Selecting a series of grouped layers within a specific extent [closed]

Question

Is there a way to select grouped layers within a specific extent with ArcGIS 10.5?

For example I have a constraint mapping, with various thematic layers grouped by interest. I would like to know which one are applicable in my project area, without having to select and clip each layer individually (too many of them). Ideally a tool that would let me grab the group of layer and create a shp or layer of features present within my work area would be great.

Answer 1

Assuming the layers are all in the current MXD, you could try something like this using Python and arcpy:

extentOfInterest = arcpy.Extent(xmin, ymin, xmax, ymax)
mxd = arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")

for layer in arcpy.mapping.ListLayers(mxd):
    if extentOfInterest.overlaps(layer.getExtent()):
        print "Layer overlaps and will be processed:  " + layer.longName
        #  Clip, etc here

Replacing xmin, ymin, xmax and ymax with the minimum and maximum values for your extent of interest. You could even turn it into a script tool, and pass these values in as parameters.

Alternatively, you could create the extentOfInterest as the envelope of a polygon feature.

Optionally, you can filter the layers by the layers' names (as a wildcard string in the ListLayers()), or by which group they are in (using the layer.longName, which includes group hierarchy), to process only the layers that you're interested in.

UPDATE: As suggested in comments below, you may also want to filter the layers based on layer.isFeatureLayer and/or layer.isGroupLayer. It depends on what your needs actually are.