Python
A few random notes on Python
Geoprocessing
ESRI
See also Model Builder
31-Dec-2007 update: ArcGIS Desktop 9.3 includes a new python wrapper module that makes working with ArcObjects a lot easier. I am using ActiveState 2.4.3 with it with good results. It breaks if you try to move up to 2.5.1.
You now just use the python line "import arcgisscripting" instead of directly invoking the COM dispatch thing.
Old notes:
This guy seems to have slogged through a lot of development with it and collected useful notes: http://www.ollivier.co.nz/support/python.shtm
I can add a new one to his list. I was getting error messages on setting gp.workspace = 'foo' where foo is a valid path. It's because the gp object was hanging around in pythonwin's memory. You should be able to say 'del gp' but I gave up and restarted pythonwin to fix it.
When working with ArcToolbox 9.1 and Python 2.1 I have been having lots of crashes in PythonWin. Using it on a computer with ActiveState 2.4.3 I have not been experiencing the same problems. I am going to try installing 2.4x without removing 2.1 so I can fall back on it... I followed the instructions above.
It still crashes. Oh joy. It does not even crash faster.
Open source
How about geoprocessing with OGR/GDAL? Will that do it for me?
Getting Python 2.4 and GDAL without disrupting the ESRI installation... See also Howard Butler's site.
FWtools installs a GUI called OpenEV_FW and a shell environment. It comes with python 2.3.4 which is old. I think Frank does this because it's stable and test with his tools. Going to a newer version means the DLL won't work so you'd need to compile your own.
23-Aug-2006 Python+OGR probably not worth messing with right now. From the OGR site: The Python API isn't really well documented at this time, but parallels the C/C++ APIs. The interface classes can be browsed in the pymod/ogr.py (simple features) and pymod/osr.py (coordinate systems) python modules. The pymod/samples/assemblepoly.py sample script is one demonstration of using the python API.
Links
Python on Windows CE (and Pocket PC)
Links into official python docs
TUTORIAL http://docs.python.org/tut/tut.html
GENERAL http://docs.python.org/
