Geoprocessing history

The geoprocessing tools you run are logged and saved with the project. You can view detailed information about each tool that was run and reopen the tool with the same settings you previously used. Geoprocessing history will help you be more productive and allow you to better understand the processes that created the data and layers in the project.

When you run any geoprocessing tool, an entry is added under the Geoprocessing tab in the History pane. To access history for geoprocessing tools, on the Analysis ribbon, in the Geoprocessing group, click the History button .

History entries

Each history entry maintains detailed information about the tool, including the following:

• The tool input, output, and other parameter settings.
• Any custom geoprocessing environment settings.
• When the tool was run, when the tool completed, and how long it took to complete.
• Whether the tool completed successfully or failed.
• Any information, warning, or error messages.
• Links to output reports or files, such as PDF or HTML documents. When clicked, these files will open in your default system application for the file type.

Manage history

If you open the project at a later time to continue your work, all of the geoprocessing tools you previously ran in the project will be available to review in geoprocessing history. You can reopen and run any of the tools in the history by double-clicking the entry, or right-click and select Open.

You can remove any history entries that you do not want to keep in the project. Select any entries you want to remove, right-click, and select Remove. Single or multiple selected history entries can also be removed using the Remove button located at the top of the history entries list.

History favorites

Tools in the project geoprocessing history can be marked as a favorite, which pins the tool to the top of the geoprocessing history Favorites section. Right-click a tool and select Add To History Favorites to add it to the Favorites section. Tools marked as a favorite will be listed in the Favorites section and will also continue to appear in the main geoprocessing history view according to the selected sorting method.

To remove a tool marked as a favorite, right-click the tool in the Favorites section and select Remove From History Favorites .

Filter history

You can apply the following filters to geoprocessing history using the Filter pull-down menu :

• Type—Local, Portal
• Status—In Progress, Completed, Failed
• Input Layer—A list of the layers used as input by all tools in history

To filter history, follow these steps:

1. Open the History pane and select the Geoprocessing tab .
2. Click the Filter pull-down menu .
3. Expand the filter type you want to specify.
4. Check or uncheck boxes to display or hide tools in the geoprocessing history using the filter.

   You can use the Select All check box at the top of the Filter menu to check or uncheck all filters. After unchecking all filters, check a type, status, or input layer to see the geoprocessing history entries that match that filter.

Automate geoprocessing using history

You can use the geoprocessing tools run from the Geoprocessing pane as a starting point to automate your work with ModelBuilder or Python.

Geoprocessing history entries can be dragged onto a ModelBuilder view. The tools and all parameter settings will be added and connected in the model. You can also right-click history entries and select Add To Model, and the tools and all data required to run the tools will be added to an open model. If no model is open, a model will be created in the project toolbox. You can select multiple history entries and add them to a model to build a connected chain of processes in the model, where the output of one tool may feed into another tool as input.

Geoprocessing history items can also be converted to Python. Right-click one or more history items and select one of the following options:

• Copy Python Command—Copy the selected tools as Python code.
• Send To Python window—Send Python code for the selected tools to the Python window.
• Send To Notebook—Send Python code for the selected tools to an ArcGIS Notebooks. If a notebook is open, the Python code will be copied to the open notebook. If a notebook is not open, the Python code will be copied to a new notebook.
• Save As Python Script—Save to a Python script (.py).

You can also select multiple history items and add them to the Python window or a notebook.

If any geoprocessing environments were in use when the tool was run, the environment will be included in the Python code using the arcpy.EnvManager class.

Learn more about running geoprocessing tools in Python

Share your analysis

Geoprocessing history plays a key role when sharing your analysis as either a geoprocessing package or a web tool. Any analysis you want to share must first have been run successfully and logged in your geoprocessing history.

Learn more about sharing analysis

Geoprocessing logging options

The following geoprocessing options control how the geoprocessing tools you run are logged in geoprocessing history, external XML logs, and dataset metadata.

Write geoprocessing operations to Geoprocessing History

This option controls whether the tools you run are added to the current project's geoprocessing history.

• Checked—Every tool run is logged in the project's geoprocessing history. This is the default.
• Unchecked—Tools are not logged in geoprocessing history.

Write geoprocessing operations to an XML log file

This option controls whether information about all the geoprocessing tools you run is written to an external log file.

• Checked—XML log files are created in the %AppData%\Esri\ArcGISPro\ArcToolbox\History directory.
• Unchecked—XML log files are not created. This is the default.

Write geoprocessing operations to dataset metadata

This option controls whether geoprocessing tool input and output datasets' metadata is updated to include the tool name, parameters, when the tool was run, and other information.