Create and manage fields

The Fields view is used to manage the fields associated with a layer or table. Using the Fields view, you can edit a layer's or table's fields, modify their properties, delete fields, or create new fields.

The following are edit examples in the Fields view performed on a layer named Building:

1. Change the name and alias of a field
2. Delete unnecessary fields
3. Add a new field called BLDGTYPE to store the type of campus building
4. Apply a domain to a field
5. Apply a default value to a field

These are examples of some standard editing tasks you can do in the Fields view.

Open the Fields view

The Fields view can be opened from the following locations:

• Catalog pane—Right-click the feature class or table where you want to open the Fields view and choose Design > Fields.
• Contents pane—Right-click a layer or table and choose Design > Fields.
• Ribbon—Select a layer in the Contents pane. On the Feature Layer contextual ribbon, click the Data tab, and click Fields in the Design group.
• Attribute table—From the attribute table view, click Add Field to open the Fields view with a new row ready to populate. You can also right-click any column and choose Fields, or click the menu button and click Fields.

Current Layer drop-down menu

When working with fields in Fields view, it is important to note that some of the fields are specific to the layer and some are specific to the data source from which that layer was built. You can switch between the two using the Current Layer drop-down menu at the top of the view. Layer fields are stored with the layer definition in the project, whereas data source fields are stored with the layers source, for example, the feature class on which the layer is based. The difference is important since one data source can have multiple layers associated with it. Changes made to the underlying data source will propagate to the layers that are based on that source. Changes made to the layer level fields will only change for that specific layer.

When you open the Fields view from the Catalog pane, it only shows the fields for the data source. The Current Layer drop-down menu displays the Data Source option and is read-only.

When you open the Fields view from the Content pane, Feature Layer ribbon, or attribute table view, the Current Layer drop-down menu allows you to switch between the layer and the data source. If there are multiple layers in the map from the same source, all of these layers will appear in the drop-down menu.

If Data Source is chosen in the drop-down menu, the following fields are shown:

• Field Name
• Alias
• Data Type
• Allow Null
• Domain
• Default

If a layer is chosen in the drop-down menu, the data source fields and the layer fields are shown. The layer fields are the following:

• Visibility
• Read Only
• Highlight
• Number Format

Apply a sort to field order

In the Feature Layer or Standalone Table ribbon, in the Field Order group options exist to sort ascending or descending by field name. Alternatively, double click the desired column to sort ascending or descending.

Edit a field's name and alias

To edit a field's name, double-click in the cell of the field name you want to change and enter a new name. Do the same to edit the alias of a field.

Delete a field

To delete a field, select the row you want to delete by clicking it in the leftmost column of the data grid. This highlights the entire row. You can delete the field by pressing the Delete key, using the Delete option from the clipboard on the ribbon, or right-clicking the row and clicking Delete.

Tip:

You can also delete a field in the attribute table view by right-clicking a column and choosing Delete, or by selecting a value in the column and clicking the Delete button on the toolbar above the view. Learn more about common table and attribute tasks.

Delete multiple fields

To delete multiple fields, complete the following steps:

1. Select the row you want to delete by clicking it in the leftmost column of the data grid to highlight the row.
2. Press and hold the Ctrl key and select the other rows of fields you want to delete.

   Note:

   Alternatively, you can press and hold Shift and click another row to highlight all rows between the first row you selected and the one you've clicked.

3. Delete the field by pressing the Delete key, using the Delete option from the clipboard on the ribbon, or right-clicking the row and clicking Delete.

Create a field and apply a domain and default value

To create a field, complete the following steps:

1. Click the New Field button on the Fields tab or click the last row in the view that says Click here to add a new field.

   Your pointer is positioned in the Field Name column.

2. Enter a name for the new field.
3. Double-click the Alias column and enter an alias for the field.
4. Select the Data Type column and choose a data type from the drop-down menu.
5. The Allow Null column is unavailable for layers that already contain data. For a newly created layer, or for schema-only layer packages, click the Allow Null drop-down menu and choose Yes or No.
6. To apply a domain to the field, click the drop-down arrow in the Domain column and select one from the list.
   Only valid domain types are displayed in the Domain drop-down list. For example, the option to create a new range domain will not be present on a text field.

   Tip:

   You can also create a new domain from the Domains drop-down list by clicking either Create new range domain or Create new coded value domain. This opens the Domains view with the new domain prepopulated with the properties from the field. After entering the domain properties and clicking Save on the Domains tab, the new domain will be available in the Domains drop-down list in the Fields view and Subtypes view.

   Learn more about how to create and manage domains.
7. To add a default value to the field, click in the Default value cell and enter a value.
8. If you are creating a new text field, you can change the length parameter of the field by clicking in the Length cell and either typing the desired length or clicking the up and down arrows in the cell to reach the desired length.

Tip:

You can also create a new field from the attribute table view by clicking the Add Field button on the toolbar above the view. This opens the Fields view with a new row to populate as described in the steps above. Learn more about common table and attribute tasks.

Save edits made in the Fields view

When you are finished making edits, click the Save button on the Fields tab to apply the edits you've made, and any edits made before this, to the underlying database.

Note:

When there are unsaved edits in an active map the Save button will be disabled and an information banner will alert you. To enable the Save button again you will need to first save or discard the edits in the map.

As edits are made in the Fields view, a green indicator appears next to edited rows. ArcGIS Pro keeps a record of the changes made in the Fields view in memory until they are applied to the database by clicking the Save button on the tab.

A red indicator next to a row indicates an error that will keep that row from being committed when clicking Save. If there is a red indicator on a row that you've edited, you can hover over the indicator and a message will appear explaining the error. When you correct the error, the indicator turns green again. Click the Save button to commit those edits.

If there are unapplied edits when closing the Fields view, a pop-up will alert you with a warning that explains that continuing to close the view will result in those edits being lost. If you click OK, the view will close and the edits will be removed from memory. If you click Cancel, you can apply the edits by clicking the Save button on the tab, or you can fix any errors on rows that have red indicators before applying the edits and closing the Fields view.

Note:

If you edited field properties that are stored on the layer (Visibility, Read Only, Highlight, and Number Format), these edits will only persist if you save the project.