Automate creating feature classes

Summary

GIS managers and administrators sometimes need to automate the creation of feature classes based on a template. The steps below describe how to do this.

Procedure

1. Modify the below variables as needed:

   Code:
   #Database connection file path
   conn = r"Database Connections\Loop.sde"
   
   #Name of feature classes to be created
   FCList = ["State_Px1","Ozonex1","Birajx1"]
   
   #Name of fields to be populated for first feature class
   
   fields1 = ['State', 'State_Code', 'Xfield']
   
   #Name of fields to be populated for second feature class
   
   fields2 = ['Areax', 'Ozone_Amt', 'S3']
   
   #field types for feature class one
   fieldType1 = ["TEXT", "DOUBLE", "LONG"]
   
   #field types for feature class two
   fieldType2 = ["TEXT", "DOUBLE", "LONG"]

2. Python script:

   Code:
   import arcpy, string, os
   def CreateFeatureClass(conn, fc,logWorkspace,logFC):
    outLog = open(os.path.join(logWorkspace, logFC), 'w')
   
    arcpy.CreateFeatureclass_management(conn,fc,"POLYGON","","DISABLED","DISABLED","GEOGCS['GCS_WGS_1984',DATUM'D_WGS_1984',SPHEROID['WGS_1984',6378137.0,298.257223563]],PRIMEM['Greenwich',0.0],UNIT['Degree',0.0174532925199433]];-400 -400 1000000000;-100000 10000;-100000 
   10000;8.98315284119522E-09;0.001;0.001;IsHighPrecision","","0","0","0")
    print "created fc {0}".format(fc)
    outLog.write("Created feature class {0}".format(fc))
    outLog.write("\n")
    outLog.close()
   
   def AddFields(conn_fc, fieldList, fieldType):
   
    for field, ftype in zip(fieldList,fieldType):
   
    arcpy.AddField_management(conn_fc,field,ftype,"","","","","NULLABLE","NON_REQUIRED","")
    print "Added field {0} for fc: {1}".format(field, conn_fc)
   
   
   if __name__=="__main__":
   
    #Variables to populate
    conn = r"Database Connections\Loop.sde"
    FCList = ["State_Px1","Ozonex1","Birajx1"]
    fields1 = ['State', 'State_Code', 'Xfield']
    fields2 = ['Areax', 'Ozone_Amt', 'S3']
    fieldType1 = ["TEXT", "DOUBLE", "LONG"]
    fieldType2 = ["TEXT", "DOUBLE", "LONG"]
   
    logFC = "CreatedFC_log.txt"
    logWorkspace = r"C:\temp"
   
   
    fcpy_list = []
   
    #Create Feature Classes
    cnt = 0
    for fc in FCList:
    CreateFeatureClass(conn, fc, logWorkspace,str(cnt) + logFC )
    fcpy_list.append(fc)
    cnt += 1
    del fc
   
    conn1_fc = conn + os.sep + fcpy_list[0]
    conn2_fc = conn + os.sep + fcpy_list[1]
    conn3_fc = conn + os.sep + fcpy_list[2]
    AddFields(conn1_fc, fields1,fieldType1)
    AddFields(conn2_fc, fields2,fieldType2)
    AddFields(conn3_fc, fields2,fieldType2)