Any way to Create Layer from Selected Features?

[MaribethPrice]

I loved that ol' ArcMap right-click a layer with a selection and "Create Layer from Selected Features" and I used it all the time.  There does not seem to be a true equivalent in Pro.  Your options seem to be: 1) Export the data, which creates another feature class. Usually I just want a temporary layer, not another piece of garbage cluttering up my geodatabase.  2) Use Make Layer Feature, but this only works for attribute queries.  You can't take a selection generated with interactive selection or Select by Location and save it as a new layer. (I tried running MFL on a layer with a selection, without specifying a query, and it ignored the selection and output the whole layer again, e.g. it did NOT honor the selected set).  3) Use a definition query (also only works for attribute queries).

Anybody found an alternative to export? The ArcMap option was SO elegant!

[LR]

You could maybe rig up a script that adds a "selected" attribute to the table, writes a "1" into the selected feature's rows, then does a MFL with "selected" = "1", then deletes the attribute from the original table or sets it to 0.

[MaribethPrice]

That would work.  Maybe I'll give it a try!

[BruceHarold]

Please try this sample:

http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=904786f5db4e4a75afbb2790c7f90d35 

[JoshuaBixby]

I think the content on ArcGIS.com that the link refers to is helpful, but I generally find link-only answers unhelpful or not beneficial to the community.  Providing a summary of the ArcGIS.com content would be helpful so users can decide whether they want to follow the link.  Also, if the content is moved/removed, having a summary would provide something for people to search for similar content with instead of just having a dead link.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

The in_memory workspace—ArcGIS Pro | ArcGIS for Desktop is one option... you just can't use it for the Project tool

[curtvprice]

Although I know Dr Price is aware of this, I think it's worth mentioning for the good of the thread: there is a shortcoming to the arguably awesome and elegant ArcMap's Make Layer From Selected Features command:

The layer created from ArcMap's create layer from selected features command creates a layer containing a hidden, uneditable list of objectIDs to be selected. (Anybody remember ArcPlot WRITESELECT?)

If anything changes the objectIDs in the source data (most edits will do this), the selection will be incorrect. This very elegant and handy workflow should be used with caution, and probably right away before the data gets modified -- if you open the mxd tomorrow after someone edited the file you may have an invalid selection.

[JulietteWood]

I also have this problem. Doing the export is much more time consuming and much less convenient. Please bring back the 'create layer from selection' option.

[KoryKramer]

https://community.esri.com/ideas/10615 is In Product Plan.  With the caveat that things can change due to unforeseen circumstances meaning there is no guarantee, etc. etc. we will likely see this functionality in ArcGIS Pro 2.1 to be released later this year.

Hope this helps. 

[JulietteWood]

Hi, Thanks for sending this. I voted it up and they say it is in the works, I think. There isn’t anything helpful in the comments. Thanks. What I’m doing for now is changing the symbology for selections to dark black so that it shows up on maps that I print or export for people.

Have a good day.

Regards,

Juliette

Juliette Wood

Jim Wells County Appraisal District

Mapping/Researcher

361-668-9656 ext. 14