Ticket #137 (assigned Defect: null)
"Find" geoprocessing tools (e.g. "Find Files") should have a single output table parameter, not two parameters, output workspace and table name
| Reported by: | jjr8 | Owned by: | jjr8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority: | Medium | Milestone: | Unscheduled |
| Component: | Tools - Data Management | Version: | 0.3 |
| Keywords: | Cc: |
Description
When I created the Find geoprocessing tools, I copied the design pattern of the ArcGIS Create Table tool. That tool has two parameters: Output Location, the workspace in which the table should be created, and Output Table, the name of the table to create. The ArcGIS Create Feature Class tool is similar.
After a while I discovered that the other ArcGIS geoprocessing tools did not follow this design pattern. Instead, they simply had an Output Table parameter, data type Table, which was the path to the table to create. After working with this for months, I see no major advantage to the first design pattern, and the second is clearly simpler for the user to use and for me to develop.
The only place in MGET where I follow the first design pattern is the various "Find" functions:
- Find CoastWatch Files
- Find CoastWatch Images In Files
- Find Directories
- Find Files
- Find Rasters
I should change these to the second design pattern. This may be complicated because the batch processing infrastructure relies on the Find functions (but I don't think it relies on the ArcGIS geoprocessing versions of the Find functions).
