[GIS] Creating ArcGIS toolbar with new tools using Python

arcobjectsarcpypython-addintoolbar

I have written a number of fairly-simple python functions using arcpy which help a user significantly when performing a certain workflow using various tools (both ArcGIS toolbox tools and external software).

I'd really like to bind some of these functions to buttons on a new ArcGIS toolbar, as they are not really geoprocessing tools, but more like 'Workflow Management Tools', as they do things like show and hide various layers, change symbologies etc, and generally make it easier for the user to perform specific tasks.

Is there a way to do this? I have looked in the documentation and have found various things about how to create toolbar buttons using ArcObjects, and I have found this question about accessing ArcObjects from Python, but I'm not sure how easily these can be combined.

Does anyone know if this can be done, and if so, how?

Best Answer

I know you can create a new toolbar with Buttons/Tools/etc on it, based on Python using ArcGIS 10.1 Addins. You should be able to take advantage of your current Python code and integrate it in these new tools.

Take a look, it is fairly simple to create.

http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.1/index.html#/What_is_a_Python_add_in/014p00000025000000/

Related Solutions

ArcGIS Add-In – How to Store Python Add-In Menu Customization in .esriaddin File

An .esriaddin file is just a ZIP-compressed archive containing the files that make up your add-in. You can open it with something like 7-Zip to prove this to yourself. The Essential Python Add-in concepts article hints at this.

The layout of your-addin, including definitions of toolbars, menus and buttons, is all stored within the config.xml, whose syntax is not particularly well documented anywhere (though you might check the .NET or, particularly, the Java add-in docs which for some reason have a better-documented dissection of the file).

However, you are not really expected to have to mess with the config.xml and are encouraged to instead use the Python Add-in Wizard to build out your add-in's structure. Presumably you are already using this.

As far as adding a menu to a toolbar, and a button to a menu, it's just a matter of right-clicking the appropriate entries in the wizard and selecting the desired items:

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[GIS] Add and remove tools from ArcMap toolbar via C# Button and ArcObjects

ESRI.ArcGIS.Controls.ToolbarControl class is for ArcGIS Engine Application and you shouldn't use it in ArcMap with ArcObject.

To Remove a command from a toolbar: You just need the name or UID of the command you want to remove from a toolbar. Suppose you want to delete fullExtent command from the Tools toolbar:

var fullExtent = asraArcMapEngine.getCommandItem("esriArcMapUI.FullExtentCommand");
fullExtent.Delete();

To Add a button to a Toolbar: 1- first you need to get a handle of the toolbar using this method:

public static ICommandBar GetToolbarByName(IApplication mapplication,String toolbarName)// Example: "esriArcMapUI.StandardToolBar"
            {
                ESRI.ArcGIS.Framework.ICommandBars commandBars = mapplication.Document.CommandBars;
                ESRI.ArcGIS.esriSystem.UID barID = new ESRI.ArcGIS.esriSystem.UIDClass();
                barID.Value = toolbarName; 
                ESRI.ArcGIS.Framework.ICommandItem commandItem = commandBars.Find(barID, false, false);
                if (commandItem != null && commandItem.Type == ESRI.ArcGIS.Framework.esriCommandTypes.esriCmdTypeToolbar)
                {
                    return (ESRI.ArcGIS.Framework.ICommandBar)commandItem;
                }
                else
                    return null;
            }

Then use the method of ICommandBar to add your commands:

ICommandBar cmdBar = GetToolbarByName(application,"esriArcMapUI.StandardToolBar")
cmdBar.Add("UID_of_MyCustomCommand");

Best Answer

Related Solutions

ArcGIS Add-In – How to Store Python Add-In Menu Customization in .esriaddin File

[GIS] Add and remove tools from ArcMap toolbar via C# Button and ArcObjects

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