All toolboxes have an alias which, when combined with the tool name, provides a unique reference to any tool in ArcGIS for Desktop. This alias is necessary because a number of tools have the same name. When referencing a tool from your Python script, it is necessary to reference both the tool name and alias.
In the last recipe, we looked at the Clip tool. There are actually three Clip tools, which can be found in the Analysis Tools, Coverage Tools, and Data Management Tools toolboxes. Each Clip tool performs a different function. For instance, the Clip tool in the Analysis Tools toolbox clips a vector feature class using an input feature, while the Clip tool in the Data Management Tools toolbox is used to create a spatial subset of a raster. Since it is possible to have multiple tools with the same name, we can uniquely identify a particular tool by providing both the tool name and the toolbox alias in which the tool resides. In this recipe, you will learn how to find the alias of a toolbox.
- Open
C:ArcpyBookCh5Crime_Ch5.mxdin ArcMap. - If necessary, open ArcToolbox.
- Find the Analysis Tools toolbox, as shown in the following screenshot:
- Right-click on the Analysis Tools toolbox and select Properties. This will display the Analysis Tools Properties dialog box, as shown in the following screenshot. The Alias: textbox will contain the alias:
You can follow this process to find the alias name of any toolbox. In a Python script, you can execute a tool by referring to the tool with the <toolname>_<toolbox alias> syntax. For example, if you were calling the Buffer tool, it would be Buffer_analysis. Toolbox aliases are invariably simple. They are typically one word and do not include dashes or special characters. In the next recipe, we'll create a simple script that follows this format to execute a tool.