How to replicate the export data right click function for shapefiles using python for batch exports?

Question

Updated Question! I'm attempting to find/create a python script that replicates the export tool to execute batch exports of featurelayers into specific shapefiles. I want each input featurelayer to be copied and overwritten to a respective output shapefile. I want each output to have a specific name. Using either the FeatureClasstoFeatureClass_conversion() or CopyFeatures_management() functions I can get one featurelayer to output and overwrite a shapefile in a different location. But how to do this for a list of shapefiles?

import arcpy 
Mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")  
arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(Mxd)
arcpy.env.overwriteOutput = True  

sampleinputList = ["input_a", "input_b", "input_c"] #these are feature layers in the mxd
sampleout_path = "T:/path" #path I'll be batch outputting &overwriting these shapefiles to
samplenames = ["input_a_name", "input_b_name", "input_c_name"]
sampleOutputnamesList = ["T:/path/input_a_name", "T:/path/input_b_name", "T:/path/input_c_name"] # I want each input to correspond to a respective output name
for featureclasses in sampleinputList:
    arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(sampleinputList,sampleOutputnamesList)
#or maybe this might work?    
for featureclasses in sampleinputList:
    arcpy.FeatureClasstoFeatureClass_conversion(sampleinputList,sampleout_path,samplenames)

both instances give me a Runtime error Traceback (most recent call last): File "<string>", line 2, in <module> File "c:\program files (x86)\arcgis\desktop10.2\arcpy\arcpy\management.py", line 2281, in CopyFeatures raise e RuntimeError: Object: Error in executing tool

Answer 1

Of course you can't export to/from the same file while overwriting said file. You're trying to erase it while you're trying to read it.

You have two obvious paths:

1. Rename the input file
2. Export to a file with the original name (I recommend CopyFeatures for exporting)

Or:

1. Export to an intermediate file
2. Delete the original file
3. Rename the intermediate file

Depending on how the data are used, it might be best to use DeleteRows and then Append, but that would required a few more steps (i.e., copying your original dataset) before you get to that point. The benefit of DeleteRows/Append is that you know that your data schema will not change.