nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

set dataframe extents not working in arcpy

DanielBean

I am unable to set the data frame extents to the extents of one layer.

mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(r'C:\Projects\G25\MXD\G10001_Aspect.mxd')

df = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd, 'Layers')[0]
print 'df Extent before:', df.extent

for lyr in arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, 'Outline'):
        lyr_extent = lyr.getExtent()
        print 'Layer Extent:', lyr_extent
        df.extent = lyr_extent
        print 'df Extent after:', df.extent

mxd.save()
del mxd

The mxd df extent is not changed (extents printed below)

df Extent before: -48.7679994656522 -31.5306864013717 48.4338994650919 37.1648864006445 NaN NaN NaN NaN
Layer Extent: -10.5550864009008 -31.5306864013717 10.2209864003405 37.1648864006445 -0.86019999999553 0.806700000001001 NaN NaN
df Extent after: -48.7679994656522 -31.5306864013717 48.4338994650919 37.1648864006445 NaN NaN NaN NaN

Find more posts tagged with

Accepted answers

curtvprice

I tested this with 10.4.1 in an ArcMap session and it seems to work for me. Note my df extent after is larger because it used the current shape of my map canvas.

mxd <SPAN class="operator token">=</SPAN> arcpy<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>mapping<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>MapDocument<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN><SPAN class="string token">"CURRENT"</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN>
df <SPAN class="operator token">=</SPAN> arcpy<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>mapping<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>ListDataFrames<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>mxd<SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'Layers'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">[</SPAN><SPAN class="number token">0</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">]</SPAN>
<SPAN class="keyword token">print</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'df Extent before:'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> df<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>extent
<SPAN class="keyword token">for</SPAN> lyr <SPAN class="keyword token">in</SPAN> arcpy<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>mapping<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>ListLayers<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>mxd<SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'Karst Sinks'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; lyr_extent <SPAN class="operator token">=</SPAN> lyr<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>getExtent<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <SPAN class="keyword token">print</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'Layer Extent:'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> lyr_extent
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; df<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>extent <SPAN class="operator token">=</SPAN> lyr_extent
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <SPAN class="keyword token">print</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'df Extent after:'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> df<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>extent

df Extent before<SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">-</SPAN><SPAN class="number token">3607551.13680627</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">-</SPAN><SPAN class="number token">690838.010041055</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">4092265.56918456</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">3504270.88658365</SPAN> NaN NaN NaN NaN
Layer Extent<SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">590797.865849879</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1360681.84220262</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1483863.57306459</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1981094.45295359</SPAN> NaN NaN NaN NaN
df Extent after<SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">467969.648912527</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1360681.84220262</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1606691.79000194</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1981094.45295359</SPAN> NaN NaN NaN NaN‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍<SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN>

All comments

TimBarnes

Refreshing the Active view solved my issue (df.panToExtent wasn't working). Oddly though, I had put a mxd.save() after changing the projection of my dataframe before I then updated the extent. Having that save there lead to the panToExtent NOT working....so I guess there was some interference in process there?

DanielBean

Curtis is correct, the original code does function correctly. The problem was with my test mxd which was already zoomed to the desired extent, so no change was reflected in the test. Zooming out on the test mxd, then running the code, zoomed the data frame to the extents of the 'Outline' layer correctly. Thanks to all. To zoom the data frame to the extents of layer 'Outline' the code would be:

for lyr in arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, 'Outline'):
    lyr_extent = lyr.getExtent()
    df.extent = lyr_extent

JoshuaBixby

Curtis Price‌, you are correct, i.e., the OP's original syntax should work. I will have to update my comment to clarify that get/set applies to properties of the default extent and not the default extent itself. Basically, you can't modify the default extent properties in place, you need to modify an extent object and then pass it back to the default extent property to have the updates stick.

The following will not generate an error, but it doesn't update the default extent:

<SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">df</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">=</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">arcpy</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">mapping</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">ListDataFrames</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">(</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">mxd</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">)[</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">0</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">]</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">
</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">df.extent</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">XMin</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">df.extent</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">YMin</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">=</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">-</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">180.0</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">-</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">90.0
</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">df.extent</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">XMax</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">df.extent</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">YMax</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">=</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">180.0</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">90.0</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></SPAN>

curtvprice

I tested this with 10.4.1 in an ArcMap session and it seems to work for me. Note my df extent after is larger because it used the current shape of my map canvas.

mxd <SPAN class="operator token">=</SPAN> arcpy<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>mapping<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>MapDocument<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN><SPAN class="string token">"CURRENT"</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN>
df <SPAN class="operator token">=</SPAN> arcpy<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>mapping<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>ListDataFrames<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>mxd<SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'Layers'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">[</SPAN><SPAN class="number token">0</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">]</SPAN>
<SPAN class="keyword token">print</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'df Extent before:'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> df<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>extent
<SPAN class="keyword token">for</SPAN> lyr <SPAN class="keyword token">in</SPAN> arcpy<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>mapping<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>ListLayers<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN>mxd<SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'Karst Sinks'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; lyr_extent <SPAN class="operator token">=</SPAN> lyr<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>getExtent<SPAN class="punctuation token">(</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">)</SPAN>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <SPAN class="keyword token">print</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'Layer Extent:'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> lyr_extent
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; df<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>extent <SPAN class="operator token">=</SPAN> lyr_extent
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <SPAN class="keyword token">print</SPAN> <SPAN class="string token">'df Extent after:'</SPAN><SPAN class="punctuation token">,</SPAN> df<SPAN class="punctuation token">.</SPAN>extent

df Extent before<SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">-</SPAN><SPAN class="number token">3607551.13680627</SPAN> <SPAN class="operator token">-</SPAN><SPAN class="number token">690838.010041055</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">4092265.56918456</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">3504270.88658365</SPAN> NaN NaN NaN NaN
Layer Extent<SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">590797.865849879</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1360681.84220262</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1483863.57306459</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1981094.45295359</SPAN> NaN NaN NaN NaN
df Extent after<SPAN class="punctuation token">:</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">467969.648912527</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1360681.84220262</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1606691.79000194</SPAN> <SPAN class="number token">1981094.45295359</SPAN> NaN NaN NaN NaN‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍<SPAN class="line-numbers-rows"><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN><SPAN>‍</SPAN></SPAN>

JoshuaBixby

The DataFrame documentation has an important note in the extent property explanation:

Note: The properties of the Extent object are by default read-only in the help system. A special exception was made for the arcpy.mapping scripting environment to enable changing extents during a map automation process.

<SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">df</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">=</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">arcpy</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">mapping</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">ListDataFrames</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">(</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">mxd</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">)[</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">0</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">]
</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">newExtent</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">=</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">df</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">extent
</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">newExtent</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">XMin</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">newExtent</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">YMin</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">=</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">-</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">180.0</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">-</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">90.0
</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">newExtent</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">XMax</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">newExtent</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">YMax</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">=</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">180.0</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #666666;">90.0
</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">df</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">.</SPAN><SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">extent</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">=</SPAN> <SPAN class="" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">newExtent</SPAN>

Although not clear, the code example provides the clue you need. You need to get/set the property, not just set. If you mimic the code example, you should get it to work.

DanPatterson_Retired

refreshing the active view might make a difference, however, I suspect it only works with 'Current' as the document

Join the Conversation

Signed in members can post, follow updates, and more. New here? Register a free account.

Quick Links

Community Help
Find useful guides, FAQs, and documents to help you navigate and make the most of Esri Community.