ArcGIS for Desktop

  • Documentation
  • Pricing
  • Support

  • My Profile
  • Help
  • Sign Out
ArcGIS for Desktop

ArcGIS Online

The mapping platform for your organization

ArcGIS for Desktop

A complete professional GIS

ArcGIS for Server

GIS in your enterprise

ArcGIS for Developers

Tools to build location-aware apps

ArcGIS Solutions

Free template maps and apps for your industry

ArcGIS Marketplace

Get apps and data for your organization

  • Documentation
  • Pricing
  • Support
Esri
  • Sign In
user
  • My Profile
  • Sign Out

Help

  • Home
  • Get Started
  • Map
  • Analyze
  • Manage Data
  • Tools
  • More...

Feature Class To Shapefile

  • Summary
  • Usage
  • Syntax
  • Code sample
  • Environments
  • Licensing information

Summary

Copies the features from one or more feature classes or layers to a folder of shapefiles.

Usage

  • Shapefiles have many limitations compared to feature classes in a geodatabase. For example, shapefile attributes cannot store null values; they round up numbers, they have poor support for Unicode character strings, they do not allow field names longer than 10 characters, and they cannot store both a date and time in a field. Additionally, they do not support capabilities found in geodatabases such as domains and subtypes.

    Learn more about shapefile limitations

  • The name of the output shapefile will be the name of the input feature class. For example, if the input is C:\base.gdb\rivers, the output shapefile will be named rivers.shp. To explicitly control the output shapefile name and for some additional conversion options, see the Feature Class To Feature Class tool.

  • If the output shapefile already exists in the Output Folder, a number will be appended to the end to make the shapefile name unique (for example, rivers_1.shp).

Syntax

FeatureClassToShapefile_conversion (Input_Features, Output_Folder)
ParameterExplanationData Type
Input_Features
[Input_Features,...]

The list of input feature classes or feature layers that will be converted and added to the output folder.

Feature Layer
Output_Folder

The folder where the shapefiles will be written.

Folder

Code sample

FeatureClassToShapefile example 1 (Python window)

The following Python window script demonstrates how to use the FeatureClassToShapefile function in immediate mode.

import arcpy
from arcpy import env
env.workspace = "C:/data/airport.gdb"
arcpy.FeatureClassToShapefile_conversion(["county", "parcels", "schools"],
                                         "C:/output")
FeatureClassToShapefile example 2 (stand-alone script)

The following stand-alone script demonstrates how to use the FeatureClassToShapefile function.

# Name: FeatureClassToShapefile_Example2.py
# Description: Use FeatureClassToGeodatabase to copy feature classes
#  to shapefiles
 
# Import system modules
import arcpy
from arcpy import env
 
# Set environment settings
env.workspace = "C:/data"
 
# Set local variables
inFeatures = ["climate.shp", "majorrds.shp"]
outLocation = "C:/output"
 
# Execute FeatureClassToGeodatabase
arcpy.FeatureClassToShapefile_conversion(inFeatures, outLocation)

Environments

  • Current Workspace
  • Scratch Workspace
  • Output Coordinate System
  • Geographic Transformations
  • Extent
  • XY Resolution
  • XY Tolerance
  • Output has M values
  • M Resolution
  • M Tolerance
  • Output has Z values
  • Default Output Z Value
  • Z Resolution
  • Z Tolerance
  • Qualified Field Names
  • Output CONFIG Keyword
  • Auto Commit
  • Output Spatial Grid 1
  • Output Spatial Grid 2
  • Output Spatial Grid 3
  • Output XY Domain
  • Output M Domain
  • Output Z Domain

Licensing information

  • ArcGIS for Desktop Basic: Yes
  • ArcGIS for Desktop Standard: Yes
  • ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced: Yes

Related topics

  • About loading data into existing feature classes and tables
  • Copy Features
  • Export To CAD
  • Import From CAD
  • Loading data in the Catalog tree
  • About loading data in ArcMap
  • Geoprocessing considerations for shapefile output
  • An overview of the To Shapefile toolset

ArcGIS for Desktop

  • Home
  • Documentation
  • Pricing
  • Support

ArcGIS Platform

  • ArcGIS Online
  • ArcGIS for Desktop
  • ArcGIS for Server
  • ArcGIS for Developers
  • ArcGIS Solutions
  • ArcGIS Marketplace

About Esri

  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Insiders Blog
  • User Conference
  • Developer Summit
Esri
Tell us what you think.
© Copyright 2016 Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. | Privacy | Legal