Custom brochure printing Python

[AicamLaacouri]

Hi everyone- I have an idea and I am just starting to learn Python so I would like to know if my idea can be executed using Python... So I have a polygon shapefile with 1000 polygons. Each polygon is a field/farm, the attribute table has the name of the owner and his/her address. I also happen to have a raster image that cover the same geography (satellite image). I want to print a brochure/newsletter to send it to these clients. In the front page of the brochure I will have texts and the address of the client (for postage). In the back, I want to print the clipped raster using the polygon for each field (each client has one corresponding polygon) as the clipping extent. Can I make a Python script that will my client specific brochures, so that the front of the brochure has the name and address of the client, and the back of the brochure has an image of the field (from the satellite raster image).  I want to spend time and learn about this idea but I thought to ask first if such a task is possible using python/arcmap. Thanks. Esam

[DarrenWiens2]

Yes,  all possible. Look up data driven pages, page definitions, and dynamic text.

[AicamLaacouri]

Hi Darren

Do you know if DDP would work on two data frames for the same layout simultaneously?

Thanks

[AicamLaacouri]

Thanks Darren! does the grid index need to have polygons of the same size? Because the polygon parcel data I have contains parcels of variable sizes..

Thanks

[DarrenWiens2]

No, your grid can vary in size. In fact, the index layer is often not a grid at all, rather a feature class' individual polygons. The data driven pages can zoom to the appropriate scale based on the extent of the index feature.

[AicamLaacouri]

Thanks again! Do I need to explode the parcel polygon shapefle? Right now all the parcels are contained in one shapefile..

many thanks

Aicam

[DarrenWiens2]

Yes, explode. Data driven pages make one page per index feature.

[SepheFox]

It's fine to have the parcels in one shapefiles, in fact data driven pages will be based on one shapefile. Just make sure that the parcels for each client are one feature. If a client has several parcels, you may actually want to dissolve on client name.

[AicamLaacouri]

Thanks! Do I need to have two data frames in order to print in both sides of the brochure? Would a template be needed in order to specify the dynamic text location (the dynamic text will be the mailing address in this case).

Thanks

[SepheFox]

As an ex graphic designer myself, I think what I would do in this case is have a page size of your entire unfolded brochure. Use guides, which can be pulled out from the page rulers, to lay out the two sides of the brochure. On the front side, you can have the text boxes, one of which will include the dynamic text for the label address. On the back side will be your data frame which will include the parcel shapefile used to drive the pages, and any other layers you need. You can also specify a page title field, perhaps client name, which can be used to name the exported pages.