Insert layer file to specific data frame

Question

I have a folder that contain mxd's projects. Each mxd has 3 and more data frame. I want to insert layer file to a specific data frame with position in the TOC. I don't know how to do it. I'm trying this code:

import arcpy,os,sys
import arcpy.mapping
from arcpy import env



env.workspace = r"C:\Projects"   
for mxdname in arcpy.ListFiles("*.mxd"):
    print mxdname
    mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(r"C:\Projects\\" + mxdname)
    insertLayer = arcpy.mapping.Layer(r"C:\Projects\layers\ways.lyr")
    dfList = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd, "*")
    for df in dfList:
        for lyr in arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, "", df):
            if lyr.name =="residence":
                arcpy.mapping.InsertLayer(df, lyr, insertLayer, "AFTER") 
                print 'InsertLayer'          
    mxd.save()
del mxd

Answer 1

dflist will contain a list of the data frames in the mxd. Use index notation to access a specific data frame. The first data frame will be dflist[0], the second will be dflist[1], and so on.

Edit: although, since you're looping through dflist, what you probably want to do is check the name of the data frame:

if df.name == 'correctdataframe':
    arcpy.mapping.InsertLayer(df, lyr, insertLayer, "AFTER")

What you're currently doing is inserting the layer in every data frame that has a layer named 'residence'. Maybe this is what you want, but it's not exactly what your question states.

Answer 2

That code are worked:

import arcpy,os,sys
from arcpy import env

env.workspace = r"C:\Project"   
for mxdname in arcpy.ListFiles("*.mxd"):
    print mxdname 
    mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(r"C:\Project\\" + mxdname)
    df = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd, "Layers")[0]                                       
    LayerList = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, "abc", df)
    if len( LayerList) == 0:
        continue
    insertLayer = arcpy.mapping.Layer(r"C:\Project\layers\ways.lyr")
    arcpy.mapping.InsertLayer(df,  LayerList [0], insertLayer, "AFTER")
    print 'InsertLayer'
    mxd.save()
del mxd 

Answer 3

Ok, based on your comments in chat, (that you know which data frame to insert into) and the fact that code won't format in chat (at least, I don't know how), try this:

# no need to keep declaring the inserted layer in the loop. This could be shortened,
# but I like this way because it makes it easier to swap in new values
basedir = r"C:\Projects"
newlyr = r"layers\ways.lyr"
insertLayer = arcpy.mapping.Layer(os.path.join(basedir, newlyr))

# get list of mxds and loop through them
for mxdname in arcpy.ListFiles("*.mxd"):
    print mxdname
    # set current mxd to be the MapDocument
    mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(os.path.join(basedir, mxdname))
    # since all data frames have the same name, have to get a list of them 
    # to enable indexing
    dfList = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd, "*")

    # get a list of the layers in the first data frame and check if there's a layer
    # named 'residence' in it. If so, insert the new layer. This assumes you know
    # that the first layer is the one you want, per example in chat.
    for lyr in arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd, "", df[0]):
        if lyr.name =="residence":
            arcpy.mapping.InsertLayer(df[0], lyr, insertLayer, "AFTER")
    print 'InsertLayer'

If you know that the mxd has a layer named 'residence', you could skip the for loop with ListLayers and just use the InsertLayer line (changing indentation, of course). If your data frames had different names, you could skip the ListDataFrames code and refer to them by name.