in the Class Field, I could either type in a default vale that is added against all appended features, or alternatively, select an option from the Feature Template. Obviously, it would be fine if left blank, or would not be used if a source field is mapped.
@Bud Tools support %t%, but looks like I can only make it stick to a double field, not a DateTime field.
