Programming ArcGIS 10.1 with Python Cookbook

Retrieving features from a feature class with a SearchCursor

There are many occasions when you need to retrieve rows from a table or feature class for read-only purposes. For example, you might want to generate a list of all land parcels in a city with a value of greater than $100,000. In this case, you don't have any need to edit the data. Your needs are met simply by generating a list of rows that meet some sort of criteria.

Getting ready

The SearchCursor() function is used to return a SearchCursor object. This object can only be used to iterate through a set of rows returned for read-only purposes. No insertions, deletions, or updates can occur through this object. An optional where clause can be set to limit the rows returned. In this recipe, ...