PROBLEM

Changing a layer name in the Table of Contents does not change the shapefile name

Last Published: April 25, 2020

Description

When a user attempts to change the name of a layer in the Table of Contents, the name of the source shapefile remains unchanged.

Cause

If a copy of a layer or an additional layer's name is changed in the Table of Contents, the name is only changed for display purposes. The actual source file name is not changed by updating the name in the Table of Contents.

Solution or Workaround

To change the file name and source, export the data to a new shapefile with a new name. This allows users to make a copy of the data and specify a new file name.

For more information, refer to the Web Help topic Exporting selected features with the Export Data command.

Article ID: 000012095

Software: