Filter Tool

Overview

The Filter Tool is a powerful data analysis and export system that enables comprehensive filtering, querying, and exporting of spatial data from visible map layers. This sophisticated tool provides three filtering modes: Basic for simple attribute queries, Advanced for complex SQL expressions, and Legend for visual symbology-based filtering, combined with high-performance export functionality for seamless data sharing and external use.

Key Features

• Three Filtering Modes: Basic attribute-based filtering, Advanced SQL query builder, and Legend symbology-based filtering for all skill levels
• Unique Values Browser: Instantly load, search, and select unique field values from any layer for precise filtering
• Statistical Analysis: Built-in statistics functions (Count, Sum, Average, Min, Max, Standard Deviation)
• Comprehensive Layer Support: Works with visible Feature Layers, Map Image Layers, Group Layers, and data group layers
• Advanced Export System: Export filtered results as Shapefile or KML files with complete attribute preservation
• Performance Optimization: Layer caching system and paginated value loading for improved performance with large datasets
• Case-Sensitive Control: Toggle case sensitivity for text-based queries and precise data matching
• Real-Time Processing: Immediate filter application with visual feedback and automatic zoom to filtered results

Getting Started

Opening the Filter Tool

1. Look for the Filter icon in the right panel toolbar
2. Click the icon to open the filter panel
3. Select a layer from the Layer dropdown
4. Choose between Basic, Advanced, or Legend tabs

What You Can Do

• Filter data from any visible layer
• Browse and select unique field values interactively
• Create simple attribute-based filters
• Write complex SQL queries for advanced filtering
• Filter by map symbology using the Legend tab
• Calculate statistics on filtered or unfiltered data
• Export filtered results as Shapefile or KML

Supported Layer Types

The Filter Tool works with the following visible layer types:

• Feature Layers — Standard vector feature layers with full query support
• Map Image Layers — ArcGIS Server map services with sublayer query support
• Group Layers — FPP Draft, FPP Production, Plan Burn, Wildfire, and Sketch data groups

Basic Panel

Setting Up a Basic Filter

Step 1: Select Layer

1. Choose a layer from the Layer dropdown
2. Only visible layers will appear in the list
3. Click the dropdown to refresh the layer list if a layer was recently made visible

Step 2: Choose Field

1. Select the Field you want to filter by from the Fields dropdown
2. Fields are automatically populated based on the selected layer
3. Consider the data type when making your selection

Step 3: Enter Value (or Browse Unique Values)

1. Type the Value you want to filter for directly in the text input, or
2. Click the list icon (list button) next to the value input to load all unique values for the selected field
3. Browse, search, or select a value from the unique values list

Step 4: Apply Filter

1. Click the Filter button to apply the filter
2. Wait for the results to load
3. The map will update to show only matching features and automatically zoom to the filtered extent

Unique Values Browser

The Unique Values Browser helps you discover and select valid field values without typing:

1. Select a layer and field first
2. Click the list icon button next to the Value input
3. The tool fetches all distinct values from the layer (with live progress indicator)
4. Use the search box to filter the list as you type
5. Click any value in the list to populate the Value input
6. Use Show More to load additional values in batches
7. Click Clear to dismiss the values list

Note

Unique values are cached for the current session. Switching to a different layer or field automatically clears the cache for that selection.

Basic Panel Action Buttons

Button	Description
Aa (Case toggle)	Toggle case-insensitive matching for text searches
Refresh icon	Reload field selectors if dropdowns appear out of sync
Filter button	Apply the current filter criteria to the selected layer
Reset button	Clear the active filter and restore all features

Advanced Panel

The Advanced Panel allows you to build SQL WHERE clause expressions using an interactive query builder.

Query Builder Controls

Field Row

• Select a field from the Field dropdown to reference in your expression
• Click the + button to insert the field name into the expression at the cursor position

Compare Row — Click any operator to insert it into the expression:

Operator	Meaning
=	Equal to
<>	Not equal to
<	Less than
>	Greater than
<=	Less than or equal
>=	Greater than or equal

Logic Row — Combine conditions:

• AND — Both conditions must be true
• OR — Either condition must be true
• NOT — Negate a condition
• ( ) — Group conditions with parentheses

Special Row — Additional SQL keywords:

• LIKE — Pattern matching (use % as wildcard)
• IN — Match a list of values
• BETWEEN — Match a range of values
• IS NULL — Match records with no value in the field
• NOT NULL — Match records that have a value in the field

Value Row

• Enter a value in the Value input field
• Click the + button to insert the value into the expression (automatically quoted for text fields)
• Click the list icon button to load and browse unique values for the selected field

Filter Expression Textarea

• Type or build your complete SQL WHERE clause expression in the text area
• Use Ctrl+Enter as a keyboard shortcut to apply the filter without clicking the button
• The expression supports up to 2,000 characters

Creating SQL Queries — Examples

Simple Equality:

STATUS = 'Active'

Numeric Range:

AREA > 1000 AND AREA < 5000

Text Pattern with Wildcard:

NAME LIKE 'Forest%'

Multiple Conditions with Grouping:

(TYPE = 'Harvest' AND YEAR >= 2020) OR STATUS = 'Pending'

Null Check:

COMMENTS IS NULL

TIP

For detailed SQL syntax help, visit the ArcGIS Query Builder Help.

Advanced Panel Action Buttons

Button	Description
Aa (Case toggle)	Toggle case-insensitive matching for text values
Refresh icon	Reload field selectors if dropdowns appear out of sync
Filter button	Execute the SQL expression and zoom to matching results
Reset button	Clear the expression and restore all features

Legend Panel

The Legend Panel enables filtering based on the layer's map symbology. It is only visible when the selected layer uses a unique-value renderer (i.e., features are styled by a specific field value such as species type, land use class, or status code).

Using the Legend Panel

Step 1: Select a Layer with Symbology

1. Choose a layer from the Layer dropdown
2. If the layer uses a unique-value renderer, the Legend tab will appear in the filter mode selector
3. Click Legend to switch to the Legend tab

Step 2: Select Symbology Values

1. The panel displays all unique values from the renderer with their symbol previews
2. Click any row to toggle its selection (a checkmark appears when selected)
3. Use Select all to select every value at once
4. Use Clear to deselect all values
5. The selection counter at the top shows how many values are selected

Step 3: Apply or Reset

• Click Filter to apply the filter — only features matching the selected symbology values will be shown
• Click Reset to clear the selection and restore all features

Note

The Legend tab is automatically hidden if the selected layer does not have a unique-value renderer. If the tab disappears after switching layers, switch to Basic or Advanced mode to continue filtering.

Statistics Functions

The Filter Tool includes powerful statistical analysis capabilities available in the Advanced Panel under the Statistics accordion section.

Accessing Statistics

1. Switch to the Advanced tab
2. Scroll to the bottom and expand the Statistics accordion section
3. Select a numeric field from the Statistics Field dropdown (required for all operations except Count)
4. Click the desired statistic button

Available Statistics

Button	Function	Field Required
Count	Count total number of records in the layer or filtered result	Any field (auto)
Sum	Calculate the total sum of all values in the selected field	Numeric field
Avg	Calculate the mean/average of values in the selected field	Numeric field
Max	Find the maximum value in the selected field	Numeric field
Min	Find the minimum value in the selected field	Numeric field
Stddev	Calculate the standard deviation of values in the selected field	Numeric field

INFO

Only numeric fields (integer, double, single) are available in the Statistics Field dropdown for Sum, Avg, Max, Min, and Stddev. Count works with any field and uses the first available field automatically.

Statistics Features

Filter-Aware Calculations:

• Statistics respect any active filter expression in the text area or the Basic panel value
• Apply a filter first, then calculate statistics to analyze only the filtered subset of data
• This enables powerful targeted analysis without running a separate query

Recent Results Display:

• Calculated results appear in a compact list below the statistic buttons
• Each result shows the statistic type, field name, calculated value, and timestamp
• Results are shown in reverse chronological order (newest first)
• Click Clear Results to remove all displayed results

Statistics Examples

TIP

Use statistics to quickly analyze your data without opening external tools. Combine with filters for powerful data insights on specific subsets!

Exporting Results

The Export section appears at the bottom of the panel. Export buttons are only active after a successful filter operation returns results.

Export Process

Step 1: Apply a Filter

1. Use the Basic, Advanced, or Legend tab to filter the layer
2. Ensure the filter returns at least one matching feature
3. The SHP and KML export buttons become active when results are available

Step 2: Set Filename (Optional)

1. Enter a custom filename in the File name input field
2. Use descriptive names for easy identification later
3. Leave blank to use the filtered field value or layer name as the filename

Step 3: Choose Format and Export

• SHP — Standard Shapefile format for use in ArcGIS, QGIS, and other GIS applications
• KML — Google Earth format for viewing in Google Earth or other KML-compatible tools

Click the appropriate button and wait for the file to download automatically.

Export Notes

• Only features matching the current filter will be exported
• Always apply your filter before attempting to export
• Group layers can be filtered but cannot be exported — in the Legend tab, when a group layer is selected, a sublayer dropdown appears to let you choose which child layer's renderer to display. For export, select an individual sub-layer directly instead
• Sketch layers have special handling: system-injected USERNAME filters are automatically stripped so you only see your own features
• KML exports include the feature name attribute only; SHP exports preserve all layer attributes
• Large datasets may take longer to process

Tips & Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem	Solution
No layers in dropdown	Make sure target layers are visible on the map; click the dropdown to refresh
Filter not working	Check field names, data type, and value formatting
Export buttons are disabled	Apply a filter first — export requires active filtered results
Export fails for Group layer	Use an individual sub-layer instead of a group layer for export
Query errors	Review SQL syntax and field names in the expression textarea
Slow unique values loading	Large layers with many unique values may take time; a progress indicator shows count
Empty unique values list	The selected field may contain no data or the layer may not support distinct queries
Legend tab not visible	The selected layer must use a unique-value renderer
Statistics error	Ensure a numeric field is selected for Sum/Avg/Min/Max/Stddev
No numeric fields in stats	The layer may only contain text fields; use Count instead
Field selectors out of sync	Click the Refresh icon to reload field dropdowns

Best Practices

For Basic Filtering:

• Use the Unique Values Browser (list icon) to discover valid values before typing
• Toggle case-insensitive matching (Aa button) if text searches return no results
• Exact matches are used by default — use the Advanced panel for partial matches

For Advanced Filtering:

• Use the query builder buttons to reduce typing errors in expressions
• Load unique values for the selected field to insert precise values with the + button
• Use Ctrl+Enter to quickly apply expressions while editing
• Test simple conditions before building complex multi-part expressions

For Legend Filtering:

• Use Select all then deselect individual values to exclude specific categories
• Combine with Basic or Advanced filtering by applying a legend filter first, then switching tabs

For Exporting:

• Use descriptive filenames for easy identification after download
• Choose SHP when you need full attribute preservation for GIS workflows
• Choose KML when sharing data for viewing in Google Earth

For Statistics:

• Apply a filter first to calculate statistics on a specific data subset
• Use Count for a quick feature count — no numeric field selection required
• Keep the results panel visible to compare multiple calculations side by side

Field Types and Formatting

Text Fields:

• In Advanced mode, quote string values with single quotes: 'Forest'
• Use LIKE with % for partial matches: NAME LIKE 'Forest%'
• Toggle case-ignore (Aa) for case-insensitive matching in Basic mode

Numeric Fields:

• No quotes needed in expressions: AREA > 1000 or VALUE = 25.5
• Use comparison operators for range queries

Date Fields:

• Quote date values: DATE_FIELD = '2023-01-01'
• Use BETWEEN for date ranges: SURVEY_DATE BETWEEN '2020-01-01' AND '2023-12-31'

Video Tutorials

Basic Filter Function

Advanced Filter Function

Export Geometry Function

See Also

• Feature Table - View and manage filtered feature attributes in tabular format
• Area Summary Tool - Generate area calculations using geometry intersection analysis
• Layer Panel - Control layer visibility and access layer-level filtering

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