Make Polyline from Point feature class

[jasminkern]

I have a shapefile with points and I want to make a line of all the points: 1 line that connects all points in the order of the attribute table. I couldn't find something in the toolboxes. I use ArcMap 9.3.
Can you help me please?
Best regards,
mariposa

[KevinHibma]

Try this:
http://resources.esri.com/geoprocessing/index.cfm?fa=codeGalleryDetails&scriptID=15945

So popular it was included as a tool in 10.

[jasminkern]

Thank you - it works. Unfortunately al my attributes are lost and set to zero. Do you know a tool, where I can make multilines out of my points (from each point to its next is 1 line) ?

[JohnMaclachlan]

Have you tried to download the 'Xtools' package?  If you only need to do this as a one off that should work.

[DanLee]

Once you get the polyline from points using that script, you can try Split Line At Vertices tool (Data Management Toolbox - Features toolset), if you have ArcInfo license. That will break your polygon to straight line segments between vertices.

[CamrinBraun]

Any idea how to preserve/attach point attributes to the polyline? Tried join by a common field but I just get a general error message.

[DanLee]

Spatial Join tool should allow you to transfer attributes from features to spatially related features, for example from points to lines if the points are "intersecting" the lines or within a specified distance to the lines. They don't need to have a common field. Have you tried that?

[CamrinBraun]

Thanks for the reply. I did try a spatial join. A problem arises there because many of the lines intersect multiple points because I have some point clusters that are really close together and the line zig-zags throughout connecting them chronologically. Therefore, when I spatial join I have some lines that are right but others intersect several points.

[DanLee]

If your line passes through coincident points, then Spatial Join will not be able to sort that out. Back to your earlier statement - you said you tried a join with a common field and it failed with an error. Since your points and lines have common filed, using a join to calculate field is the right way. I can't tell why you are getting an error. You will have to try to narrow it down to see if any particular feature(s) are causing the problem, or you may log a bug to Support.  Thanks.

[DiannaGryniewski]

Try this:
http://resources.esri.com/geoprocessing/index.cfm?fa=codeGalleryDetails&scriptID=15945

So popular it was included as a tool in 10.

I think that the link may have changed because it re-directs me to the main resource page. Can you please post an updated link? I am trying to create a polyline from a point file in 9.3 too. Thanks.