Geoprocessing service to return a file

[VictorTey]

Hi,

How can I get a geoprocessing service to return a file?

I published a GP

if __name__ == '__main__':

    file = open(arcpy.env.scratchWorkspace+ "/" + "test.txt","w")
    file.write("why")
    file.close()
    arcpy.SetParameter(0, file.name)‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

':

however i kept receiving the 

 "value": "d:\\arcgisserver\\directories\\arcgisjobs\\script_gpserver\\j94a7e5b06f3342deb0ebcb65467f63fe\\scratch/test.txt"

I can see the file in the scratch folder but i need to return the file some how.

I did try to access the file via different permutation of 

https://example.com/arcgis/rest/services/Script/GPServer/Script/jobs/j94a7e5b06f3342deb0ebcb65467f63... to no avail

Can someone kindly assist.

[Egge-JanPollé1]

Hi Victor Tey,

Why do you put a forward slash between the path and the file?

What happens if you replace this "/" with "\\"?

Does this solve your issue?

BR,

Egge-Jan

[VictorTey]

I had rewritten the code several times

txtFile = os.path.join(arcpy.env.scratchFolder, "myTxt.txt")
f = open(txtFile, 'w')
f.writelines("huh")
f.close
arcpy.SetParameterAsText(0, txtFile)

One of them is as shown above, still the same .

I have arcgis enterprise installed locally, would that have made a difference?

[DanPatterson]

j94a7e5b06f3342deb0ebcb65467f63fe

This number differs from the one in the your image... is that supposed to happen?

[VictorTey]

My apologies, I had so many tabs opened and I must have copy and paste from the wrong tab

txtFile = os.path.join(arcpy.env.scratchFolder, "myTxt.txt")
    f = open(txtFile, 'w')
    f.writelines("huh")
    f.close
    arcpy.SetParameterAsText(0, txtFile)‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

[BruceHarold · Accepted solution]

Victor, the team here notice your output data type is GPString, please change it to GPFile. it should then work.

[VictorTey]

Spot on, thank you so much , this is my first attempt working with publishing GP and trying to piece together how everything works together

[BruceHarold]

Superseded by my comment above but still useful!  To answer your original question, to return your output file parameter (in Pro) wrap the web tool in a model and add the Copy geoprocessing tool to copy it into your project.  The file has to be a supported type.  Here is an example where the web tool is a Spatial ETL tool which I featured in my recent UC technical workshop on Data Interoperability extension.  The experience of a web tool output going to a rather obscure profile directory is under review by geoprocessing team.  Note:  The intermediate scratchfile will be deleted when you exit Pro, this is also under review.

[VictorTey]

Thank you all for your help. It turns out I have been really silly.

I kept attempting to access the file via  "arcgis/rest/services/

arcgis/rest/services/Script5/GPServer/Script/jobs/j24670b8fb4944b60993fa840472bc2f8/results/URL

where else the output of the directory is actually on arcgis/rest/directories/arcgisjobs

arcgis/rest/directories/arcgisjobs/script5_gpserver/j05515f60833c4e15a8d461f40acb1484

[MarcAlx]

For further reader, here's a sample geoprocessing toolbox with a tool that returns a file.

Some notes

- Your parameter file must have a "direction" of "Output" and a "parameterType" of "Derived"

- The file type for geoprocessing parameter is "DEFile", for some reason "GPDataFile" results in no file being accessible to end user. Once published it appears as "GPDatafile"

- Result must be set via arcpy.setParameterAsText whereas setting "value" of a saved parameter does nothing.

- In order to be accessible you file must be wrote/saved to "arcpy.env.scratchFolder". Arcpy rewrite this path once published to an accessible URL.

- If you wish to backup your file outside of "arcpy.env.scratchFolder" you have to register the save location, from ArcGIS Pro: add any folder you need via: Share→Manage→Data stores, here add a new `folder` with `Publish folder path` set to the path you want to expose. Keep in mind that any hard coded path will be consolidated (to a sandbox path) on publish by ArcGIS.

 Some useful links

- Authoring web tools with Python scripts (to understand path consolidation)

- Publish web tool

The code

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

import arcpy
from os.path import join

class Toolbox(object):
    def __init__(self):
        """Sample file toolbox"""
        self.label = "Sample file toolbox"
        self.alias = "File toolbox"

        # List of tool classes associated with this toolbox
        self.tools = [GetFileTool]

class GetFileTool(object):

    def __init__(self):
        """Define the tool (tool name is the name of the class)."""
        self.label = "Get file tool"
        self.description = "A tool to get a file"
        self.canRunInBackground = False

    def getParameterInfo(self):
        """Define parameter definitions"""
        return [arcpy.Parameter(displayName="Output_File",
                                name='Output_File',
                                datatype=['DEFile'],
                                parameterType='Derived',
                                direction='Output')]

    def isLicensed(self):
        """Set whether tool is licensed to execute."""
        return True

    def updateParameters(self, parameters):
        """Modify the values and properties of parameters before internal
        validation is performed.  This method is called whenever a parameter
        has been changed."""
        return

    def updateMessages(self, parameters):
        """Modify the messages created by internal validation for each tool
        parameter.  This method is called after internal validation."""
        return
    
    def exitWithError(self,msg):
        """
            exit geoprocessing with a given error msg
            under the hood it raise an exception, msg is logged as error
        """
        raise ValueError(msg)

    def execute(self, parameters, messages):
        """The source code of the tool."""
        p = join(arcpy.env.scratchFolder, "test.txt")
        with open(p, 'w') as f:
            f.write('hello')
        #set result with SetParameterAsText, setting result via 'value' parameter of objects inside parameters does nothing
        arcpy.SetParameterAsText(0,p)