1

I'm currently trying to update the fields of a shapefile, with a list I've compiled outside of the arcpy environment. Trying both UpdateCursor which I can't seem to get to work, and FieldCalculator. FieldCalculator just updates it with "P[2]"

photoname = []

for p in shp_list:
    name = p[2]
    photoname.append(name)

    # arcpy.CalculateField_management(out_shapefile,"PhotoName","'p[2]'","PYTHON_9.3")

I've also tried:

updt_cursor = arcpy.da.UpdateCursor(out_shapefile, fields)
for row in updt_cursor:
    val = str(row[0])
    for p in shp_list:
        if val in p:
            row[2] = p_name
            updt_cursor.updateRow(row)

And UpdateCursor is blank.

I know I could create a .txt from the list, then update the fields with the line in the .txt file with InsertCursor, but I feel like there should be a more efficient way to do this. For context, I'm creating point shapefiles of the X/Y from the exif data, and want to fill in the corresponding image name.

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    Make sure to close the update cursor. You can do so with del updt_cusor at the end, but the better practice is to use a with block so it gets done automatically. See the examples: pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/arcpy/data-access/… Commented Oct 13, 2020 at 19:58
  • @mikewatt Updated to be consistent with the documentation still no change. Commented Oct 13, 2020 at 20:07
  • 2
    Then you're left with logical errors. The if val in p: condition is never met-- if it was, you would get an exception because you never defined p_name. Do some standard debugging here: print out shp_list to make sure it contains what you expect, print val from within the main loop, print p from within the inner loop, etc. Commented Oct 13, 2020 at 21:43
  • 1
    Agreed with @mikewatt in that you need to check your iterables. Can you show us what shp_list and some of the corresponding val values? Commented Oct 13, 2020 at 21:51

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

To fix your field calculator statement change it to:

arcpy.CalculateField_management(out_shapefile,"PhotoName","'" + p[2] + "'","PYTHON_9.3")
Improve this answer
1
  • This works, kind of. now it's just an iteration fix. They're all photo 22. I can figure it out from here. I can't believe I missed something so simple. Commented Oct 14, 2020 at 12:06

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.