An overview of ArcPy functions

ArcPy provides a number of functions to better support workflows using Python.

In addition to the functions listed in this topic, all geoprocessing tools can be accessed as ArcPy functions; see Using tools in Python for more information. Additional functions can be found in other ArcPy modules, including the following:

• Charts (arcpy.charts)
• Data Access (arcpy.da)
• Geocoding (arcpy.geocoding)
• Image Analysis (arcpy.ia)
• Mapping (arcpy.mp)
• Metadata (arcpy.metadata)
• Network Analyst (arcpy.nax and arcpy.na)
• Sharing (arcpy.sharing)
• Spatial Analyst (arcpy.sa)
• Workflow Manager (arcpy.wmx)

Learn more about using functions in Python

ArcGIS Online / Portal functions

Function	Description
ClearCredentials	Removes ArcGIS Server credential information from a client machine to disable access to secured services.
GetActivePortalURL	Returns the URL of the active portal.
GetPortalDescription	Returns a dictionary of portal information.
GetPortalInfo	Returns a dictionary that contains information about available portals.
GetSigninToken	Returns token information when signed in to ArcGIS.com or a local portal.
ImportCredentials	Imports credentials from a GIS server connection file for ArcGIS Server nontoken-based secured services.
ListPortalURLs	Returns a list of available portal URLs.
SignInToPortal	Allows you to sign in to a portal.

Cursor functions

Function	Description
InsertCursor	Inserts rows of attribute values into a specified feature class or table.
SearchCursor	Returns rows of attribute values from a feature class or table.
UpdateCursor	Updates or deletes rows of attribute values from a feature class or table.

Data store functions

Function	Description
AddDataStoreItem	Registers a folder or database with an ArcGIS Server site.
ListDataStoreItems	Returns a list of the folders or databases registered with an ArcGIS Server site.
RemoveDataStoreItem	Unregisters a folder or database from an ArcGIS Server site.
ValidateDataStoreItem	Validates whether a folder or database has been successfully registered with an ArcGIS Server site.

Describing data functions

Function
Describe	Describes a data element and returns a Describe object with multiple properties, such as data type, fields, indexes, and many others. Its properties are dynamic, meaning that depending on the data type described, different describe properties will be available for use.

Environment functions

Function	Description
ClearEnvironment	Resets a specific environment setting to its default.
GetSystemEnvironment	Gets a specified system environment variable value, such as TEMP.
ListEnvironments	Returns a list of geoprocessing environment names.
ResetEnvironments	Resets all environment settings to their default settings.

Field functions

Function	Description
AddFieldDelimiters	Adds field delimiters to a field name to allow for use in SQL expressions.
ParseFieldName	Parses a fully qualified field name into its components (database, owner name, table name, and field name) depending on the workspace. ParseFieldName returns a string that includes the parsed table name and contains the database, owner, table, and field names, separated by commas. The workspace must be a file, or enterprise geodatabase.
ValidateFieldName	Returns a valid field name for a database based on a field name and a path to a database. All invalid characters in the input field name are replaced with an underscore. The field name restrictions depend on the type of database.

General functions

Function	Description
AIOFileOpen	Opens a local or cloud file handle that supports context manager protocol.
AlterAliasName	Updates the alias name for a table or feature class.
ArealUnitConversionFactor	Returns the factor for converting an area measurement to a different areal unit.
Command	Runs a geoprocessing tool as a single string.
CreateObject	Creates a geoprocessing object. The extra arguments can be used to specify additional requirements for the object creation such as the number of columns in the ValueTable object.
CreateRandomValueGenerator	Creates a new random number generator.
IsBeingEdited	Determines whether the given dataset or workspace is in an edit session.
LinearUnitConversionFactor	Returns the factor for converting a distance measurement to a different linear unit.
ListPrinterNames	Returns a list of available printers on the local computer.
RefreshLayer	Refreshes the map views containing the specified layers.
Usage	Returns the syntax for the specified tool or function.

General data functions

Function	Description
CreateScratchName	Creates a unique scratch path name for the specified data type. If no workspace is given the current workspace is used.
CreateUniqueName	Creates a unique name for the specified workspace by appending a number to the input name. This number is incremented until the name is unique. If no workspace is specified, the current workspace is used.
Exists	Determines the existence of the specified data object. This function tests for the existence of various data types including feature classes, tables, datasets, shapefiles, workspaces, layers, and files. The function returns a Boolean indicating whether the element exists.
ParseTableName	Parses a table name into its components (database, owner, table) depending on the workspace. ParseTableName returns a string containing the parsed table name, with the database name, owner name, and table name, separated by commas. This workspace must be a personal, file, or enterprise geodatabase.
TestSchemaLock	Tests if a schema lock can be acquired for a feature class, table, or feature dataset. Tools that alter schema will require a schema lock to be placed on the input data. The Add Field tool is an example of such a tool. If the tool requires a schema lock and is unable to acquire one when the tool is run, an appropriate error message is returned. Scripts that use such tools should test if a schema lock can be acquired on the input data. The TestSchemaLock function will not actually apply a schema lock on the input data, but will return a Boolean.
ValidateTableName	Returns a valid table name for a workspace based on a table name and a workspace path. All invalid characters in the input table name are replaced with an underscore. The table name restrictions depend on the type of database.

Geodatabase administration functions

Function	Description
AcceptConnections	Allows an administrator to enable or disable the ability of nonadministrative users to make connections to an enterprise geodatabase.
DisconnectUser	The DisconnectUser function allows an administrator to disconnect users who are currently connected to an enterprise geodatabase.
ListUsers	Returns a list of named tuples containing information for users who are connected to an enterprise geodatabase.

Geometry functions

Function	Description
AsShape	Converts Esri JSON or GeoJSON geometry to ArcPy geometry, and Esri JSON feature sets to ArcPy feature sets. GeoJSON is a geospatial data interchange format for encoding geographic data structures.
FromCoordString	Converts a coordinate system notation string to a PointGeometry object in WGS84 coordinates.
FromGeohash	Converts a geohash string to an Extent object in WGS 1984 coordinates that represents the corresponding bounding box in the geohash grid.
FromWKB	Creates a geometry object from a well-known binary (WKB) string stored as a bytearray or bytes object.
FromWKT	Creates a geometry object from a well-known text (WKT) string.

Licensing and installation functions

Function	Description
CheckExtension	Checks to see if a license is available to be checked out for a specific type of extension.
CheckInExtension	Returns the license to the License Manager so other applications can use it.
CheckOutExtension	Retrieves the license from the License Manager.
CheckProduct	Checks to see if the requested license is available.
GetInstallInfo	Returns a dictionary that contains information about the installation.
ListInstallations	Returns a list of installation types.
ProductInfo	Returns the current product license.

Listing data functions

Function	Description
ListDatasets	Returns a list of datasets in the current workspace. Search conditions can be specified for the dataset name and dataset type to limit the list that is returned.
ListFeatureClasses	Returns a list of the feature classes in the current workspace, limited by name, feature type, and optional feature dataset.
ListFields	Returns a list of fields in a feature class, shapefile, or table in a specified dataset. The returned list can be limited with search criteria for name and field type and will contain Field objects.
ListFiles	Returns a list of files in the current workspace.
ListIndexes	Returns a list of the indexes in a feature class, shapefile, or table in a specified dataset.
ListRasters	Returns a list of the rasters in the current workspace.
ListTables	Returns a list of tables in the current workspace.
ListVersions	Lists the versions the connected user has permission to use.
ListWorkspaces	Returns a list of workspaces in the current workspace.

Logging functions

Function	Description
GetLogHistory	Determines whether history logging is active.
GetLogMetadata	Determines whether geoprocessing operations are written to dataset metadata.
SetLogHistory	Controls whether information about the execution of geoprocessing tools is written to an external log file.
SetLogMetadata	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.

Message and error handling functions

Function	Description
AddError	Adds an error message (severity of 2) to the messages of a script tool or Python toolbox tool.
AddIDMessage	Use system ID messages with a script tool.
AddMessage	Adds an informative message (severity of 0) to the messages of a script tool or Python toolbox tool.
AddReturnMessage	Sets the return message of a script tool as an output message by index.
AddWarning	Adds a warning message (severity of 1) to the messages of a script tool or Python toolbox tool.
GetAllMessages	Returns the message types, return codes, and message strings from the previously run tool.
GetIDMessage	Get the string of the error or warning ID message.
GetMaxSeverity	Gets the maximum severity returned from the previously run tool.
GetMessage	Returns a geoprocessing tool message by index position.
GetMessageCount	Returns a numeric count of all the returned messages from the previously run tool.
GetMessages	Returns the geoprocessing messages from a tool by a specified severity level.
GetReturnCode	Returns the message error code for a geoprocessing message.
GetSeverity	Gets the severity code (0, 1, 2) of the specified message by index.
GetSeverityLevel	Returns the severity level. The severity level is used to control how geoprocessing tools throw exceptions.
SetMessageLevels	Sets additional categories of informative messages to be returned with geoprocessing tool messages.
SetSeverityLevel	Controls how geoprocessing tools throw exceptions.

Parameter functions

Function	Description
CopyParameter	Copies the specified parameter by index or parameter name to another parameter in the script tool. The specified parameters must be of the same data type.
GetArgumentCount	Returns the number of arguments passed to the script.
GetParameter	From the parameter list, select the desired parameter by its index or its name. The parameter is returned as an object.
GetParameterAsText	Gets the specified parameter as a text string by its index position or parameter name.
GetParameterCount	Returns a count of the parameter values for the specified tool. If the tool is contained in a custom toolbox, use the ImportToolbox function to access the custom tool.
GetParameterInfo	Returns a list of parameter objects for a given tool and is commonly used in a script tool's ToolValidator class.
GetParameterValue	For a specified tool name, returns the default value of the desired parameter. The parameter is specified by either index or parameter name.
SetParameter	Sets a specified parameter property by index or parameter name using an object. This function is used to pass objects from a script to a script tool. If you need to pass a string, use the SetParameterAsText function.
SetParameterAsText	Gets the specified parameter as a text string by its index position or parameter name.
SetParameterSymbology	Sets the symbology properties of the specified output parameter of a script tool by index or parameter name.

Progress dialog functions

Function	Description
ResetProgressor	Resets the progressor to its initial state.
SetProgressor	Establishes a progressor object to support progress information to be displayed in the Geoprocessing pane. The appearance of the progressor can be controlled by choosing either the default progressor or the step progressor.
SetProgressorLabel	Updates the progressor label in the Geoprocessing pane.
SetProgressorPosition	Updates the progressor status bar in the Geoprocessing pane.

Publishing functions

Function	Description
CreateGeocodeSDDraft	Converts a locator to a Service Definition Draft file (.sddraft) that can be used to create a service definition for publishing a geocode service.
CreateGPSDDraft	Converts Result objects and result files (.rlt) to a service definition draft file (.sddraft).
CreateImageSDDraft	Converts a raster or mosaic dataset to a Service Definition Draft file (.sddraft).

Raster functions

Function	Description
GetImageEXIFProperties	Returns EXIF header information from a geotagged image.
NumpyArrayToRaster	Converts a NumPy array to a raster.
RasterToNumPyArray	Converts a raster to a NumPy array.
Render	Creates a rendered raster object by applying symbology to the referenced raster dataset. This function is useful when displaying data in a Jupyter notebook.

Spatial reference and transformation functions

Function	Description
GenerateOptimalCoordinateSystem	Generates a SpatialReference object with a custom projected coordinate system optimal for the specified extent and intended purpose of your map or analysis.
ListSpatialReferences	Returns a list of available spatial reference names for use as an argument to the SpatialReference class.
ListTransformations	Returns a list of valid transformation methods. An extent can be used to narrow the list of valid transformation methods for a specific geographic area.

Tool and toolbox functions

Function	Description
AddToolbox	Imports the specified toolbox into ArcPy, allowing for access to the toolbox's associated tools.
DecryptPYT	Decrypt an encrypted Python toolbox file.
EncryptPYT	Encrypts a Python toolbox file.
ImportToolbox	Imports a geoprocessing toolbox for use in ArcPy, allowing access to the toolbox's associated tools.
IsSynchronous	Determines if a tool is running synchronous or asynchronous. When a tool is synchronous, the results are automatically returned, but no other action may be taken until the tool has completed. All non-server tools are synchronous. Server tools may be asynchronous, meaning that once the tool has been submitted to the server, other functionality can be run without waiting, and the results must be explicitly requested from the server.
ListToolboxes	Returns a list of toolboxes.
ListTools	Returns a list of geoprocessing tools.
RemoveToolbox	Removes the specified toolbox, either by specifying its path or referencing its alias. Removes the specified toolbox from the current geoprocessing session. Server toolboxes can also be removed using a semicolon delimiter.