ArcToolbox
From Wiki.GIS.com
 | |
| Developer(s) | Esri |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 9.3.1 / May 2009 |
| Operating system | MS Windows |
| Type | Geographic information system |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | http://www.esri.com |
Contents |
[edit] ArcToolbox
Main article: ArcGIS
ArcToolbox is an integrated application developed by Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri). It provides a reference to the toolboxes [1] to facilitate user interface in ArcGIS for accessing and organizing a collection of geoprocessing tools, models and scripts.
A tool box is a container which contains all the tools required to perform any advanced task in a particular domain. Similarly, ArcToolbox is a container in which all the tools required to facilitate advanced Geoprocessing tasks are organized in a logical way.
[edit] Inside of ArcToolbox
Tools in ArcToolbox are grouped logically as under:
- Toolbox - Container for toolsets and tools
- A toolbox can contain 'n' numbers of Toolsets
- A System Toolbox cannot be deleted however it can be removed from ArcToolbox Window
- One can create his own custom toolbox and add it to the ArcToolbox structure
- A custom toolbox can be stored at any custom location
- A toolbox can not contain another toolbox
- Toolset - Logical container of tools and other toolsets (i.e. folder)
- Custom Toolset can be added, renamed or removed from the Toolboxes[2]
- System Toolsets can be removed from Toolbox
- It is not mandatory to have a Toolset within a toolbox. Based on variety actions performed by the tools stored in a toolbox, one can decide whether to create a toolset or not.
- Tool - Single geoprocessing operation (includes dialogs, models, and scripts)
- A tool can be stored at Toolbox level or within the Toolset
- In case when tools with same names are stored, the logical grouping is recommended
- Presence of Tools depend on the Extensions available
General - All the Toolboxes, Toolsets and Tools within the ArcToolbox are sorted alphabetically.
| Method of access | Way of access | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| ArcToolbox Window | ArcGIS Application | Provides a user friendly GUI to work with tools |
| Command Line | Command prompt | Very efficient for command line aficionado Supporting intelligent auto-completion of commands |
| Model Builder | Model | An 'executable Flow chart' for GIS processing Powerful multi-step processing, yet simple to create and use |
| Script or Program | Function call in a Script or program | Providing decision making and looping to support Batch Processing |
[edit] Development in ArcToolbox
The ArcToolbox functionality has undergone reorganization and has been enhanced from ArcGIS version 8x to 9.0.
- ArcToolbox in earlier versions of ArcGIS 8x
- It was a separate module
- ArcGIS 8.3 primarily supported coverages
- VBA was the only alternative in 8x for scripting
- ArcToolbox in ArcGIS release 9
- Available as an integrated window in ArcCatalog or ArcMap
- All ArcToolbox tools support all data types (geodatabase, shapefiles, coverages)
- New scripting capability for repetitive actions
- Python, JScript and VBScript - simpler to use than VB for Applications
- Model builder – a diagrammatic modeling tool, invaluable for tracking and replicating geoprocessing steps, was added
[edit] Common Toolboxes
Common toolboxes present within ArcToolbox are:
- Analysis Toolbox
- It provides a powerful set of tools to perform various geoprocessing operations, such as overlays, create buffers, calculate statistics, and perform proximity analysis of all types of vector data
- Cartography Toolbox
- The tools in the Cartography toolbox are designed to produce data and support map production for specific maps in a way that meets a specific cartographic standard
- Conversion Toolbox
- It contains tools that convert data between various formats
- Coverage Toolbox
- It contains a powerful set of tools to perform various geoprocessing operations that only use coverage as input and will only output data as coverage
- Data Management Toolbox
- A rich and varied collection of tools that are used to develop, manage, and maintain feature classes, datasets, layers, and raster data structures are grouped in this toolbox
- Geocoding Toolbox
- It contains tools to assist in accomplishing common geocoding tasks such as, creation, maintenance, and deletion of address locators, as well as the actual geocoding of addresses
- Linear Referencing Toolbox
- It contains a series of tools for creating, calibrating, and displaying the data used for linear referencing
- Spatial Analyst Toolbox
- With the tools available in this toolbox, one can create, query, map, and analyze cell-based raster data; perform integrated raster/vector analysis; derive new information from existing data; query information across multiple data layers; and fully integrate cell-based raster data with traditional vector data sources
[edit] References
[edit] See also
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