Calling Tools with Arcpy

Abstract

ArcGIS offers a large array of sophisticated geoprocessing tools which can be accessed from Python using the arcpy package. Chapter 5 introduced the arcpy package and used it to set environment variables. This chapter focuses on how to call ArcGIS geoprocessing tools with arcpy and how to use the tool help documentation and get sample code. We explain the general format for calling tools and how to handle linear unit parameters, multi-value parameters, optional parameters, and return values. We also discuss tools which require specialized approaches, including Calculate Field, Raster Calculator, Make XY Event Layer tools, and tools in the Spatial Analyst toolbox. Then we show how to call tools in a sequential work-fl ow and how to call custom tools.