Skip to content

Compatibility

Reference

Compatibility & stability

Which ArcGIS Pro and Python versions ArcSmith supports, and what the version number promises about API stability.

Supported environments

ArcSmith requires arcpy, which ships only with ArcGIS Pro, and declares requires-python = ">=3.11". Any ArcGIS Pro release that bundles Python 3.11 or newer is therefore supported. ArcGIS Pro first shipped Python 3.11 in Pro 3.3, which is the supported floor. pip refuses to install ArcSmith into an older environment.

ArcGIS Pro Bundled Python Supported
3.3 3.11 ✅ (floor)
3.4 3.11 ✅
3.5 3.11 ✅
3.6 3.13 ✅
3.7 3.13 ✅
≤ 3.2 3.9 ❌ below floor

Each Pro release advances the Python patch version, and the minor version steps up roughly every third release (3.9 through Pro 3.2, 3.11 from Pro 3.3, 3.13 from Pro 3.6). The exact patch level for a release is listed in that release's ArcGIS Pro release notes. ArcSmith does not pin a patch version. It targets the 3.11+ language and standard library only, so a newer Pro release is supported as long as its bundled Python is 3.11 or later.

Versioning policy

ArcSmith follows Semantic Versioning from 1.0.0 onward:

  • MAJOR: incompatible public API changes.
  • MINOR: backwards-compatible additions.
  • PATCH: backwards-compatible fixes.

Pre-1.0

While the version is 0.x, the public API is still settling and breaking changes can land in any release. The changelog shipped with the package records the renames and behavior changes made so far. 1.0 is the point at which this surface freezes.

Public vs. private API

The public API is everything not prefixed with an underscore. A name like lyr._seed_styles or param._broadcast is an internal helper. It can change or disappear in any release, including patch releases, and should not be relied on. The internal arcsmith._types module is private for the same reason.

Each module's __all__ lists its public functions, and the per-module reference sheets document the same set.

lyr.PRESETS, the registered style-preset dictionary, is part of the public surface. You can read it and pass its names to lyr.simple_sym and lyr.add. The catalogue grows over time, so new preset names may be added in a minor release, but an existing preset name will not be removed or repurposed without going through the deprecation process below.

Deprecation policy

From 1.0 onward, a public function, parameter, or preset will not be removed without warning. It is first deprecated for at least one minor release: it keeps working, its planned removal is announced in the changelog, and (where practical) a runtime warning is raised when it is used. Removal happens no earlier than the following minor release, which gives a toolbox a full release cycle to migrate.

Before 1.0 this cushion does not apply. As noted above, breaking changes can land in any 0.x release, and the changelog is the record of what changed.

Reporting a compatibility issue

Please open an issue on the issue tracker. To make it reproducible, include:

  • the ArcSmith version (pip show arcsmith),
  • the ArcGIS Pro version and its bundled Python version (Pro Settings > About, or run import sys; print(sys.version) in the Python window),
  • the full arcpy error message and traceback, and
  • a minimal snippet or .pyt excerpt that triggers the problem.