ListFields (arcpy)

Summary

Lists the fields in a feature class, shapefile, or table in a specified dataset. The returned list can be limited with search criteria for name and field type and will contain field objects.

Syntax

ListFields (dataset, {wild_card}, {field_type})

Parameter	Explanation	Data Type
dataset	The specified feature class or table whose fields will be returned.	String
wild_card	The wild card limits the results returned. If no wild card is specified, all values are returned. (The default value is None)	String
field_type	The specified field type to be returned. Valid field types are: All — All field types are returned. This is the default. BLOB —Only field types of BLOB are returned. Date —Only field types of Date are returned. Double —Only field types of Double are returned. Geometry —Only field types of Geometry are returned. GlobalID —Only field types of GlobalID are returned. GUID —Only field types of GUID are returned. Integer —Only field types of Integer are returned. OID —Only field types of OID are returned. Raster —Only field types of Raster are returned. Single —Only field types of Single are returned. SmallInteger —Only field types of SmallInteger are returned. String —Only field types of String are returned. (The default value is All)	String

Return Value

Data Type	Explanation
Field	A list containing Field objects is returned.

Code Sample

ListFields example

List field properties.

import arcpy

# For each field in the Hospitals feature class, print
#  the field name, type, and length.
fields = arcpy.ListFields("c:/data/municipal.gdb/hospitals")

for field in fields:
    print("{0} is a type of {1} with a length of {2}"
          .format(field.name, field.type, field.length))

ListFields example 2

Generate a list of field names.

import arcpy

featureclass = "c:/data/municipal.gdb/hospitals"
field_names = [f.name for f in arcpy.ListFields(featureclass)]