UpdateCursor stops after the first iteration

Question

My arcpy script includes two updateCursor Objects. The first iteration of the "outer" coursor works fine, but the programm stops when it comes to the second iteration at updateRow(). Has somebody an idea, where the problem could be?

Here is the code snippet:

arcpy.env.workspace = "I:/GIS/VoGIS_Projekte/Wanderwege/Basisdaten/Basisdaten_Sommer/wandern_SK.gdb"

# Use row object to get and set field values
cursor = arcpy.UpdateCursor("wanderwege/wander_wege_3d")

# Iterate through rows and update values
row_i = 1
wa_j = 1
for row in cursor:
    print row_i
    row.WEG_LAENGE = '999'
    cursor.updateRow(row)               # The 2nd iteration stops here...
    wwege = arcpy.UpdateCursor("wanderwege/wander_wege")

    for wa in wwege:
        print wa_j
        wa.WEG_KATEGO = "Kaps999"
        wwege.updateRow(wa)                 # save
        wa_j = wa_j + 1
    del wwege
    del wa

    row_i = row_i + 1


del row
del cursor

I am working with: ArcGIS 10.2 Python 2.7 Windows 7

P.S.: I know, that this code doesn't make much sense - I just wanted to reproduce the error of a quite complicated script.

Answer 1

After a lot of testing, I have found out, where the problem is:

1. nested loops with "old" cursors (not data access cursors) and with geodatabases are making troubles - nested loops, "old" cursors and shapefiles are working normally.

2. when using nested loops with da.cursors, you have to open an edit session with da.editor - this is just for nested loops relevant.

Thank you "phloem" for the hint.

Stefan