Geoprocessing
From Wildsong
Online help: http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.1/index.cfm
Different ways to do geoprocessing in ArcGIS
- Basic stuff the buffering in ArcMap
- From ArcToolbox in either ArcMap or ArcCatalog
- Command line, either a shell or from a command window in ArcCatalog; if you run it in an ArcCatalog window it helps you type the right args. Not quite sure why anyone would want to use the command line this way...
- Model Builder can be used to invoke standard tools or to call your scripts.
- Scripting usually with Python, then calling scripts from one of the above methods.
TIPS
ArcCatalog Tools->Options->Geoprocessing
Check the box to allow overwriting of files, so that you don't end up creating numbered files like water_1 and allstreets_3
Set your default tools directory to something reasonable.