Documenting a model
A model and the toolbox in which the model is saved can be documented like any other geoprocessing tool.
- 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
. - Enter the description for each category and click the Save button
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In addition to the standard documentation you write for your model tool, you can help a user understand your model by making your model diagrams easy to read and follow. Here are some considerations when creating your model:
- Rename variables and tools so they have context within the model. For example, you might rename the Clip tool to "Cut out study area" or "Find points inside buffer", which give context to how the Clip tool is being used. Likewise, a variable named "Input features" would have more context if renamed to "Input street features dataset".
- Make the model layout (how elements are arranged) readable.
- Use element labels and diagram text labels.
- Use graphics for elements instead of the standard ovals and rectangles.
- If you have a website that explains your model, or the science behind your model, you can put the weblink in a model label.
- Expose geoprocessing environments you set in the model as model variables. This way, a user can easily see which environments affect the model.
Learn more about setting environments using a model variable
- Export the model as a graphic and use the graphic in the model documentation.
Legacy:The Edit Documentation option that was available from the right-click context menu has been removed at ArcGIS 10.
9/13/2011