Can I safely clear out XML files from ArcToolBox History folder?

[DarrenConly]

Greetings All,

I'm doing a clean-out of my drive and noticed I have over 5GB of XML files in the following folder:

Can I delete these without hurting anything? Should I delete through the File Explorer or can I do so through Arc Pro?

Thanks!

[DanPatterson]

Analysis tab, left most tool on 2nd row... aka History.... click it.

Select and delete all that you don't want.

Check your options in Project, Options

[DarrenConly]

Hi @DanPatterson, Thanks for quick reply.

Referring to your Options screenshot, I confirmed that the "log to XML" box is un-checked.

Based on a test, the XML files appear to get created when I run a python script that uses arcpy outside of Pro, e.g., when I run through VSCode or some similar interpreter. Specifically, when I ran a script via VSCode, it made a new XML file, but when I ran the same script via a Pro toolbox, it didn' t create an XML file.

So it seems like running arcpy script outside of Pro creates the XML file? I wonder if there's some env parameter you can set in the script to prevent creation of XML files?

Thanks,

[DanPatterson · Accepted solution]

Here are your candidate environments accessed via arcpy.

I work on one machine, using locally stored data, so yours will differ.  I have nothing in the ...  Appdata\ Roaming ... folder at all

import arcpy

environments = arcpy.ListEnvironments()

environments.sort()

for environment in environments:
    # Format and print each environment and its current setting.
    # (The environments are accessed by key from arcpy.env.)
    print("{0:<30}: {1}".format(environment, arcpy.env[environment]))
    
MDomain                       : None
MResolution                   : None
MTolerance                    : None
S100FeatureCatalogueFile      : None
XYDomain                      : None
XYResolution                  : None
XYTolerance                   : None
ZDomain                       : None
ZResolution                   : None
ZTolerance                    : None
addOutputsToMap               : True
annotationTextStringFieldLength: None
autoCancelling                : True
autoCommit                    : 1000
baDataSource                  : None
baNetworkSource               : None
baUseDetailedAggregation      : False
buildStatsAndRATForTempRaster : True
cartographicCoordinateSystem  : None
cartographicPartitions        : None
cellAlignment                 : DEFAULT
cellSize                      : MAXOF
cellSizeProjectionMethod      : CONVERT_UNITS
coincidentPoints              : MEAN
compression                   : LZ77
configKeyword                 : None
extent                        : None
geographicTransformations     : None
gpuId                         : 0
isCancelled                   : False
maintainAttachments           : True
maintainCurveSegments         : None
maintainSpatialIndex          : False
mask                          : None
matchMultidimensionalVariable : True
nodata                        : NONE
outputCoordinateSystem        : None
outputMFlag                   : Same As Input
outputZFlag                   : Same As Input
outputZValue                  : None
overwriteOutput               : False
packageWorkspace              : C:\Users\dan_p\AppData\Local\Temp
parallelProcessingFactor      : None
preserveGlobalIds             : False
processingServer              : None
processingServerPassword      : None
processingServerUser          : None
processorType                 : None
pyramid                       : PYRAMIDS -1 NEAREST DEFAULT 75 NO_SKIP NO_SIPS
qualifiedFieldNames           : True
randomGenerator               : 0 ACM599
rasterStatistics              : STATISTICS 1 1
recycleProcessingWorkers      : None
referenceScale                : None
resamplingMethod              : NEAREST
retryOnFailures               : None
scratchFolder                 : C:\Users\dan_p\AppData\Local\Temp\scratch
scratchGDB                    : C:\Users\dan_p\AppData\Local\Temp\scratch.gdb
scratchWorkspace              : None
scriptWorkspace               : C:\Users\dan_p\AppData\Local\Temp
snapRaster                    : None
terrainMemoryUsage            : False
tileSize                      : 128 128
tinSaveVersion                : CURRENT
transferDomains               : False
transferGDBAttributeProperties: False
unionDimension                : False
workspace                     : None

you might want to look at

GetLogHistory—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation

and

SetLogHistory—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation

GetLogMetadata—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation 

and

SetLogMetadata—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation

it looks like it can be shut off

.. 

[DarrenConly]

Thanks Dan!

Adding arcpy.SetLogHistory(False) made it so the script no longer creates XML files.

The method for listing environment settings is also useful.

Cheers,