ArcGIS Content Operations Skill

Purpose

Search, create, read, update, delete, clone, and organize items in ArcGIS Online.

When to Use

• Finding items by owner, type, tag, or title
• Bulk updating item properties (metadata, sharing, folders)
• Cloning items within or across organizations
• Organizing content into folders
• Deleting stale content
• Generating content inventories

Prerequisites

• Authenticated GIS connection (see arcgis-authentication skill)

Core Operations

Search for Items

def search_items(gis, query, item_type=None, max_items=100):
    """
    Search for items in the organization.
    
    Common queries:
    - owner:username
    - title:keyword
    - tags:disaster-response
    - type:"Feature Layer"
    - modified:[2024-01-01 TO 2024-12-31]
    """
    search_query = query
    if item_type:
        search_query += f' AND type:"{item_type}"'
    
    items = gis.content.search(
        query=search_query,
        max_items=max_items,
        sort_field="modified",
        sort_order="desc"
    )
    return items

# Examples
my_items = search_items(gis, "owner:dragon_redcross")
feature_layers = search_items(gis, "tags:keystone", item_type="Feature Layer")
recent_maps = search_items(gis, "owner:me AND modified:[2024-01-01 TO NOW]", item_type="Web Map")

Get Item by ID

def get_item(gis, item_id):
    """Retrieve a specific item by its ID."""
    item = gis.content.get(item_id)
    if item is None:
        raise ValueError(f"Item not found: {item_id}")
    return item

# Usage
item = get_item(gis, "a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8")
print(f"{item.title} ({item.type}) - {item.numViews} views")

Update Item Properties

def update_item(item, properties):
    """
    Update item properties.
    
    Common properties:
    - title, description, snippet, tags
    - accessInformation, licenseInfo
    - extent (as [[xmin,ymin],[xmax,ymax]])
    """
    result = item.update(item_properties=properties)
    if result:
        print(f"Updated: {item.title}")
    else:
        print(f"Failed to update: {item.title}")
    return result

# Usage
update_item(item, {
    "description": "Updated via automation",
    "tags": ["disaster-response", "2024", "automated"]
})

Bulk Update Pattern

def bulk_update_items(items, properties, dry_run=True):
    """Update multiple items with same properties."""
    results = {"success": [], "failed": []}
    
    for item in items:
        if dry_run:
            print(f"[DRY RUN] Would update: {item.title}")
            results["success"].append(item.id)
        else:
            try:
                item.update(item_properties=properties)
                results["success"].append(item.id)
                print(f"Updated: {item.title}")
            except Exception as e:
                results["failed"].append({"id": item.id, "error": str(e)})
                print(f"Failed: {item.title} - {e}")
    
    return results

Clone Item

def clone_item(gis, item, folder=None, title_suffix=" (Copy)"):
    """Clone an item within the same org."""
    cloned = gis.content.clone_items(
        items=[item],
        folder=folder,
        copy_data=True,
        search_existing_items=False
    )
    
    if cloned:
        new_item = cloned[0]
        new_item.update(item_properties={"title": item.title + title_suffix})
        return new_item
    return None

Clone Across Organizations

def clone_to_org(source_gis, target_gis, item_id, target_folder=None):
    """Clone item from one org to another."""
    source_item = source_gis.content.get(item_id)
    
    cloned = target_gis.content.clone_items(
        items=[source_item],
        folder=target_folder,
        copy_data=True
    )
    return cloned

Folder Management

def ensure_folder(gis, folder_name):
    """Create folder if it doesn't exist."""
    folders = gis.users.me.folders
    existing = [f["title"] for f in folders]
    
    if folder_name not in existing:
        gis.content.create_folder(folder_name)
        print(f"Created folder: {folder_name}")
    return folder_name

def move_to_folder(item, folder_name):
    """Move item to specified folder."""
    item.move(folder_name)
    print(f"Moved {item.title} to {folder_name}")

Delete Items

def delete_items(items, dry_run=True):
    """Delete items with dry-run safety."""
    for item in items:
        if dry_run:
            print(f"[DRY RUN] Would delete: {item.title} ({item.id})")
        else:
            try:
                item.delete()
                print(f"Deleted: {item.title}")
            except Exception as e:
                print(f"Failed to delete {item.title}: {e}")

Generate Content Inventory

def generate_inventory(gis, owner=None):
    """Generate inventory of all items for an owner."""
    query = f"owner:{owner}" if owner else "owner:me"
    items = gis.content.search(query=query, max_items=1000)
    
    inventory = []
    for item in items:
        inventory.append({
            "id": item.id,
            "title": item.title,
            "type": item.type,
            "created": item.created,
            "modified": item.modified,
            "views": item.numViews,
            "size": item.size,
            "tags": item.tags,
            "folder": item.ownerFolder,
            "shared": item.access
        })
    
    return inventory

Gotchas & Limitations

1. Search max: Default search returns 10 items. Always specify max_items.
2. Clone limitations: Some item types (Survey123, Workforce) have special clone requirements.
3. Sharing inheritance: Cloned items don't inherit sharing settings - must set explicitly.
4. Delete cascade: Deleting a Feature Layer Service deletes all dependent views.

Red Cross Specific Notes

• Use folders to separate projects: Keystone/, RedGlide/, Shelters/
• Tag convention: project-name, year, region, data-type
• Always check dependencies before deleting (see arcgis-dependency-mapper skill)

Related Skills

• arcgis-authentication (required)
• arcgis-bulk-metadata (extends update operations)
• arcgis-dependency-mapper (check before delete)