Shapefiles

Shapefiles are a file-based data format native to ArcView® 3.x software. Conceptually, a shapefile is a feature class—it stores a collection of features that have the same geometry type (point, line, or polygon), the same attributes, and a common spatial extent.

Despite what its name implies, a single shapefile is actually composed of at least three files, and as many as eight. Each file has the shapefile name and an extension. The three main files associated with a shapefile have the .shp, .shx, and .dbf extensions. The information stored in these files allows the features and the attribute table to be displayed.

More about shapefile files

Every shapefile has the following three files:

· ShapefileName.dbf — dBASE-format table that stores feature attributes

· ShapefileName.shp — stores feature geometry

· ShapefileName.shx — stores the index of the feature geometry

Files with the following extensions may also be included with a shapefile:

· ShapefileName.aih — attribute index file

· ShapefileName.ain — attribute index file

· ShapefileName.prj — coordinate system file

· ShapefileName.sbn — spatial index file

· ShapefileName.sbx — spatial index file

In ArcCatalog you will see only the file with the .shp extension, but you can view all the files associated with a shapefile in your operating system's file manager (e.g., Windows Explorer). As with coverages, though, you should always use ArcCatalog to manage shapefiles. ArcCatalog accesses all the files associated with a particular shapefile when you rename, move, copy, or delete the shapefile.

In Windows Explorer, the files associated with a shapefile named CensusBlocks are visible.

Shapefiles are a common data format and you will probably come across them on the Internet or if you work with ArcPad® software or global positioning system (GPS) applications.