Latest Contributions by RichardFairhurst

You need to enclose your code in code tags (press the button that looks like "#" on the message buttons and place you code inside the tags).  Your error could occur due to not placing the code in the correct indentation level (but I cannot tell since your indentation is lost without the code tags).  I have added some exist checks that may solve the error problems.  I also believe it should be indented as follows and you should include the break statement after the deletion occurs since there is no point in processeing any more records after the shape file is deleted.: import sys, string, os, arcgisscripting gp = arcgisscripting.create(9.3) Mooring_Structure = "Mooring_Structure.shp" P_L = "C:\\Daves_Stuff\\ArcPad_Data\\Standard_Layers\\Lamberts_Projection\\Pts_Lines" Clip_Feature = "C:\\Daves_Stuff\\ArcPad_Data\\Standard_Layers\\Clip_Feature\\Clip_Feature.shp" if gp.Exists(Clip_Feature):   gp.FeatureClassToFeatureClass_conversion("\\\\Atlas\\data\\geodata\\statelamblands\\moor_struct\\arc ", P_L, Mooring_Structure, "")   gp.workspace = "C:\\Daves_Stuff\\ArcPad_Data\\Standard_Layers\\Clip_Feature"   scursor=gp.SearchCursor(Clip_Feature)   row=scursor.Next()   while row:     if row.GetValue("Region") == 'North Coast':       if gp.Exists("C:\\Daves_Stuff\\ArcPad_Data\\Standard_Layers\\Lamberts_Projection\\Pts_Lines\\Mooring_Structure.shp"):         gp.Delete_management("C:\\Daves_Stuff\\ArcPad_Data\\Standard_Layers\\Lamberts_Projection\\Pts_Lines\\Mooring_Structure.shp")       break     row=scursor.Next()   del scursor ... View more

Patricia: Your problem is with the line of code below:     pQueryFilter.WhereClause = "OccurredDate1 >= DateFrom And OccurredDate1 <= DateTo" This would be translated as though DateFrom and DateTo are actual fields in your feature class (like OccurredDate1) rather than as date values that the user is supplying.  In case Lance's suggested syntax does not work try the clause below to replicate the format you said worked: pQueryFilter.WhereClause = "OccurredDate1 >= date '" & format(DateFrom, "YYYY/MM/DD") & "' And OccurredDate1 <= date '" &  format(DateTo, "YYYY/MM/DD") & "'" ... View more

The labelling engine will always run last and cover all other objects if you continue to auto generate the labels (ArcGIS descktop also has different layers it builds to create a drwaing and I believe the label layer is the last to draw and always on top).  There is no mechanism for covering the labels in that case. I believe you would have to covert the labels to annotation or graphics to make them a layer that can be covered.  At that point they become static and will not regenerate in response to panning or zooming of your data frame.  I have never tried to get the effect you are looking for, so you would have to experiment on both the initial placement properties of your labels and then the conversion to be able to rearrange the layer order. Rich ... View more

I can see why it falls into infinitiy.  With a While loop on a cursor you must always make sure that before you add any other code that the last line within the while loop is the code that advances the cursor, i.e., "row=scursor.Next()".  If this line of code is not at the end of the while loop block the cursor never advances at all within the loop and the while statement never becomes false (i.e., say the first row does not meet your conditiion, but that row is the only row that ever gets evaluated and never stops being evaluated so the loop never ends)  The code below is exactly the same as all of the suggestions above but note that the "row=scursor.Next() statement has been repeated inside the while loop and therefore the cursor position now advances with each pass of the while loop. scursor=gp.SearchCursor(Clip_Feature) row=scursor.Next() while row:     if row.GetValue("Region") == 'Murray Inland':         for ext in [".shp",".shx",".sbn",".dbf",".prj",".sbx"]:             os.remove("C:\\Temp\\Contour"+ext)     row=scursor.Next() del scursor I cannot see any obvious connection between the trigger row value and the action being done.  But I guess if this is what you want, fine.  Also, it seem the trigger only needs to occur once, but there is no certainty that there will not be multiple rows that meet the condition.  If that is the situation, the loop should be exited after the first instance of completion of the for loop (i.e., put the exit line within the if block at the same level as the for statement prior to the row advance statement).  Not sure what Python syntax is for dropping out of a while loop (I'm an ArcObjects guy still and not up to speed on all things Python), but I am sure such a statement exists. Rich ... View more

Python absolutely sucks with joined data.  Python is up to 5000% slower with a join in place than VB script, so you should absolutely avoid doing calculations using Python with a join in place whenever possible.  Joins and the field calculator should only be used in scripts where a data transfer is occurring from the child table to the parent table (and if it is a simple transfer use VB Script syntax).  I don't see that your calculation in this case is dependent on the join (but I may be missing something).  Joins with Python also can cause out ot memory errors that cause unexpected failures as you can see. If this is scripted and the calculation you want to do is possible outside of the join reorganize your operations to do the calculation outside the join and then create the join.  Everything will perform much much faster and failure will be minimized.  If the join is necessary for transferring data, do just that operation and then break the join to do any other operations that transform the data.  You will save an immense amount of time.  (Python is necessary for advanced expressions, but never perform them with a join in place).  Breaking the transfer and the transformation into separate operations will actually save you time if you manage teh joins so that they are removed prior to and advanced calculations. ESRI has confirmed the slow performance of Python on joined tables and has no fix at either ArcGIS 9.3.1 or ArcGIS 10.  VB Script syntax always performs faster for simple transfers between joined tables, so for any simple transfers use VB syntax (simple means only without any VB specific functions or methods, just [field] tranfer syntax).  The VB syntax on joined tables always takes advantage of indexed join fields, but the Python syntax does not seem to, which is why the calculations are always faster with VB script.  (Of course this means you should create indexes on your joined fields before doing the calculations and use VB script syntax) I also have never been able to use an updatecursor on a joined table, so I don't know of a way to make that work (seems like ESRI somehow does it, but they have never indicated how as far as I have seen). Hope this helps. ... View more

Karl: I have attempted in incorporate the alternative code styles you have suggested.  The messaging subroutines now take a parameter and employ the try: finally: syntax you suggested.  The body of the code where the messages are sent have eliminated the external message variable and now embed the message text as a parameter of the message subroutines. I was not as clear on how to apply your ideas about the except blocks. I have not really ever read any documentation on Python that explains best practices with this syntax and was not clear on the options I have for limiting the except block behavior (most Python documentation I do find is excessively cryptic and offers almost no introductory level discussions that can be easily practiced by people new to the language).  Please review my revisions and point out some specific cases where I can make improvements to the except blocks. I will also admit that the logfile is a new practice for me so perhaps my set up and usage of the logfile can still be improved.  I think I know what you were getting at with your specific line comments (68 and 157), but I was not sure how best to modify the code to do the error checking.  Probably if the user provided an unusable root directory for some reason, I should actually exit the application, but I have not implemented that in this version.  Is that what you meant by reacting to a NameError? I reversed the licence levels as suggested.  I have also deleted the insert cursor at the end of the routine as a clean up (something you didn't mention, but that I noticed in other similar code, so I implemented it). As someone new to Python I want to adopt best practices early and welcome your comments as a way to acheive that.  I hope that you will take my response as a positive indication of my intention to apply good programming practices. At the same time, I did not feel that the comments you have made resulted in any real changes to the core code that actually carries out the objective of what the tool is designed to do.  The tools works very well for my needs, and I hope could be a starting point for others with similar needs to mine.  I do not know whether this tool has much application to things you may do, but I would hope that you would be kind enough to point out where it works, so that those who may benefit from it will take a look at it with the improvements that I have made. Rich ... View more

esrikmartin: I do not have ArcGIS 10 and was unaware that at least some of these issues are apparently addressed at taht release (it will still probably be close to a year before I transition).  At 9.3.1 these capabilities do not exist.  Could you confirm that there is a Paste option as well for Standalone Tables at ArcGIS 10 during an edit session?  Your context menu snapshot does not show that option, but the menu is cut off at the bottom so I cannot be sure what other new options exist at ArcGIS 10 for Standalone table editing unless someone shows me the full context menu. The less I have to use multiple applications to get the work done, the happier I will be, so I look forward to examining the reporting tools.  However, another major consideration for me is the integrataion of hyperlinks to legal documents and sources, which is increasingly transforming of my workflows and data models.  Unless one-click hyperlinks can be enabled directly from a tableview (which is not possible at 9.3.1), Excel provides me with a valuable speed boost for some of my data capture workflows involving hyperlinks.   At 9.3.1 there are just too many mouse clicks involved to activate them with standard ESRI interfaces.  Perhaps new hyperlink support exists at ArcGIS 10, but I have no idea. I would still hope that the Transfer Attributes tool would be expanded \to handle standalone tables with these expanded capabilities at ArcGIS 10.  I use that tool set extensively with feature classes, even more than copying full records and pasting them and I would like the same flexibility for standalone tables that that tool gives.  Any idea if ArcGIS 10 expanded that tool set to address my concern?  Thanks. ... View more

At ArcGIS 10 there is a sort tool that can do spatial sorts, but it currently requires an ArcInfo licence.  Probably both of those things don't help you at this point, but keep it in mind.  Still wiht an Y / X field pair sort you should be able to accomplish something like the Upper Right, Upper Left, Lower Right, and Upper Left sorts.  Reversing the X and Y order would give priority to east/west movement over north/south movement. I have not seen the results of the ArcGIS 10 tool myself, so I cannot be sure they don't have a fancier algorithm under the hood.  They also have a APEANO option that I do not fully understand.  Anyway, with a set of X / Y fields you could previsualize the sort in a tableview and walk through the features to see if the order did what you wanted with any of the above sort orders. ... View more

Kim: The script under your first item looks interesting.  Still being new to Python I will have to take some time to absorb it, but it gives me some additional insigt into what can be done with a dictionary. Up to now for my comparison of lines I maintain a copy with a field storing a 70 character text field in the format "{from.X}{From.Y}{To.X}{To.Y}{Length}".  Each value is rounded to 4 digits and in state plan feet coordinates each bracket set is 14 characters long.  I have a Model that renames the last download with stored FIDs, creates a new download with preserved FIDs, and recalculates the shape comparison field.  A join on FID allows me to do the comparisons.  That has worked well enough for me to do the change detection of my purposes (which is to make sure there are date stamp for all updates).  But I am always looking for speed improvements and this script looks promising as an alternative for my model. For your second item, you're talking over my head and outside my experience.  I am unfamiliar with KMZ format and not sure that I followed your description to understand what the actual sort field you are deriving actually represents.  Interested to know a bit more though. Rich ... View more

What I was actually referring to is called Style Manager, not Symbol manager and it deals with a lot more than Symboloogy.  However, I realize now that you are using the Many-Field Category symbology.  I understand the time savings potential with your suggestion, but you still have a manual way to add unused values using the "Add Values...".  button to open the "Add Values" dialog. Under the "New Value" text box at the bottom of the dialog you can type (or paste and modify) new values that are not currently in your data.  Values you want to add need to be formatted the same existing values.  By that I mean that they must follow the field order and values from the second and third field need to be separated from the preceeding fields values by a comma followed by a space.  When you press the "Add to List button, the value you entered will be added to the "Select the value(s) to add:" list box.  When you have entered all of the values you need, you can select them all and add them to the layer symbology.  The new symbols labels will match what you typed.  If you using a Domain value, you will have to retype the labels to translate to the Domain values.  Once this is done do not use the "Add All Values button again.  Instead use the Add Vallues... button get the Complete list and add all of the values that appear that you failed to think of. But be warned, these kinds of layers eventually will cause a huge performance hit as your data grows.  I have large data sources (up to 3/4 million records) and find the performance hit is just too great using multi-field values and adding every symbol, including unused symbols, into a single layer.  The performance sucks because I discovered that the source table records are being repeatedly read from top to bottom for each symbol in the list, even if they are only used once or are never used.  When I use a single layer like the one you want with 30 complex line symbols on data sources like this I have experienced normal redraw times of 5 minutes pre refresh.  Totally unlivable. To regain redraw speed I have had to create a group layer that containing as many layers of the same source to draw each symbol in its own layer.  Each individually symbolized layer has a definition query that limits the records for each layer to just those that apply to the symbol displayed.  (I also create a catch all layer just for finding new symbol values, but I never draw it).  Because each layer only reads records that actually use the single symbol for the layer, I have improved my redraw performance in such cases from 5 minutes per refresh to under 20 seconds.  Complex multi-part line symbols unavoidably cause a hit all by themselves, because each symbol part causes the table records to be reread from top to bottom, but by preliming the records to read just those that apply I minimize that hit as much as possible.  So I have abandoned all single layer symbologies like the kind you want whenever I have many symbols associated with over 10,000 records.  As a result, I just almost never use kitchen sink layers any more. ... View more

What I was actually referring to is called Style Manager, not Symbol manager and it deals with a lot more than Symboloogy.  However, I realize now that you are using the Many-Field Category symbology.  I understand the time savings potential with your suggestion, but you still have a manual way to add unused values using the "Add Values...".  button to open the "Add Values" dialog. Under the "New Value" text box at the bottom of the dialog you can type (or paste and modify) new values that are not currently in your data.  Values you want to add need to be formatted the same existing values.  By that I mean that they must follow the field order and values from the second and third field need to be separated from the preceeding fields values by a comma followed by a space.  When you press the "Add to List button, the value you entered will be added to the "Select the value(s) to add:" list box.  When you have entered all of the values you need, you can select them all and add them to the layer symbology.  The new symbols labels will match what you typed.  If you using a Domain value, you will have to retype the labels to translate to the Domain values.  Once this is done do not use the "Add All Values button again.  Instead use the Add Vallues... button get the Complete list and add all of the values that appear that you failed to think of. But be warned, these kinds of layers eventually will cause a huge performance hit as your data grows.  I have large data sources (up to 3/4 million records) and find the performance hit is just too great using multi-field values and adding every symbol, including unused symbols, into a single layer.  The performance sucks because I discovered that the source table records are being repeatedly read from top to bottom for each symbol in the list, even if they are only used once or are never used.  When I use a single layer like the one you want with 30 complex line symbols on data sources like this I have experienced normal redraw times of 5 minutes pre refresh.  Totally unlivable. To regain redraw speed I have had to create a group layer that containing as many layers of the same source to draw each symbol in its own layer.  Each individually symbolized layer has a definition query that limits the records for each layer to just those that apply to the symbol displayed.  (I also create a catch all layer just for finding new symbol values, but I never draw it).  Because each layer only reads records that actually use the single symbol for the layer, I have improved my redraw performance in such cases from 5 minutes per refresh to under 20 seconds.  Complex multi-part line symbols unavoidably cause a hit all by themselves, because each symbol part causes the table records to be reread from top to bottom, but by preliming the records to read just those that apply I minimize that hit as much as possible.  So I have abandoned all single layer symbologies like the kind you want whenever I have many symbols associated with over 10,000 records.  As a result, I just almost never use kitchen sink layers any more. ... View more

Final suggestion.  Add a "Transfer Paste Selected" option for the Attribute Transfer tool in the Tableview context menu.  That would actually make the Tableview a superior means of transferring attribute data over features on a map where many records need the same attributes transferred to them in a single operaton.  This option would provide the best support for one-to-many and many-to-many relationships.  However, It would make no sense to provide a "Transfer Copy Selected" option, since that would make the paste operation ambiguous about what original record attributes should actually be pasted to the target. ... View more

Since the Transfer Attribute idea just came to me as I was writing about the effects of manually duplicating information between rows I did not think through the fact that the Tableview grey sqaure next to each record already uses virtually all of the left-click combinations for record selection operations.  However, if a context menu option to "Transfer Copy" and "Transfer Paste" could be added to the Tableview context menu that would acheive the effect I want. The appropriate context menu option above should only be enabled during an edit session if a transfer had been configured for a given Tableview with the Configure Transfer button and if the Transfer Attribute tool is active.  Two right-clicks and two left-clicks to complete a transfer within or between Tableviews of Standalone Tables and/or Feature Layers is still better than what exists today for Standalone Tables, which is nothing.  Even though Feature Layers may not need these context options in their Tableviews to effectively use the Transfer Attributes tool, this additional transfer method should not hurt anything and would provide interface consistency that would permit users to choose whatever tranfer method they prefer in the case of Feature Layers I believe that the above proposed expansion of the Attribute Transfer tool together with the original idea proposed by RudinA would make Standalone Tables real "first class" objects in the editing environment. ... View more

Chris: On the Ideas page I see that as of Version 10 ESRI has added a Permanently Sort Features tool.  See the link below: http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.html#/Sort/001700000057000000/ ESRI's tool requires an ArcInfo licence to use it, which has caused a lot of requests to make it work with an ArcView licence.  Obvoiusly it is not a Python script.  It differs from your tool in that it takes a comma delimited list of fields rather than the prevalidated field names of your parameters (but their tool supports unlimited sort fields).  I don't know whether their tool preserves the OIDs or not, since that aspect is not mentioned (I have used your latest version with a unalterable table that only had OIDs as a unique join field and the new tool has solved the problems I have had trying to preserve the original OID valuse in an unsummarized copy of a Standalone Table).  The most interesting thing about ESRI's tool is that it does Spatial Sorting (UR, UL, LR, LL, and PEANO) when the Shape field is chosen as (one of the or the only?) sort field.  You may have already known about this tool, but I wanted to make sure. A few other notes.  GetValue and SetValue are the only methods that take a variable for a field to access field values in Python per the Geoprocessing Model diagram.  Not sure if my suspicions under the hood are correct, but it looks likely at this point based on how these functions are described.  The help for GetValue/SetValue says that cursors also can use a field name or a field index directly to get and set values where they are known, but the examples and Geoprocessing diagram only indicate the field name method in the form:  cursor.fieldname = value.  Nothing shown is similar to ArcObjects use of field index values. I sort of get the examples of Lists and Dictionaries you posted, but I have not figured out exactly how best to loop a paired list/dictionary (like embedded cursors) to do the validation checks I want.  Still working on it, but for now a two step process to a file geodatabase and then an export to .shp/.dbf is not that bad where I cannot risk data loss.  The transformation works just fine when I already know all field names will still be unique after the 10 character truncation, but I would like it to be a bit more bullet proof for users that may not consider the effects of the field name conversion. Lastly, have you noticed a significant amount of time gets spent creating the ouput feature layer table with the Create_Managment tool?  At least last night it was taking 3 minutes on that step, and there was not anything special I could see that accounted for it.  I don't recall that amount of lag the first times I used your tool.  Ever experienced that issue and have any ideas on what may cause it? ... View more