A quick tour of documenting tools and toolboxes

To document a tool or toolbox, you edit the Description page as described below.

NoteNote:

Toolsets do not have an item description, and you cannot enter documentation for toolsets.

Editing aDescription page

There are different ways to access the Description page of a tool or toolbox.

In the Catalog window or ArcCatalog

  • Right-click a tool or toolbox you created and click Item Description. This will open the Item Description window, displaying the Description page.
  • Click the Edit button Edit Metadata.

In the Search window

When a tool or toolbox is found as the result of your search in the Search window, as described in A quick tour of finding tools, you can do one of the following to access its Description page:

  • Hover over the tool or toolbox name; a pop-up window will appear with a link to Item Description at the bottom. Click that link to open the Item Description window, then click the Edit button Edit Metadata.
  • Click the summary line of the tool or toolbox below its name to open the Item Description window, then click the Edit button Edit Metadata.

Entering a toolbox description

The description page of a toolbox uses a standard template provided by ArcGIS. Initially, this page is empty, showing only the default content, such as the toolbox name and the toolsets in it. You need to fill in the relevant information, following the tips given at the bottom of the editor, in these areas:

Entering tool description

The Description page of a tool also uses a standard template provided by ArcGIS, structured the same as a system tool reference page. Initially, this page is empty, showing only the default content, such as the tool name, parameter names, and parameter data types. You need to fill in the relevant information, following the tips given at the bottom of the editor, in these areas:

Item Description is used in search

The documentation you provide in the Item Description is used by the Search window to find your tool. The next time Search indexes your tools, the summary and keywords are parsed and added to the search index.

Learn more about ArcGIS Search and indexing


4/14/2011