Using Editor tab Clip function in ArcPy?

Question

I am using ArcGIS Desktop 10.6, basic license, Spatial Analyst, python 2.6, 2019 AD.

I have a polygon feature class with representing a lake, with multiple features overlapping (all in the same feature class). The shoreline feature covers the entire area of the lake, the 1 foot depth feature covers all of the area at 1 foot, etc, etc. Opening an editing session and starting at the deepest depth, I can use the Editor toolbar Clip function to clip each area from the others. The end result is a flat representation of the lake, no overlapping depths.

To accomplish this with arcpy, I think I need to sort my list descending from the largest depth and clip the below features. I've attached a sample feature class that this script would intake, and another ("flat") that should be output.

import arcpy
from arcpy import env
try:
 # Set workspace environment
 env.workspace = "C:/data/default.gdb"
 # intake lake
 in_dataset = arcpy.GetParameterAsText(0)
 # sort the lake attribute table by the depth
 sort_fields = ["depth", "DESCENDING"]
 # Use Peano algorithm
 sort_method = "PEANO"
 # sort the fc, run Editor Clip on each attribute, starting with the largest
 arcpy.Sort_management(in_dataset, sort_fields, sort_method)
 with arcpy.da.SearchCursor(in_dataset, 'SHAPE@') as cursor:
 for row in cursor:
 #don't know how to call this part
 EditorClipTool(row, "DISCARD")
 print arcpy.GetMessages()
except arcpy.ExecuteError:
 # Print error messages
 print arcpy.GetMessages(2)
except Exception as ex:
 print ex.args[0]

input: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ShZ5OQensnskLbgIzMWroVM2GIKLukou

desired output: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QLbLr30yY136wvAUaEXEHSrM33ZKR3cG

• FelixIP: Use difference method for geometry, e.g. gis.stackexchange.com/questions/293433/…
• rrrrrrrr: @FelixIP unfortunately this is happening inside one feature class
• FelixIP: It doesn't matter at all.
• rrrrrrrr: @FelixIP Can you explain further? I am unclear on how to implement this. Can I call the next row in a cursor somehow and then use shp.difference?

Answer 1

Use this on a sorted copy of your polygons:

import arcpy
## works on sorted table !!!
g=arcpy.Geometry()
geomList=arcpy.CopyFeatures_management("POLYGONS",g)
N=0
with arcpy.da.UpdateCursor("POLYGONS","Shape@") as cursor:
 for row in cursor:
 N+=1
 if N==len(geomList):break
 origPgon=row[0]
 newPgon=origPgon.difference(geomList[N])
 cursor.updateRow((newPgon,))

Original, 1st record selected

enter image description here

Result, 1st record selected

enter image description here

• rrrrrrrr: I have no idea how this works but it does great. I will post updated working code when I get it cleaned up.
• FelixIP: If it works, please mark as solved.