Using ArcPy with ArcGIS Pro .setExtent()

Question

I am working on a Python script that I am running through a toolbox and ArcGIS Pro interface and am running into a problem with getting the camera extent correct. From what I can tell the setExtent function should be looking at the selected record and take the extent and apply it to the camera. This works when I manually select the record from the attribute table. But when I leave the attribute table unselected and let the code run as it should I get the feature selected, but the setExtent function considers the whole feature class. Where am I going wrong? I assume its an easy fix, but after scouring countless stack exchanges and ESRI help forums I cannot find a solution.

mapFrame=Layout.listElements("MAPFRAME_ELEMENT","MapFrame")[0]
Parcel=dataFrame.listLayers()[0]
Parcel.definitionQuery = "LandParcelArea.landParcelAreaIDPK = '" + LandParcelAreaIDPK + "'"
arcpy.SelectLayerByAttribute_management(Parcel,"NEW_SELECTION","LandParcelArea.landParcelAreaIDPK = '" + LandParcelAreaIDPK + "'")
new_extent = mapFrame.camera.setExtent(mapFrame.getLayerExtent(Parcel, True, True))
mapFrame.camera.scale *= 1.5

https://i.sstatic.net/hi9wQ.jpg

Answer 1

A potential failure concern is the layout not being refreshed. In my code I am saving the aprx to new project, and opening it, ensuring that I am getting the latest state of the project. I am unsure if your definition query with the "." in the field will work. Since it is returning the extent of the layer, I am suspecting that the code is not getting the extent of the feature you are interested in. In my code I am setting the definition query on the map layer, then calling the layer with the definition query to set the camera extent. I have not used the camera.scale. Hope my example can help you get the extent.

Here is some code that I have ran to set the layout out to a county:

# Get the aprx project
# Get your map from the .aprx
# Get the layer you want to apply definition query to
# sql can fail in the enterprise geodatabase I work from, so I add field delimiters.
# Set the query on the layer.
# Get the layout
# Get the map frame element in the layout
# set the camera extent of the map frame element to the layer with the def. query
# save as on the .aprx

import arcpy
countyName = 'Douglas'
aprx = arcpy.mp.ArcGISProject(r"{path to aprx}\ZoomToLayer.aprx")
map = aprx.listMaps()[0]
lyr = map.listLayers('Counties')[0]
whereClause = """{0} = '{1}'""".format(arcpy.AddFieldDelimiters(lyr, 'Cnty_Name'), countyName)
lyr.definitionQuery = whereClause
lyt = aprx.listLayouts('Layout')[0]
mf = lyt.listElements('MAPFRAME_ELEMENT', 'Map Frame*')[0]
mf.camera.setExtent(mf.getLayerExtent(lyr))
aprx.saveACopy(r"{path to aprx}\ZoomToCounty_" + countyName + ".aprx")
del aprx

Answer 2

I use a workaround, which after upgrade to 3.1 gets even more complicated. I create a dummy shapefile and used to use arcpy.analysis.select to create the new file. arcpy.analysis.select seems not to work correctly any more. You can use arcpy.SelectLayerByAttribute_management and save the selection to a new file and then zoom to the extent. I turn the new layer invisible.