A package is a compressed file containing GIS data. You share a package in the same way as any other file—via email, FTP, the cloud, thumb drives, and so on. You share it between colleagues in a workgroup, between departments in an organization, or with other users via ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. The recipient of your package unpacks it and can immediately begin using its contents. You can also use packages to archive your work.
Before you begin packaging
When you create a package, ArcGIS analyzes the result for problems. Based on this analysis, you may have to provide additional information or tool documentation and, in some cases, rerun your tool to create output data.
Document the tool
When packaging a custom model or script tool, your tool needs to be documented (system tools are already documented; only custom tools need further documentation). When packaging, ArcGIS analyzes your tool for a minimal level of documentation; your tool must have at least a summary, one or more tags, and a description for each parameter.
To document your custom model or script tool:
- Find your tool in the Catalog or Geoprocessing pane. Right-click the tool and select View Metadata. A new view opens showing the documentation of your tool.
- Click the Home>Metadata>Edit button in the ribbon.
- Add a Thumbnail by browsing to an image file.
- Enter search keywords in the Tags text box.
- Enter a summary in the Summary (Abstract) text box.
- Enter usage tips in the Usage text box.
- In the Syntax section, expand each parameter and enter a Dialog Explanation. This text is displayed when you hover over the parameter's help icon on the tool dialog.
- Optionally, add a Code Sample, Credits, and Use Limitation to the corresponding sections.
- When finished, click the Metadata>Save button in the ribbon.
Rerun the tool
Geoprocessing History is logged in the Catalog pane whenever you run a tool. The tool must complete successfully for you to be able to share the tool in a geoprocessing package. When packaging, ArcGIS analyzes this tool and copies all input and output data to the package. If this data cannot be found, you will receive errors which must be corrected before you can continue packaging.
Note:
The most common problem with data not being found during packaging is that you're packaging a stale result, meaning a tool that was run a long time ago. Between the time the tool was run and the time you packaged the tool, your data has either been deleted, moved, or renamed, and cannot be found.
To rerun the tool to ensure all input and output data exists and can be included in the package:
- Right-click the tool in Geoprocessing History and select Open to open the tool in the Geoprocessing pane where you can specify parameters before rerunning the tool.
- Or, to simply rerun the tool with the exact same settings previously used, right-click the tool and select Run.
Create and share packages using a geoprocessing tool
You can create a geoprocessing package with the Package Result tool. Once your geoprocessing package is created, you can share it on ArcGIS Online using the Share Package tool.