Convert Shp to KMZ displaying labels using arcpy?

Question

I've written a script that converts all shapefiles contained in a folder into lyr and then kmz.

import arcpy

arcpy.env.workspace = "path"
arcpy.env.overwriteOutput = True

allfeatures = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses()
print allfeatures
for feature in allfeatures:
    desc = arcpy.Describe(feature)
    shape = desc.shapeType
    if shape == "Point":
        name = feature[:-4]
        lyrname = name +"_lyr"
        arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management(feature, lyrname)
        outputlyr = lyrname + ".lyr"
        lyr=arcpy.SaveToLayerFile_management(lyrname, outputlyr)
        outputkmz = name + ".kmz"
        arcpy.LayerToKML_conversion(lyr,outputkmz)

I'm now trying to handle labeling to make sure the kmz are actually displaying a defined label. Should I do this on the lyr files before exporting them as kmz?

I've been writing another script that turns on labels on lyr files in a .mxd file (it's working) but I wanted to know if there's a way to do this directly in a folder? (So I wouldn't have to open an .mxd and drop all of my lyr in the ToC).

import arcpy
mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("path")
layers = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd)
for layer in layers:
    print layer.name
    if layer.supports("LABELCLASSES"):
        print "yeeeah"
        #layer.labelClasses
        for lblclass in layer.labelClasses:
            lblclass.expression = "[ORIG_FID]"
            layer.showLabels = True
            #lblclass.showClassLabels
        layer.showLabels = True
mxd.saveACopy("path")

Basically, my global process would be "In a folder, convert all shp to kmz with a label turned on".

(I'm still quite a beginner with Python).

My attempt to have a global script would be to "list all files" but the Labelling properties don't seem to work if they aren't used inside a mxd.

import arcpy

Set workspace
arcpy.env.workspace = "path"
arcpy.env.overwriteOutput = True

allfeatures = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses()
print allfeatures
for feature in allfeatures:
    desc = arcpy.Describe(feature)
    shape = desc.shapeType
    if shape == "Point":
        name = feature[:-4]
        lyrname = name +"_lyr"
        arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management(feature, lyrname)
        outputlyr = lyrname + ".lyr"
        lyr=arcpy.SaveToLayerFile_management(lyrname, outputlyr)

allfiles = arcpy.ListFiles()
for file in allfiles:
    if file.endswith(".lyr"):
        if file.supports("LABELCLASSES"):
            for lblclass in file.labelClasses:
                lblclass.expression= "[ORIG_FID]"
                file.showLabels = True
            file.showLabels = True

        outputkmz = file[:-8] + ".kmz"
        arcpy.LayerToKML_conversion(file,outputkmz)

---

So I have been working on a global script and here I am:

import arcpy
import arcpy.mapping

arcpy.env.workspace = path
pathfolder = path
arcpy.env.overwriteOutput = True
mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(path)
dataFrame = arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd) #list of data frames inside MXD
currentdataFrame = dataFrame[0] #specifies we want to work in the first dataframe


allfeatures = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses() 
for feature in allfeatures:
    desc = arcpy.Describe(feature)
    shape = desc.shapeType
    if shape == "Point":
        name = feature[:-4]
        lyrname = name + "_lyr"
        arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management(feature, lyrname)
        outputlyr = lyrname + ".lyr"
        lyr=arcpy.SaveToLayerFile_management(lyrname, outputlyr)
        pathlyr = str(pathfolder) + "/" + str(outputlyr)
        layertoadd = arcpy.mapping.Layer(pathlyr)
        arcpy.mapping.AddLayer(currentdataFrame, layertoadd, "BOTTOM")

mxd.saveACopy(path)
mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(path)
layers = arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd)
for layer in layers:
    classes = layer.labelClasses
    classdefault = classes[0]
    classdefault.expression = "[ORIG_FID]" 
    layer.showLabels = "True"
    classdefault.showClassLabels = "True"
    outputkmz = layer.name[:-4] + ".kmz"
    arcpy.LayerToKML_conversion(layer,outputkmz,"0","NO_COMPOSITE","","","","CLAMPED_TO_GROUND")
mxd.saveACopy(path)

It doesn't crash, i got .mxd where the label i want is being displayed and kmz are being created. But when I open them in google earth, I don't see anything. And if I try to read them in a .mxd, i've got an error message saying the extent doesn't match. Even when i try to set an output extent in the function arcpy.LayerToKML_conversion, it doesn't work. On the opposite, if I convert one of the .lyr directly in ArcGis, it's working, it's giving me the kmz I want. I really don't get what's wrong in my script...

Answer 1

If I follow correctly your posted answer, you are adding the layers to an mxd and setting the labels. To get the labels to show for all layers in the mxd make sure you save the mxd after adding all the layers and setting their label and then use the Map to KML method to create the kmz, see code example below:

for layer in layers:
    classes = layer.labelClasses
    classdefault = classes[0]
    classdefault.expression = "[ORIG_FID]" 
    layer.showLabels = "True"
    classdefault.showClassLabels = "True"
mxd.saveACopy(path)
arcpy.MapToKML_3d(path, "Layers", "C:/Temp/mykmz.kmz", "1")

Map to KML reference.