Fields Read-only after Import from XML Workspace Document

Question

I have a process that I follow where I import from XML into a Personal Geodatabase (PGDB), do some checks and updates, and then load into an enterprise GDB.

Now after I've imported from XML I currently have to copy/paste all the feature classes into another PGDB in order for the attribute fields to be editable. If I try to edit them in the first PGDB, after they've been imported from XML, I just get messages along the lines of "field not editable"

When I right-click > Properties on one of the fields, the Field Properties dialog shows the field as being Read Only, and the option is disabled so I don't seem to be able to change it.

So, how can I either a) make the Import XML Workspace Document import as not read-only, or failing that b) make all my fields writable after doing the import, without having to copy all the feature classes first?

Running ArcGIS 10.7.1. I have also tried doing the import into a File GDB with the same result.

Answer 1

There is a field definition tag (for each field) in the XML Workspace Document file called <Editable>. If a field is not editable after an import from the XML Workspace Document, it is probably because this tag has been set to false.

Change the tag value to true for each field that needs to be editable.

Change:

<Editable>false</Editable>

to:

<Editable>true</Editable>

A quick and easy way to do this is to open the XML Workspace Document file in a text editor like Notepad++, press CtrlH to open the Replace dialog, and enter the two lines above into the Find and Replace fields, and click on the "Replace All" button.