Creating drop-down list from dynamic field values in ModelBuilder?

Question

I am trying to create a drop-down list containing all the values from a particular field, that I can use as an input for the Select by Attributes tool in ModelBuilder.

The answer I’ve seen to similar questions is to hard-code the list using the String Variable.

i.e. Right-click in white space > Create Variable… > String > Choose to Model Parameter > Model > Model Properties… > make String filter = Value List > enter values one by one > Then use %String% as an in-line variable in a tool expression.

However, as the field is regularly updated by other people, I don’t want to hard-code any values.

Is there any way that I can perhaps, iterate through a layer (called "Boundary") and collect the values from a given field ([Name] field) as a String or Value(?) that can be used as an in-line variable in another tool, with ModelBuilder (or with Python script)?

The outcome being a drop-down list filled with values from the Boundary layer's [Name] field in the Select by Attributes tool.

Answer 1

If you think about it, how many tools do you use that return values from a dataset as a choice? None and probably for good reason. What if your dataset had 1 billion rows? It would need to search all those to be able to know what to list and offer up as choice.

Is this a road you want to go down? Offering up more than a few options will make the user interface slow and eventually unusable.

You can't do this in model builder, you would need to migrate your entire workflow into a python script tool or python toolbox. You need to research the help file on how to use a search cursor to update a Parameter.