ArcObjects Geoprocessing Failures

Question

I am working on launching the GenerateNearTable using the ArcObjects Assembly method. I have the advanced license (10.1), so the tool is available. The code to launch geoprocessing is:

   Private Sub generateNearTable(ByRef FeatureLayer)

    'Grab the feature class for the GP tool
    Dim lcount As Long = 10
    Dim closest As Boolean = False

    'Setup the geoprocessor
    Dim gp As ESRI.ArcGIS.Geoprocessor.Geoprocessor = New ESRI.ArcGIS.Geoprocessor.Geoprocessor
    Dim neartable As GenerateNearTable = New GenerateNearTable()


    neartable.in_features = FeatureLayer
    neartable.near_features = FeatureLayer
    neartable.out_table = "C:\Users\jlaura\Desktop\test4" ' Hard code to test.
    neartable.closest = closest
    neartable.closest_count = lcount 'This should be a parameter

    Dim addtomap As Boolean = gp.AddOutputsToMap
    gp.SetEnvironmentValue("workspace", "C:\Users\jlaura\Desktop\test")
    gp.TemporaryMapLayers = False
    gp.AddOutputsToMap = False

    Try
        gp.Execute(neartable, Nothing)
        returnmessages(gp)
    Catch ex As Exception
        returnmessages(gp)
    End Try


End Sub

This is causing an error 99999. The results are being returned to the results tab, so I am able to double click on the failed tool and run it successfully via ArcMap. New to ArcObjects, so I'm definitely missing something obvious.

1. Do I need to check out a license like I would with ArcPy?
2. Am I parameterizing in a strange way?
3. Do I need to pass the dataset (IDataset) instead of the featureclass? #This failed when I tried it, but perhaps I missed something...

As an extension (that I can open as a new question if people think it is too disconnected) - to programatically set the output table, can I generate an empty, 'fieldless' standalone table and let the tool handle writing.

Updated Code:

Private Sub generateNearTable(ByVal distlayer, ByVal knn, ByVal DistanceTableOut)

    Dim FeatureLayer = GetFLayerByName(distlayer)
    Dim NearFeatureLayer = GetFLayerByName(distlayer) 'Fails if I use this.

    'Setup Params
    Dim lcount As Long = knn
    Dim closest As Boolean = False

    'Setup the geoprocessor
    Dim gp As New ESRI.ArcGIS.Geoprocessor.Geoprocessor
    Dim genneartable As GenerateNearTable = New GenerateNearTable()

    'Setup the Gp Environment
    Dim addtomap As Boolean = gp.AddOutputsToMap
    gp.TemporaryMapLayers = False
    gp.AddOutputsToMap = True 'Add the derived table to the map doc.
    gp.OverwriteOutput = True

    'Set Params
    genneartable.in_features = FeatureLayer
    genneartable.near_features = "C:\Users\jlaura\Desktop\Zunil\Zunil_secondaries_proj.shp"
    genneartable.out_table = DistanceTableOut
    genneartable.closest = closest
    genneartable.closest_count = lcount 'This should be a parameter

    'Execute
    Try
        gp.Execute(genneartable, Nothing)
        If gp.MessageCount > 0 Then
            For count As Integer = 0 To gp.MessageCount - 1
                MsgBox(gp.GetMessage(count), MsgBoxStyle.OkCancel, "Working")
            Next
        End If
    Catch ex As Exception

    End Try


End Sub

EDIT:

I am doing something wrong with the feature layer inputs. By hard coding the path to the shapefiles I am able to successfully run the tool. Back to the drawing board, re: featurelayer access.

EDIT2: The tools runs properly if the featurelayer is passed for the in_features and hard coded for the near_features. In this case should I be reaccessing the feature layer from the input?

Answer 1

Edited (for the sake of others in a similar situation):

There are a few things you should be checking:

1) You're passing in a string for the neartable.closest_count variable when it requires a Long data type. Try this:

Dim lCount as Long = 10
neartable.closest_count = lCount

Also, the neartable.closest variable is being passed a String when it expects a Boolean (ALL = True).

2) Are you sure what you are passing in is actually an IFeatureLayer?

3) Why are you getting the FeatureClass from the FeatureLayer if you're never using that variable?

4) Your input features and near features are the same - is this what you want?

5) You might consider setting all of the GeoProcessor properties, especially the EnvironmentValue:

GP.SetEnvironmentValue("workspace", "C:\workspacepathgoeshere")

6) An Events Listener (as mentioned by Kirk) can provide important information

7) Does the output table that you are trying to create already exist?

Answer 2

I recently dealt with a similar problem; I wanted to pass an SDE layer as .near_features and it only worked when I passed the layer's path string. Talked to the Esri Support and they came back a few days later and said it was a bug.

Bug number: #NIM102924 Synopsis: Generate Near table geoprocessing tool s "Near Features" parameter doesn't accept FeatureLayer objects when passed from SDE.

A way to work around it until they fix the bug is to pass the layer's name.

ILayer layer = //your layer;
generateNearTable.near_features = layer.name;

This worked for me.