Using arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management on Shapefile and Feature Class

Question

The larger goal with this code is to create a temporary polygon based on the calculated coordinates (which it does), then to see if the polygon intersects with the "unobscured_FC". After I run the select by location the polygon will be deleted, and all sorts of other hilarity will ensue. I only need the temporary polygon for the select.

Now, I've read that you can't run arcpy.SelectLayerByLocation_management() on shapefiles or feature classes, which is why I tried to make feature layers from the two. However, despite that, I'm getting this error:

ExecuteError: Failed to execute. Parameters are not valid.
The value cannot be a feature class
ERROR 000840: The value is not a Raster Layer.
ERROR 000840: The value is not a Mosaic Layer.
Failed to execute (SelectLayerByAttribute).

I've searched thoroughly for an answer to this problem, and they all appear to be telling me that I need to do exactly what I'm already doing.

How am I failing here to make both of these into feature layers?

Code below...

unobscured_FC = r"C:\example.gdb\example_FC"
arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management(unobscured_FC, "unobscured_lyr")

#These coordinates are calculated above in a code block I've excluded...
coordList = [[[Xmax,Ymax], [Xmin,Ymax], [Xmin,Ymin], [Xmax,Ymin]]]
point = arcpy.Point()
array = arcpy.Array()
featureList = []

for feature in coordList:
    for coordPair in feature:
        point.X = coordPair[0]
        point.Y = coordPair[1]
        array.add(point)     
    array.add(array.getObject(0))    
    polygon = arcpy.Polygon(array)    
    array.removeAll()
    featureList.append(polygon)

tempShape = os.path.join(sys.path[0], "temp.shp")
arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(featureList, tempShape)
arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management(tempShape, "tempShape_lyr")

arcpy.SelectLayerByLocation_management("unobscured_lyr", "INTERSECT",   "tempShape_lyr", "", "NEW_SELECTION")

Answer 1

The problem is that CopyFeatures doesn't want to take a list of polygons and make it into a feature class, it might work that way but as the spatial reference isn't set the polygon objects are incomplete. The help docs say the input must be either Feature Layer;Raster Catalog Layer.

Reading the writing new Geometries in the Esri help docs will give you a better understanding, but I think you've seen that page before as you're creating the geometries just fine.

This is how I would normally create a geometry from known points:

SR = arcpy.SpatialReference(28356) # this example is MGA94 Zone 56 (Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle) change to match your data
tempShape = os.path.join(sys.path[0], "temp.shp")

# Create a new empty feature class
arcpy.CreateFeatureclass_management(sys.path[0], "temp.shp","POLYGON",spatial_reference=SR)

coordList = [[[Xmax,Ymax], [Xmin,Ymax], [Xmin,Ymin], [Xmax,Ymin]]]
point = arcpy.Point()
array = arcpy.Array()

with arcpy.da.InsertCursor(tempShape,"SHAPE@") as ICur:
    for feature in coordList:
            for coordPair in feature:
                    point.X = coordPair[0]
                    point.Y = coordPair[1]
                    array.add(point)     
            array.add(array.getObject(0)) # that's right, add the first to the last

            # make a polygon from the array
            polygon = arcpy.Polygon(array)
            polygon.spatial_reference = SR # set spatial reference

            ICur.insertRow(polygon) # insert it into the feature class

            array.removeAll() # get ready for the next one

Then continue your code as normal to select layer by location.

Answer 2

This ended up working and returning a count of 1 - which it should have:

unobscured_FC = r"C:\example.gdb\example_FC"
arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management(unobscured_FC, "unobscured_lyr")


SR = arcpy.Describe(unobscured_FC).spatialReference
tempShape = os.path.join(sys.path[0], "temp.shp")
arcpy.CreateFeatureclass_management(sys.path[0], "temp.shp","POLYGON",spatial_reference=SR)
array = arcpy.Array()
point = arcpy.Point()
featureList = []

arcpy.env.overwriteOutput = True
for feature in coordList:
    for coordPair in feature:
        point.X = coordPair[0]
        point.Y = coordPair[1]
        array.add(point)     
    array.add(array.getObject(0))    
    polygon = arcpy.Polygon(array)    
    array.removeAll()
    featureList.append(polygon)

arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(featureList, tempShape)
arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management(tempShape, "tempShape_lyr")

arcpy.SelectLayerByLocation_management("unobscured_lyr", "INTERSECT",   "tempShape_lyr", "", "NEW_SELECTION")

polyCursor = arcpy.SearchCursor("unobscured_lyr")
polyRow = polyCursor.next()
count = 0


while polyRow:
    count = count + 1
    polyRow = polyCursor.next()

print count

After adding the spatial reference it still wasn't working. But once I added the overwrite feature it did. Not sure why that is. I'd love an explanation!