In this chapter, we will cover the following recipes:
- Getting started with the ArcGIS REST API
- Making HTTP requests and parsing the response with Python
- Getting layer information with the ArcGIS REST API and Python
- Exporting a map with the ArcGIS REST API and Python
- Querying a map service with the ArcGIS REST API and Python
- Geocoding with the Esri World Geocoding Service
- Using FieldMap and FieldMappings
- Using a ValueTable to provide multivalue input to a tool
In this chapter, we will cover some topics that are of a more advanced nature. Specifically, you will learn how to access the ArcGIS REST API using the Python requests module. In doing so, you will learn how to access data and services published by ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online. The Python requests module includes capabilities that allow your script to submit requests to a URL endpoint and receive responses in various formats, including the popular JSON format. Toward the end of the chapter, we will also over a couple of miscellaneous ArcPy topics, including the use of the FieldMap and FieldMappings objects to merge datasets and also working with ValueTables for situations where a tool has the capability of accepting multiple inputs.