Multiple Ring Buffer

[GinaDarin]

I'm running the Multiple Ring Buffer tool on a points feature class. The resulting buffer layer attribute table does not include the field for "Field Name (optional)," which is supposed to be the field in the output feature class that stores the buffer distance used to create each buffer feature.  I need that field to feed into future steps in my analysis.  I've run the Multiple Ring Buffer tool many times before and not had this problem.  Is ArcGIS having an off day, or are others experiencing this problem?

Thank you.

[XanderBakker]

What version of ArcGIS are you using? Just did a test on ArcGIS 10.2.2 and had no problems (called the output field "theDist".

[GinaDarin]

Thanks, Xander.  I'm using version 10.2.2 and I asked a coworker with 10.0 to try this as well.  It's still not working for me with the field name "BUFF_DIST."  However, my coworker tried to run the tool with the field name "distance" and it worked, "BUFF_DIST" and it didn't work, and "BUFFDIST" and it worked.  Then he tried re-naming the field via properties to "BUFF_DIST" and it worked.  Therefore, my conclusion is that the Multiple Ring Buffer tool doesn't like an underscore in the field name.  Very frustrating.

[XanderBakker · Accepted solution]

Hi Gina,

ArcGIS has no problems with underscores in the output field name. If you use DIST_BUFF instead of BUFF_DIST it simply works.BUFF_DIST is the default name assigned in the normal buffer tool  (not multi-ring).

The Help of the normal Buffer tool states:

The output feature class will have a field, BUFF_DIST, that contains the buffer distance used to buffer each feature, in the linear unit of the input features' coordinate system. If a field named BUFF_DIST exists in the input, it's values will be overwritten in the output.

The BUFF_DIST is sort of a system field in the buffer process (although it shouldn't be for the multi-ring tool). It get's even nicer if your input features have a field called "BUFF_DIST". This field will be removed from the output when doing a multi-ring buffer...

I guess there is room for enhancement here...

Kind regards, Xander

[GinaDarin]

Thanks, Xander.  That makes sense, although using "BUFF_DIST" as a field name for the Mult-Ring Buffer Tool worked for me in my models for in 9.3.  I tested it on 10.0, and it did not work.  I will re-write my models to use a different field name to avoid this issue in the future.

[XanderBakker]

If the post is answered, could you mark it as such? This helps other users find useful content.

Thanx!