Feature classes not showing in ArcGIS Pro Catalog Contents Pane

[DavidDurst]

I have run into an issue in the ArcGIS Pro Catalog Contents pane where feature classes are not shown. One has to select the folder or Feature Dataset and then view any feature classes (if present) in the main Catalog View section. This is very frustrating as it becomes very easy to miss data and is more cumbersome to manually search through a series of folders looking for a feature class. It also is a reduction in functionality from ArcCatalog (something which ESRI seems quite capable of doing). The issue is not present with .TIF files. I have only seen it with feature classes within a fGDB (the only kind of GDB we use), shapefiles, and tables. I noticed this issue first with version 2.4, but it has continued through version 2.7. The strange part is, when searching the same folders and fGDBs using the Catalog Pane (defaults to viewing on the right side of the window), the files and feature classes show up and feature datasets can be expanded just like in ArcCatalog, but there isn't a way to preview or look at metadata in that pane. I have taken a few screenshots to illustrate my issue. Anyone have any ideas?

ArcGIS Pro in fGDB

ArcCatalog, looking at the same fGDB

ArcGIS Pro looking at TIFF file, no issue here.

[DanPatterson]

if you right-click on the gdb, does "refresh" change things

[DavidDurst]

No, it doesn't make any difference. In searching for a solution before posting, I found the refresh thing as one of the bugs in Pro, but it doesn't seem to be related to my issue. I'm having the same issue with shapefiles and KMLs/KMZs (see screenshot below). It appears to be any vector feature or table, as rasters stored within fGDBs show up in the contents pane (see second screenshot).

SHP/KMLfGDB raster

[DanPatterson]

If it is happening with all projects with the same or different data, I would contact Tech Support

[NaicongLi]

Hello David,

Thank you for your feedback.  What you are seeing is by design.  Just like the navigation pane on the left of a File Explorer window which only displays folders but not individual items in a folder, the Contents pane of the Catalog view only displays containers that you can browse into (e.g. folders, geodatabases, datasets in a geodatabase), but not “leaf” level items that you cannot browse into (e.g. a shapefile in a folder, a feature class in a geodatabase, or a feature class in a dataset of a geodatabase). When you select a container in the Catalog view Contents pane, all of its children will be displayed in the Catalog view (which could include leaf level items as well as sub containers). The containers in the Catalog view Contents pane will have an expander only when they have sub containers that you can expose by clicking the expander.  It is designed this way so that you can leverage your experience with the File Explorer, while doing more detailed exploring of the items in your project, e.g. selecting an item in the Catalog view and viewing its metadata in the details panel (assuming that this panel is not hidden).

On the other hand, the Catalog pane displays leaf level items as well as containers.  It is meant to give you convenient access to datasets, for example, when you are working with a Map view.  If you do happen to want to see more details about a dataset, for example its metadata, you can right click this dataset and click View Metadata in its context menu, which will bring you to a Catalog view with this item selected and its metadata displaying in the details panel.

I hope this helps.  Thank you again for your feedback.

[DavidDurst]

Naicong,

Thank you for clarifying. This is still not satisfactory, as it's still a reduction in functionality from ArcCatalog. It's also inconsistent, since by showing the rasters in the Contents pane, it would logically follow that the vector data should show up also in the same place. How can I go about suggesting a return to some of the basic functionality of ArcCatalog?

ESRI is making transitioning to Pro much more difficult than it has to be as users are used to functionality in Desktop 10.x that is still not fully developed in Pro. They could do themselves a favor in the push toward Pro and make some of these basic things consistent, both internally within Pro and with Desktop 10.x. I get that it's a newer program and there are intentional changes in how it works (e.g. Projects instead of MXDs), but this is basic stuff we're talking about.

[NaicongLi · Accepted solution]

Hi David,

I would like to point you to the ArcGIS Pro Ideas site https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/idb-p/arcgis-pro-ideas for entering your request (and future requests).  In fact, you may want to check out this existing idea: https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-pro-ideas/combine-catalog-view-and-catalog-pane/idi-p/938159 (including the comment from Jill).  If you think it overlaps with your idea, you may want to vote it up by adding your kudo, as well as entering your comment there about your specific workflow case.

Just another side note about the “inconsistency” you mentioned in your last comment – that Pro is displaying raster datasets but not vector datasets in the Catalog view Contents pane.  The reason is the same as I mentioned earlier - the criterion for whether something will be shown in the Contents pane is simply whether that something is considered a container or not in Pro.  A raster dataset is considered a container in Pro - you can browse into it to see its content (the individual bands) in the Catalog view, and Pro allows you to perform operations on a specific band (e.g. adding it to a map).  As a container, the raster dataset is therefore displayed in the Contents pane.  Vector datesets such as shapefiles or feature classes, on the other hand, are not containers in Pro – you cannot browse into them in the Catalog view, so they are not being displayed in the Contents pane of Catalog view. 

But I understand that the point above does not help you with the problem in your workflow, so again, please enter your request (and any future enhancement requests) to the ArcGIS Ideas site.

We appreciate your feedback, and hope to hear from you more on how to improve ArcGIS Pro.