Cannot add field to attribute tables in ArcGIS Pro 1.3.

16806
17
Jump to solution
09-15-2016 08:13 AM
MichaelTorbett1
Occasional Contributor

Logged on to my computer this morning and now all of a sudden I cannot add fields to my attribute table in ArcPro. All edits are saved and turned off. When I click the add field button, there is a very quick flash at the bottom of the attribute table (like its trying) but then nothing happens. The same thing is happening for all layers in all of my ArcPro projects. Does anyone have an idea what's causing this?  Using Windows 7 professional.

Thanks

Michael

17 Replies
MichaelTorbett1
Occasional Contributor

No problem Scott.  I'm glad you like the work around.  I still don't know what's causing this bug. My Coworker hasn't ever called ESRI so my hands are tied. I do know that he uninstalled and reinstalled ArcPro 1.4 from a fresh download in MyEsri and it's still not working. 

0 Kudos
DanPatterson_Retired
MVP Emeritus

I would report it for sure.  The only difference now boils down to the operating system and permissions... Windows 10 for me, but you identified Windows 7.  I am in full control of my environment, perhaps you have restrictions and something has silently failed in the background..  Good luck

0 Kudos
MichaelTorbett1
Occasional Contributor

Thanks Dan,

I went ahead and reported it to ESRI. If they have a solution I will post it here.

0 Kudos
MichaelTorbett1
Occasional Contributor

Ok, After speaking to ESRI, this is a known bug that occurs with ArcGIS Pro at the basic license level. See bug number and work around below. Note: this only applies to shapefiles and not feature classes. 

BUG-000101840: Unable to add fields via the New Field feature for shapefiles in ArcGIS Pro using an ArcGIS Pro Basic License.]
Status: In Product Plan

Workaround: Adding field using tool in Geoprocessing pane.

TravisDavidson
New Contributor

Hello,

I think I found the answer that you are looking for. The issue carried over from previous ArcGIS versions. If you recall we always had to end the edit session before we can perform a number of operations within the system?

For ArcGIS Pro - When you are finished with your editing click "save" that is found on the Edit ribbon at top of the program. Once you click save you will be able to perform a host of other actions.

0 Kudos
DakeHenderson
New Contributor III

When you add an editable layer to Pro, editing is enabled by default.  There is no "save edits" option available if you haven't done any editing, but you still have to disable editing on the layer in order to add a field. Use the List By Editing tab in the TOC.

0 Kudos
JohnJones
Esri Contributor

Travis,

This isn't quite how editing in ArcGIS Pro works.  Essentially each time you make an edit the system determines which databases are being referenced by that edit and it on-demand starts editing on those datasets.  In the case of databases that support undo that edit session is left ongoing so that undo/redo/save & discard operations function as expected, but as a side effect schema editing operations such as add field are disabled until the edits are saved or discarded (much like ArcMap).  To simplify the model of working against multiple databases simultaneously (& avoiding choosing a single database to edit, the way ArcMap does) as you make edits the set of databases being edited can gradually grow but save and discard is applied consistently to all at once.  In cases of databases that do not support undo/redo the edits are saved automatically after the edit is made.  In some cases (enterprise geodatabases) where some tables are undoable (versioned tables) and some are not (non-versioned tables) this can get quite complicated to explain.  Another complicated example is branch versioned feature services where named versions can be edited with undo/redo but default cannot. 

You do not need to disable editing on layers in order to perform schema edits (any such case would be a bug, probably an instance of some code leaking a lock or otherwise getting out of sync across threads).  Currently if you undo your first edit save & discard are disabled but redo is enabled, which can be very confusing.  This case will be addressed when 2.4 ships and discard will remain enabled (with save disabled) when you are still editing but do not have any outstanding edits.  Clicking discard will disable redo, as the session is complete and release any locks needed to perform schema updates.

In short, the best way to consider ArcGIS Pro editing is that while things initially appear editable you are not Really editing the database until a command or tool attempts to perform a write, at which point the normal logic that ArcMap would execute in "Start Editing" (which may fail and is treated similarly to the edit itself failing) is executed automatically by Pro.

The checkboxes exposed in the Contents pane are purely to control which layers are allowed to edit through the tools,  They do not directly effect edit locks as you might expect.  For example, two layers referencing the same feature class may have different edibility check box states.  Clearly editing one effects the other and certain functionality such as Geodatabase Topology validation may effect many feature classes in that database, so just because a layer is unchecked in the contents does not provide a strong guarantee against the underlying feature class from being modified. (Geoprocessing tools for example pay no heed of these settings).  If you require a stronger guarantee it is best to manage it at the database permissions level not at the application level.


Thanks,

John Jones

0 Kudos
DakeHenderson
New Contributor III

Thank You John!

0 Kudos