Python script with forward slash in list causing errors?

Question

Here is my script:

import arcpy

# set environment, workspace, and output location

arcpy.env.overwriteOutput = 1

arcpy.env.workspace = r"Database Connections\Transportation.sde"

output_loc = r"C:\Users\johndiaz\Documents\Outerspatial_Shapefiles"

agency_list = ['CASP', 'CIC', 'MRCA/SMMC', 'LACODPR', 'NPS', 'PCTA']

# assign variables to layers

th_fc = r"Database Connections\Transportation.sde\eGIS_Transportation.EGIS.DPR_TRAILHEADS"
poi_fc = r"Database Connections\Transportation.sde\eGIS_Transportation.EGIS.DPR_TRAILS_POI"
trails_fc = r"Database Connections\Transportation.sde\eGIS_Transportation.EGIS.DPR_TRAILS"

# shapefiles for trailheads and poi
for list in agency_list:
    print "generating trailhead and poi shapefiles"
    where_clause = "agency = '" + list + "'"
    arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management (th_fc, "th_lyr")
    arcpy.SelectLayerByAttribute_management ("th_lyr", "NEW_SELECTION", where_clause)
    output_th = "\\" + list + "_TRAILHEADS.shp"
    arcpy.FeatureClassToFeatureClass_conversion ("th_lyr", output_loc, output_th)
    arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management (poi_fc, "poi_lyr")
    arcpy.SelectLayerByAttribute_management ("poi_lyr", "NEW_SELECTION", where_clause)
    output_poi = "\\" + list + "_POI.shp"
    arcpy.FeatureClassToFeatureClass_conversion ("poi_lyr", output_loc, output_poi)
    print "trailhead and poi shapefiles complete"

for list2 in agency_list:
    print "generating trails shapefiles"
    where_clause = "trail_type = 'Existing' AND agency = '" + list2 + "'"
    arcpy.MakeFeatureLayer_management (trails_fc, "trails_lyr")
    arcpy.SelectLayerByAttribute_management ("trails_lyr", "NEW_SELECTION", where_clause)
    output_trails = "\\" + list + "_TRAILS.shp"
    arcpy.FeatureClassToFeatureClass_conversion ("trails_lyr", output_loc, output_trails)
    print "trails shapefiles complete"

print "SCRIPT COMPLETE"

If i remove the list item 'MRCA/SMMC' the script runs fine. Otherwise, I get this error:

Message File Name   Line    Position    
Traceback               
    <module>    C:\Users\johndiaz\Documents\trails_app_create_shapefiles.py 36      
    FeatureClassToFeatureClass  c:\program files (x86)\arcgis\desktop10.5\ArcPy\arcpy\conversion.py 1891        
ExecuteError: ERROR 000210: Cannot create output C:\Users\johndiaz\Documents\Outerspatial_Shapefiles\\MRCA/SMMC_TRAILHEADS.shp
Failed to execute (FeatureClassToFeatureClass).

Any advice?

Answer 1

You cannot name a shapefile with a forward slash. You will need to add some code to check the list element, then replace the forward slash. Something like...

x = "foo/bar"
if "/" in x:

    x = x.replace("/", "_")

print x
foo_bar

Answer 2

You are trying to create a file with a forward-slash in the filename on a drive formatted with (presumably) the NTFS filesystem. That is not allowed by NTFS (or most other filesystems), slashes are forbidden characters, so you get an error. If you try creating a new text file on your machine and renaming it to "MRCA/SMMC_TRAILHEADS.shp", you'll get a similar error. Format the filename to eliminate any forbidden characters and it will work.