Searching multiple MXDs and identifying which have graphics elements using ArcPy

Question

How would I go about identifying all the mxd files that have graphics?

I reckon it's close to:

import arcpy
import os

srcPath = "my_path"

mxd_lst = [f for f in os.listdir(srcPath) if f.endswith('.mxd')]

for mxd in mxd_lst:
    for dfrm in arcpy.mapping.ListDataFrames(mxd):

        if "GRAPHIC_ELEMENT" in dfrm != None:  # *I'm making this line up*
            print(mxd + " has graphic elements")

        else:
            print(mxd + " does not contain graphics")

Answer 1

arcpy.mapping.ListLayoutElements is what you need. See the docs for more info on other element types (e.g. text-elements)

I modified your code slightly.

import arcpy
import os

srcPath = r"\\somePath\to\MapFiles"

mxd_lst = [os.path.join(srcPath, f) for f in os.listdir(srcPath) if f.lower().endswith('.mxd')]

mxds_with_graphicElms = []
for mxdPath in mxd_lst:
    mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument(mxdPath)
    graphicElms = arcpy.mapping.ListLayoutElements(mxd, "GRAPHIC_ELEMENT", "*")
    if graphicElms:
        mxds_with_graphicElms.append(mxdPath)
        print(mxdPath + " has graphic elements")
        
print (str(mxds_with_graphicElms))