Summary
Creates a unique name in the specified workspace by appending a number to the input name. This number is increased until the name is unique. If no workspace is specified, the current workspace is used.
Syntax
CreateUniqueName (base_name, {workspace})| Parameter | Explanation | Data Type |
base_name | The base name used to create the unique name. | String |
workspace | The workspace used for creation of the unique name. | String |
Return Value
| Data Type | Explanation |
| String | The unique name with a number appended to make it unique in the workspace. The number starts at 0 and is incremented until it is unique. |
Code sample
CreateUniqueName example
Creates a unique name for use with the Buffer and Clip tools.
import arcpy
# Set workspace
arcpy.env.workspace = "c:/data"
# Create a unique name for the Buffer tool's derived output.
unique_name = arcpy.CreateUniqueName("temp.shp")
# Use unique name for Buffer Tool output dataset name
arcpy.Buffer_analysis("roads.shp", unique_name, "100 feet")
# Clip output from Buffer tool with County Boundary to obtain buffered roads
# in county.
arcpy.Clip_analysis(unique_name, "county.shp", "clipped_roads.shp")