Latest Contributions by RobBlash

Thanks for mentioning this. I had found the documentation page you linked above, and I wondered why there wasn't a reference to .FormatDate() How would you grade arcpy documentation overall? While I'm learning more and more about python I anticipate some head scratching along the way, which is of course minimized by good documentation. However, I didn't anticipate struggling so much to find this particular solution, after all finding DatePart('yyyy',[DateField]) is so much easier. I'm interested to hear the opinion of someone experienced. ... View more

Makes sense, thanks for the tip. ... View more

Thanks! Looks like dateutil has a lot of useful functions, which I'm sure will be helpful as I learn more python and tackle more complex problems. ... View more

Thanks, not sure why this was impossible to find (I searched and searched....). ... View more

Were you ever able to come up with a solution? ... View more

What version of ArcPad are you using? I cannot get the XYZ Applet to work on 10.2, I tried on multiple devices. I'm trying to use quick fields also, but that is coming up short because help provides limited information on the syntax. I also don't like the idea of something that can be turned off. ... View more

Collector is also available for Windows 10 if you weren't already aware. ... View more

Joe, Thanks for the suggestion, I did find this beta yesterday and I started testing it on my personal device last night. Seems fairly solid so far. This will definitely be a consideration. Thanks, Rob ... View more

Does anyone have updated input on this topic? I'm looking for a ruggedized tablet but most that I see are cost-prohibitive and running older (4.2x) versions of android. As we begin moving to 5.x and 6.x as the dominant versions I think it's wise to be weary of a small manufacturer who will not likely offer OS updates. Does anyone have insight on deploying a more "mainstream" tablet (galaxy, nexus, etc.) with a rugged case like an otterbox? ... View more

This is INTENDED behavior? Ridiculous! Why? What is the intention on the development side? ... View more

One more thing, I've heard that offline editing via desktop (what you've described) gets problematic with larger datasets, so that might not work out so well for you anyway (that might not be true anymore, but who knows until you try?) There's always going to be a need to sync the master dataset with the field dataset. You can spend the $$ to do it "automatically" via server (and I'm betting that wont be without it's own headaches). Or you can set up a manual synchronization workflows on a fixed schedule, whether it be daily or weekly. ... View more

We have not used collector for gathering new data, but we have successfully tested it for gathering inspection data on assets that are already in the GIS. I haven't tried collector for large scale data collection, but I don't see why it wouldn't work once you nail the process. It sounds like you're able to actually collect data with collector so that's a start. There's always going to be a certain level of head scratching and frustration to get these things working. Stick with it and you can get it sorted. For example, we use a completely non-ESRI approach for collecting points via RTK GPS (using Leica). We then export as a csv and use ArcGIS to assemble a master database of points. Attribute assistant is free, its a desktop plugin that allows you to auto-populate attributes based on a config table you set up. It's helpful to track who's editing what and when. I also use it to do things like auto-populate a valve diameter based on the pipe it's snapped to (but of course you need to pay attention to those cases when the valve size is different than the pipe, etc.), auto-rotate fittings, and you can also set it up to calculate new asset IDs sequentially for new valves and hydrants. This is all on Desktop BTW. ... View more

It's a little frustrating but if you can nail the workflow it gets easier. I would suggest time-stamping all of your creates and edits (you can do this on desktop using the Attribute Assistant) to make it easier to sort through new, updated, and unchanged features. ... View more