HowTo:  Automate deleting fields from a feature class

workspace ="C:/Delete/fgdb/WGS84.gdb"   

table = "test"  

max_val = 3

import arcpy, os, string



def DeleteFields(workspace,table,max_val):

    arcpy.env.workspace = workspace

    field_list = arcpy.ListFields(table) 

    listx = []

    #Populate list

    for field in field_list:

        listx.append(field.name)

            

    #Remove required fields

    if 'Shape.STLength()' in listx:

        listx.remove('Shape.STLength()')

    if 'Shape' in listx:

        listx.remove('Shape')

    if 'SHAPE.STLength()' in listx:

        listx.remove('SHAPE.STLength()')

    if 'Shape.STArea()' in listx:

        listx.remove('Shape.STArea()')

    if 'SHAPE.STArea()' in listx:

        listx.remove('SHAPE.STArea()')

    if 'SHAPE.AREA' in listx:

        listx.remove('SHAPE.AREA')

    if 'SHAPE.LEN' in listx:

        listx.remove('SHAPE.LEN')

    if 'SHAPE.LEN' in listx:

        listx.remove('SHAPE.LEN')

    if 'SHAPE' in listx:

        listx.remove('SHAPE')

    if 'Shape' in listx:

        listx.remove('Shape')

    if 'OBJECTID' in listx:

        listx.remove('OBJECTID')

    if 'FID' in listx:

        listx.remove('FID')

        

    try:                  

        cnt = 0

        while cnt <= max_val -1 :       

            arcpy.DeleteField_management(table,  str(listx[cnt]) )

            print "Deleted field {0}".format(listx[cnt])

            cnt +=1

    except:

        print "Warning: Max value may be higher than available fields to delete"

      

    #clear memory  

    del cnt, field, listx, field_list



if __name__== "__main__":



    workspace ="Database Connections\Connection to test.sde"     #workspace

    table = "test2"                        #name of table

    max_val = 3                              #Limiting value. E.g. 3

    DeleteFields(workspace,table,max_val)