Latest Contributions by ColinLang

‎08-05-2014

If you are using an iOS device, this can be accomplished right now, via iTunes. Open your iTunes, find your device, find the apps that have on-device storage, find Collector, and you'll see a list of all the data that has been stored on that device - databases and basemaps. iTunes can transfer this data onto your computer, and then onto a different device if necessary.

‎06-19-2014

Hello, In our community the there has been some placing of building footprints and zoning info on the World Topographic Map, which is nice, although it would be nice if more layers were added, like lot lines but the underlying layers of the topo map itself are horribly out of date. This is in a major Canadian city (Edmonton, AB), with a population of over a million people so you would think it would be higher priority for frequent updates, but there are railways shown in the downtown area that haven't been there since the early 1990's. And the Light Rail Transit tracks that have been in place for about 36 years aren't shown. The roads layer for neighbourhoods around the edges of the city are about 1-3 years out of date. Beaverhill Lake east of the city is shown as being around 40000 hectares, but the current lake is less than 4000 ha. How do these maps get updated? Who can I talk to about fixing the data? It's embarrassing to use them in their current state.

‎06-05-2014

Hello, I have a feature service layer on my ArcGIS Online (hereafter referred to as AGOL) account, which actually consists of 6 separate layers of point files. It's only shared to internal groups, so I can't provide links, sorry. When I am looking at it in the AGOL map, I see all six layers, and can add or edit data for them all. When I hit the button to open it in ArcMap, it gives me an mxd, with only the last layer loaded. I have also tried starting out in a new mxd file, and using the Add Data from ArcGIS Online command, but I still only get the last layer. When I try to link to the Feature Service in ArcCatalog, to be able to see if all 6 layers are present there, it crashes ArcCatalog just trying to connect to AGOL. We're using the data in the iPad Collector app. Collector can see all 6 layers and add and edit data, and syncronize it back with no problems, so the fault seems to be with the desktop products - ArcMap and ArcCatalog. My second issue is that I want to find a way (probably a script) that will copy the data from AGOL to our own ArcGIS Server each day (probably at 1:00 am), and then delete the copy from AGOL, so that the collector app isn't getting too cluttered with points on top of points, as the user adds more each day. Has anyone written any scripts for found a way to successfully transfer data from AGOL to ArcServer? I can't wait till we upgrade our ArcServer to 10.2.2 so we can eliminate the AGOL middle man entirely.

‎04-25-2014

The ability to change to the unique value renderer, but then not be able to change the symbol for each unique value as described by Chris Fox is totally useless to me. I don't necessarily need to be able to directly manipulate all of the symbol properties - I just want to be able to assign a named style out of a .style file, to each of the unique values. Then instead of needing 100's or even thousands of layer files as toolman mentioned below, I would need maybe a couple of dozen symbols in a .style file. My scenario here is that I have a map book or data driven pages type project where for each map, the primary layer of interest is symbolized based on the value in a consecutively numbered field. For example, field names like "Route1", "Route2", "Route3", etc. I have one project with about 300 such routes. The values for each field would be 0, 1 or 2 referring to "unused on this route", "active for this route", or "used on a previous route". Then I have about 6 different feature classes that change per map - ie. water pipes, valves, hydrants, etc. To do this with current methods I need 300 (routes) X 6 (feature classes) = 1800 layer files. To do it with assigning symbols from a style file I need 3 (symbols per feature class) X 6 (feature classes) = 18 named styles in a .style file. I think you can start to see the importance of this small change to functionality. As it is we're creating 300 mxd files, instead of a PDF with 300 pages, jsut so we can go in and run a VBA script to set the styles after the fact. But when VBA functionality disappears, then we'll need to re-write that in ArcObjects. Ugh.

‎04-11-2014

Here's a real world example: We used to do this process in VBA, but as support for VBA is being dropped from ArcGIS, we were trying to transition to python. We are creating a series of maps that give instructions to operators flushing out a town's water system. We have 300 fields in the data for pipes, hydrants, valves, etc. Each of those fields can essentially have a value saying whether the item was used in a previous route, is used in the current route or has not yet been used in a route. Linear referencing doesn't work for this, because for most routes, there are branch pipes off the main that get flushed by water going up them and back - ie. follow a branch till the first valve. So as we do the data driven pages or python mapbook, we constantly change which field the symbolization comes from. In ArcMap, when you apply symbolization from another layer you can choose which field to apply that to, but the same command in Arcpy limits you to using the same field name. So we tried to change the field name using lyr.symbology.valueField but that eliminates all the symbols. We can re-add by using the .addAllValues function, but these then show up with default symbolization, with no way to control it. So it looks like all the effort I put into my python scripting is now a waste, because I can't control the symbolization. In the end the script was going to generate both mxd's and pdf's in case there was any required tweaking to the route maps, so Data Driven Pages just doesn't cut it. To control my symbols with layer files, I need 5 layer files per route - one each for pipes, hydrants, stand pipes, drainage outlets and valves. For 300 routes in a small town that's 1500 layer files. I'd hate to do a city. I even opened a layer file in a text editor, to see if I could manipulate it on the fly but it's mostly machine code - very little english text.

‎04-09-2014

Thanks Doug. Your tips helped. Eventually I had to put the cursor operation into an edit session, to get the dissappearing layer in the layer list issue solved. For those who are curious here is the final code: import arcpy class Toolbox(object): def __init__(self): """Define the toolbox (the name of the toolbox is the name of the .pyt file).""" self.label = "Set Values for Multiple Fields" self.alias = "SetValues" # List of tool classes associated with this toolbox self.tools = [SetValues] class SetValues(object): def __init__(self): """Define the tool (tool name is the name of the class).""" self.label = "Set Values" self.description = "Sets values for many fields to one value, for all selected features" self.canRunInBackground = False def getParameterInfo(self): """Define parameter definitions""" params = None param0 = arcpy.Parameter( displayName="Choose Layer", name="layer", datatype="GPLayer", parameterType="Required", direction="Input") param1 = arcpy.Parameter( displayName="Choose Fields", name="field_list", datatype="Field", parameterType="Required", direction="Input", multiValue=True) param1.parameterDependencies = [param0.name] param2 = arcpy.Parameter( displayName="Value to Set", name="set_value", datatype="GPLong", parameterType="Required", direction="Input") mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT") layerlist = [] layerlist = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd) param0.filter.list = [] param0.filter.type = "ValueList" for layer in layerlist: param0.filter.list += [layer.name] params = [param0, param1, param2] return params 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 execute(self, parameters, messages): """The source code of the tool.""" param0 = parameters[0].value param1 = parameters[1].value.exportToString() param2 = parameters[2].value #arcpy.AddError(param0) #arcpy.AddError(param1) #arcpy.AddError(param2) mymxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT") selectedlayer = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mymxd, param0)[0] workspace = "C:\Users\Public\Documents" # never used, just needed a folder that would always exist on any computer, and have write access. # Start an edit session. Must provide the worksapce. edit = arcpy.da.Editor(workspace) # Edit session is started without an undo/redo stack for versioned data # (for second argument, use False for unversioned data) edit.startEditing(True) # Start an edit operation edit.startOperation() #param1 = "test2;test3" param1list = param1.split(";") fieldnamelist = [] for fieldname in param1list: fieldnamelist += [fieldname] setvalue = param2 with arcpy.da.UpdateCursor(selectedlayer, fieldnamelist) as cursor: for row in cursor: for index in range(len(row)): row[index] = setvalue cursor.updateRow(row) row = None del cursor # Stop the edit operation. edit.stopOperation() # Stop the edit session and save the changes edit.stopEditing(True) return

‎04-08-2014

I am trying to build a python toolbox. See the attached file (just turn the .py extension .pyt) I am having a couple of issues: 1. I get error messages that the parameters[1].valueAsText property doesn't exist on my multivalue parameter, but I found on a forum once the exportToString() method that I'm using and it seems to work. The .value property comes accross as empty if I try to access it directly. 2. When I try to Add my toolbox to the ArcToolbox window in ArcGIS, it shows an X on it in the browse window, which should indicate a code error that prevents it from loading, however, when I comment out all the code in the execute routine, load it, uncomment out the code, re-save the file and right-click --> refresh in the ArcToolbox, it loads just fine and runs. So there are no code errors that should prevent it from loading in the first place. 3. I'm using a cursor. According to the documentation on those, using the WITH command should eliminate the need to do garbage cleanup to release the locks on the data, however that didn't seem to be the case. I tried adding commands to set the row and the cursor to None after they were not needed, but that didn't help. The behaviour I get is that the first run works fine, but on the second run, the layer I ran it on the first time doesn't appear in the layer list on the parameters dialog. It's like it knows it's locked and can't use it, so it decides not to display it. For those who like to know such things, I'm running ArcMap 10.1 SP1 for Desktop, Build 3143, on Windows 7 SP1, on a Dell Optiplex 990, with 16 GB of RAM, and two Intel i7-2600, 3.40 GHz cores. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm getting pretty frustrated right now.

‎11-13-2013

There is a much simpler way - edit your symbols so that there is an offset and always place the hospital symbol one direction from the city, and the airport symbol a different direction from the city, i.e 45 and 135 degrees.

‎11-13-2013

Hello, I am using ArcGIS mobile 10.1, with the data coming from ArcGIS server 10.1 as a mobile service, with feature access enabled as well. The original data all resides in an SDE database. All my editable layers have versioning on, attachments on (for collecting photos), editor tracking on, and Global IDs. I am using the Inspection Extension (http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=fda105580d6d4a80bd31d6b108d5edc5), which lets you specify a relationship between a feature, and an inspection event for that feature. In my particular case, I'm inspecting roads. I have set up the configuration to automatically populate the street name, inspector, and insepction date in the attributes of the inspection feature, which is a point on the line. When I test out my setup, I find I can add a new inspection, but once it is saved, I cannot edit it. I was under the impression that any layer with Global IDs that was setup as "This layer is used to collect data" should be editable, so I'm a bit stumped as to why I can create features but then not edit them. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

‎06-28-2013

I see it's been a year and this issue is still not resolved. There is still no version of the MobileCache2Shpefile tool for ArcGIS 10.1, the 10.0 version still doesn't run in Window 7 64-bit, and if you mess up your checksum by making any change to your MXD file, there is still no alternative for getting the data out of your cache. Oh, and I just love how the Syncronize Mobile Cache tool in the Mobile Toolbox always says it is successful, even when it doesn't work. I was lucky - only 4 points to re-create, and I could use the mobile app to get the coordinates of them, but I'm a little disappointed that this major, critical issue has not been addressed in a year. Get your act together ESRI, your competitors are starting to nip at your heels, and every unfixed issue is just one more reason for people to leave you for someone else.

Online Status	Offline
Date Last Visited	‎11-11-2020 02:23 AM

My Ideas

Latest Contributions by ColinLang

Re: Provide an ability to take back up or transfer the content that is downloaded when a web map is downloaded for offline editing in collector app from one device to other device.

World Topographic Map very out-of-date

Extracting and Using ArcGIS Online Data in ArcMap - incomplete results

Re: ArcPy.Mapping - Support Layer Symbology Property Modifications

Re: Managing Symbology using Python

Re: Python toolbox - some strange behaviours

Python toolbox - some strange behaviours

Re: Creating multiple symbols for data from the same table

Wierd behaviour - can add a new feature, but not edit it

Re: Post Updates Failed - how to save data that was captured