I have a feature class with a string field that I want to update the length from 10 to 25.
Is there a way or a tool to update this property without having to create a new field and using field calculator to move over the records from old to new field?
This script below does what I want, the only thing is it pushes the updated field to the end of the table (not keeping the original field order).
http://arcscripts.esri.com/details.asp?dbid=16503
Another option that seemed promissing is to use the Feature Class to Feature Class tool (access this tool by right clicking a layer in ArcCatolog and selecting Export>to Geodatabase single option) . It does create a new layer, however you can update field names and property information. It also appears that you can change the field order using the "Move Input Field Up/Down" arrows, but they seem to not work.
There has to be a solution to just edit field properties without having to create a new field.