Selecting features with the Select by Location tool

The Select Layer by Location tool, as shown in the next screenshot, can be used to select features based on some type of spatial relationship. Since it deals with spatial relationships, this tool only applies to feature classes and their corresponding in-memory feature layers.

Getting ready

There are many different types of spatial relationships that you can apply while selecting features using the Select by Location tool, including intersect, contains, within, boundary touches, is identical, and many others. If it's not specified, the default intersect spatial relationship will be applied. The input feature layer is the only required parameter, but there are a number of optional parameters, including the spatial relationship, search distance, a feature layer, or feature class to test against the input layer, and a selection type. In this recipe, you will learn how to use the Select by Location tool in a Python script to select features based...