Counter
Adds a numeric attribute to a feature and assigns a value. Each subsequent feature passing through the transformer receives an incremented value – in other words, the Counter is counting the features.
This transformer can be useful for assigning a unique, numeric ID number to a set of features, for counting the number of features, or for creating a basic histogram for values of a given attribute.
Transformer Parameters
This parameter is common to most transformers, and you do not always have to edit it to control workspace output. See the Usage Notes below for information on why you might want to edit this parameter for the Counter.
The name of the attribute that will contain the results, and will appear in the list of Output port attributes.
Create separate sequences of numbers to be assigned, either by placing several Counter transformers with each having a different counter name, or by choosing an attribute whose value will be used as the counter name as each feature passes through. (In effect, using an attribute to supply the Counter name is like having a Group By option for the Counter.)
Use this parameter to specify a starting value for the Counter. This is useful for applications where ranges of values have meanings in the problem domain. See Usage Notes below.
Specify whether the scope of this counter is Global (throughout the entire workspace) or Local (for this transformer only). Global counters with the same Counter Name will share the same counting sequence, while Local counters will each have a unique counting sequence.
Usage Notes
Using Multiple Counters
When multiple Counters have the same name, they produce a single count. When multiple Counters have different names, each Counter produces a unique count starting at 1 (or the number determined by the Count Start parameter). You can rename any Counter by editing the Transformer Name parameter.
For example, there are two workspaces each with two Counters. Ten features passed through each Counter would result in the following:
Workspace 1
Counter Name: Counter1 - features numbered 1 - 10
Counter Name: Counter2 - features numbered 1 - 10
Workspace 2
Counter Name: Counter - features numbered 1 - 10
Counter Name: Counter - features numbered 11 - 20
You can use this feature as needed to produce different results.
Editing Transformer Parameters
Using a set of menu options, transformer parameters can be assigned by referencing other elements in the workspace. More advanced functions, such as an advanced editor and an arithmetic editor, are also available in some transformers. To access a menu of these options, click beside the applicable parameter. For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.
Transformer Categories
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