Drop Index (Coverage)
Summary
Drops an attribute index from the specified item and INFO table.
Usage
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Many operations in ArcGIS will not maintain item indexes. Anytime the coverage or feature attribute table is updated, item indexes are deleted.
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If there are no indexes on a coverage, the dialog box will not show any fields on which to drop an index.
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Item indexes are preserved when INFO tables are duplicated with the Copy tool or Copy Features tool.
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Item indexes are stored in the workspace INFO directory. They are named with an ARC prefix (for example, ARC0001R.003). This file is an index for the third item in the INFO table whose internal name is ARC0001.DAT.
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Indexed items speed up ArcGIS selection and relate operations. The Index Item tool is used to create an item index.
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The Indexed Item parameter's Add Field button is used only in ModelBuilder. In ModelBuilder, where the preceding tool has not been run, or its derived data does not exist, the Indexed Item parameter may not be populated with field names. The Add Field button allows you to add expected fields so you can complete the Drop Index dialog and continue to build your model.
Syntax
| Parameter | Explanation | Data Type |
in_info_table |
The name of the INFO table containing the item whose index is to be deleted. | INFO Table |
index_item [index_item,...] (Optional) |
Selects the item indexes from the input INFO table to be removed. If no Index Item is given, all item indexes for the file will be dropped. The Add Item button, which is used only in ModelBuilder, allows you to add expected items so you can complete the dialog and continue to build your model. | INFO Item |
Code Sample
The following stand-alone script demonstrates how to drop the index from an item in a coverage's polygon attribute table.
# Name: DropIndex_Example.py
# Description: Drops the index from an item in a polygon featureclass
# Requirements: ArcInfo Workstation
# Import system modules
import arcpy
from arcpy import env
# Set environment settings
env.workspace = "C:/data"
# Set local variables
inInfoTable = "tongass1/polygon"
indexItem = "IN-FISH"
# Execute DropIndex
arcpy.DropIndex_arc(inInfoTable, indexItem)