G438 - Introduction to GIS

Question: How can I add a field to a table in ArcGIS?

Answer: This can be done in a few different ways in ArcGIS. A couple of these are described below:

a) Adding a field in ArcCatalog

Navigate to the folder hierarchy where the table or dataset is, then right click on the dataset or table to which you want to add a field. If this is a coverage, then you will need to navigate into the coverage hierarchy (double-click on the coverage name in ArcCatalog) and select the appropriate feature type (polygon, point, line...). Then select Properties from the menu. This brings up a dialog box showing the table structure. Click the Add... button to bring up a dialog box that lets you select field parameters (type, length...) for the field you want to add. Make sure that you don't have the table or dataset open in ArcMap when you try to add a field in ArcCatalog. If it is open in ArcMap then you may not be able to add a field in ArcCatalog because ArcCatalog encounters a sharing violation.

b) Adding a field in ArcMap

Right click on the table or layer to which you want to add a field in the Table of Contents window on the left side of the ArcMap display. Choose Open Attribute Table from the menu. Click on the Options button in the bottom of the window that appears, select Add Field... This brings up a dialog box that will let you set the parameters of the new field to be added.