Geoprocessing tool reference > Data Management toolbox > General toolset > Tools
Rename (Data Management) |
|
|
Release 9.2
Last modified November 29, 2010 |
Print all topics in : "Tools" |
Changes the name of data, such as feature datasets, feature classes, rasters, tables, and toolboxes.
Usage tips
-
The output name cannot already exist.
-
The data to be renamed should not be open anywhere on the operating system; that is, no other user should be accessing the data. For example, a feature class cannot be renamed if it is open in ArcMap.
-
When renaming items with the Rename tool, ancillary files associated with the item are also renamed. For example, the metadata, projection, and index files that may accompany a shapefile will also be renamed.
-
Toolboxes you create can be renamed to something more meaningful.
-
This tool allows the renaming of an entire coverage and the region and route subclasses within a coverage.
-
When renaming data elements that are the result of one of the overlay commands Identity, Intersect, or Union, avoid duplicating item names by taking care not to give the input the same name as one of the geographic datasets used in the Overlay operation. Rename does not check beyond the user ID in the feature attribute table (FAT) to see if items have the same name as <input># and <input>-ID. See each overlay command for the list of items in the output coverage feature attribute table.
-
If your data is stored in a geodatabase in DB2, ESRI recommends you do not rename datasets; doing so will return an error indicating the table can't be renamed due to various DBMS constraints. Learn more about renaming geodatabase table issues in KB article 18001.
-
The following environment settings affect this tool: Extent, workspace and scratch workspace.
Command line syntax
An overview of the Command Line window
Rename_management <in_data> <out_data> {data_type}
| Parameter | Explanation | Data Type |
| <in_data> |
The input dataset or file to be renamed. |
Data Element |
| <out_data> |
The new name for the dataset or file. |
Data Element |
| {data_type} |
The type of data to be renamed. In the case where a geodatabase contains a feature dataset and a feature class with the same name, it would be necessary to specify the type of data to be renamed. In this case you would enter FeatureDataset or FeatureClass. |
String |
Command line example
rename_management c:/workspace/roads.shp c:/workspace/pavedRds.shp
Scripting syntax
About getting started with writing geoprocessing scripts
Rename_management (in_data, out_data, data_type)
| Parameter | Explanation | Data Type |
| in_data (Required) |
The input dataset or file to be renamed. |
Data Element |
| out_data (Required) |
The new name for the dataset or file. |
Data Element |
| data_type (Optional) |
The type of data to be renamed. In the case where a geodatabase contains a feature dataset and a feature class with the same name, it would be necessary to specify the type of data to be renamed. In this case you would enter FeatureDataset or FeatureClass. |
String |
Data types for geoprocessing tool parameters
Script example
import arcgisscripting
gp = arcgisscripting.create()
gp.workspace = "c:/Workspace"
gp.rename("rivers.shp", "waterways.shp")