Appendix A. Overview of Python Libraries for ArcGIS

The initial stage of any programming task requires some research into the most appropriate software libraries to use for the job. A developer must also have a good understanding of the classes that are included in the libraries along with the properties and methods that are available for these objects. Unless you have been working with a particular programming library for some time, this information will not be readily apparent and documentation is not always presented in a manner that makes it easy to understand. The goal of this chapter is to introduce you to the ArcGIS programming libraries that are available to ArcGIS Desktop Python programmers. We'll give you a high-level overview of the core ArcPy library along with the ArcPy mapping and data access modules as well as the ArcGIS REST API.