Overwrite attribute table using python

Question

When I try to use python codes to add fields and update the fields using geometry (x and y) to the attribute table of feature class, it gives me this error:

field A already exists
Failed to execute (AddField).

I used

  arcpy.env.overwriteOutput = True

in my codes but seem not to work.

How to overwrite attribute table of feature class? Does this overwrite code also work for the overwriting attribute table? I know that even for geoprocessing the codes don't work well sometimes.

Answer 1

arcpy.env.overwriteOutput will overwrite existing datasets, not existing fields.

You should ckeck if the field exists, and if it does, either:

Delete it and re-add it:

if len(arcpy.ListFields(your_dataset, A)) > 0:
  arcpy.DeleteField_management(your_dataset, A)
  arcpy.AddField_management(your_dataset, A, field_type)

Not add it:

if len(arcpy.ListFields(your_dataset, A)) > 0:
  arcpy.AddMessage("Field A already exists")
else:
  arcpy.AddField_management(your_dataset, A, field_type)