Dynamic date for yesterday

[MarkPratt]

I am producing some maps and I want the date on the map to be yesterdays date, as the data on the map relates to yesterdays progress.

I can only find in the dynamic date help section how to show this with today's date, when I want today-1.

Any ideas?

Mark Pratt

Western Geco

[LukeSturtevant]

Are you using data driven pages? If you are then you can use Wes Miller's code in a display expression for your data driven page layer like so:

def FindLabel ( ):
    from datetime import date, timedelta
    return date.strftime(date.today() - timedelta(days=1), '%m/%d/%Y')

Then in your dynamic text element you would use this:

<dyn type="page" property="expression" />

This works for me and should update automatically for all your maps since it uses the current date code.

[MarkPratt]

Luke

Sad to say that they are not data driven pages but separate MXD files.

[LukeSturtevant]

Well you could still set up data drive pages especially if your maps are all consistent and using an index polygon layer for paneling such as a town boundary polygon. You could also set up a fishnet​ of your map area to create a panel scheme. But if you already have it up and running with the text element and python script tool you might as well stick with that.

[WesMiller]

Luke, the code was from Jon Morris

[LukeSturtevant]

Oops thanks for the correction Wes. Indeed, credit goes to Jon Morris for the code.

[JonMorris2]

Thanks! I didn't know much about text elements, so I've learned something here too 🙂