How to connect together tools on the arc model builder

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06-19-2017 07:40 AM
EllenWildig
New Contributor III

Hi All,

I've attached a screen shot of the first steps of a model I'm trying to build. This is the first time I've used model builder so don't know much about it. However, I'm trying to put the data through the first tool, which is a tool from outside of the ESRI system toolboxes and then put the result into the next tool. I hope this is not to difficult, but could someone help me out please?

Thanks

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7 Replies
JayantaPoddar
MVP Esteemed Contributor

You cannot connect two GP tools. Maybe the output of the "Split Layer by Attributes" can be used as the input for "Multiple Ring Buffer". You can also mark that variable as intermediate.

A quick tour of managing intermediate data—Help | ArcGIS for Desktop 



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EllenWildig
New Contributor III

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. That's exactly what I was going to try and do, the issue is I don't know how to make the output of the split layer by attributes tool to appear in the model. Is there a way to bring this up? Thanks

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JayantaPoddar
MVP Esteemed Contributor

Okay. The output of "Split by attributes" would be multiple feature classes. So you need to Iterate Feature Classes. The workspace for the "Iterate Feature Class" would be the output workspace of "Split by Attributes". Also ensure the workspace is blank before you run the model for the first time.

Iterate Feature Classes—Help | ArcGIS Desktop 



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curtvprice
MVP Esteemed Contributor

Split Layer By Attributes appears to be a custom tool. Sorry to say, if the custom script tool has not been set up with output derived parameters, they will not show up in Model Builder so you can't do that with this particular tool, iterators or not. (It may doable but would require some pretty fancy Python programming using the Calculate Value tool, which if you are new to scripting is not an option.)

Just a warning: don't start names of anything with a number or use spaces in filenames.

curtvprice
MVP Esteemed Contributor

You may have better luck if you try an ArcGIS tool that is set up with derived output parameters.

If you are new to model builder I would start using the Select Layer By Attributes tool instead of your fancy split layer tool.

Once you get that working you can move to more advanced techniques like iterators. There is a a useful iterator that will do selections on unique values of a field (or fields), but I wouldn't try that until you get the processing working on one value -- need to walk before you can run!

EllenWildig
New Contributor III

Hi Curtis,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately the split layer is a custom tool. Is there a way to use select layer by attributes to create new shapefiles? For the next part of the process I'm operating, I need each group of common attributes to become a new shapefile.

Thanks

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curtvprice
MVP Esteemed Contributor

The iterator Iterate Feature Selection would do this, you'd put a Copy Features in your processing chain.

A quick tour of using iterators—Help | ArcGIS Desktop