Alter Field (Data Management)

Summary

Rename fields and field aliases.

Usage

• This tool provides the ability to rename fields or rename field aliases for any geodatabase table or feature class.

• When using in_memory feature classes or tables, renaming the OBJECTID, Shape or other required fields such as those in found in network analysis layers can result in corrupted data or unexpected behavior.

Syntax

AlterField_management (in_table, field, {new_field_name}, {new_field_alias})

Parameter	Explanation	Data Type
in_table	Input table or feature class that contains the field to alter.	Table View
field	The name of the field to alter.	Field
new_field_name (Optional)	The new name for the field.	String
new_field_alias (Optional)	The new field alias for the field.	String

Code Sample

AlterField example 1 (Python window)

The following Python window script demonstrates how to use the AlterField tool in immediate mode.

arcpy.AlterField_management(r'C:\Data\Garbo.gdb\Khyber', 'Elev', 'ELEVATION', 'Elevation in Metres')

AlterField example 2 (stand-alone script)

The following Python window script demonstrates how to use the AlterField tool in a stand-alone script.

#Import geoprocessing
import arcpy

#Set workspace
arcpy.env.workspace = r'C:\Data\Garbo.gdb'

#Loop through feature classes looking for a field named 'elev'
fcList = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses() #get a list of feature classes
for fc in fcList:  #loop through feature classes
    fieldList = arcpy.ListFields(fc)  #get a list of fields for each feature class
    for field in fieldList: #loop through each field
        if field.name.lower() == 'elev':  #look for the name elev
            arcpy.AlterField_management(fc, field, 'ELEVATION', 'Elevation in Metres')

Environments

Current Workspace

Licensing Information

ArcGIS for Desktop Basic: Yes

ArcGIS for Desktop Standard: Yes

ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced: Yes