Introduction

ArcGIS for Desktop contains over 800 geoprocessing tools, which can be used in your Python scripts. Using geoprocessing tools from your Pythons scripts enables you to execute complex workflows and perform batch geoprocessing tasks. In this chapter, you will learn how to use these tools in your scripts. Each tool has unique characteristics. The syntax to execute each will differ depending upon the type of input required to successfully execute the tool. We'll examine how you can determine the input parameters for any tool by using the ArcGIS for Desktop help system. The execution of a tool results in the creation of one or more output datasets along with a set of messages that are generated while the tool is running. We'll examine how you can use these messages.