Display a map

Learn how to create and display a map with a basemap layer.

display a map

A map contains layers of geographic data. A map contains a basemap layer and, optionally, one or more data layers. You can display a specific area of a map by using a map view and setting the location and zoom level.

In this tutorial, you create and display a map of the Santa Monica Mountains in California using the topographic basemap layer.

The map and code will be used as the starting point for other 2D tutorials.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial:

  1. You need an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.

  2. Your system meets the system requirements.

Steps

Create a new Xcode project

Use Xcode to create a single view iOS app and configure it to reference the API.

  1. Open Xcode. In the menu bar, click File > New > Project > iOS > Single View App > Next.

    • In the Choose options window, set the following properties:
      • Product Name: <your app name>
      • Language: Swift
      • User interface: Storyboard
      • Organization Identifier: <your organization>
    • Uncheck all other options.
    • Click Next > Create.
  2. Add a reference to the API by following the instructions in Get the API - Configure a project.

  3. If you downloaded the solution, get an access token and set the API key.

Add a map view to the UI

A map view is a UI component that displays a map. It also handles user interactions with the map, including navigating with touch gestures. Use Xcode and the storyboard editor to add a map view to the UI and connect it to the view controller source code. Set the map view size to fill the entire iPhone display.

  1. In the Project Navigator, click ViewController.swift.

  2. In the editor, add an import statement to reference the API and add an @IBOutlet named mapView and of type AGSMapView. This will provide a reference to the map view that you will create in the storyboard.

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    import UIKit
    
    import ArcGIS
    
    class ViewController: UIViewController {
    
        @IBOutlet weak var mapView: AGSMapView!
    
        override func viewDidLoad() {
            super.viewDidLoad()
    
        }
    
    }
  3. In the Project Navigator, click Main.storyboard to open the storyboard editor.

  4. In the menu, click View > Show Library to display the object library.

  5. In the object library browser:

    • Type uiview or scroll down to find View.
    • Drag and drop a new view on to the storyboard's main view.
  6. At the bottom right of the storyboard editor, click Add New Constraints. In the panel:

    • Type 0 for the top, right, bottom, and left constraints.
    • Click Add 4 Constraints.

    The new view expands to fill the display.

  7. In the menu, click View > Inspectors > Show Identity Inspector. In the Inspectors panel, set Custom Class > Class to AGSMapView.

    This sets the type of the new view to AGSMapView.

  8. In the storyboard editor, right click on the yellow View Controller icon to display the Connections panel. Drag the mapView outlet connector to the new AGSMapView view on the storyboard.

    This connects the AGSMapView in the storyboard to the mapView outlet created earlier in the ViewController class.

Add a map

Use the map view to display a map centered on the Santa Monica Mountains in California. The map will contain a topographic basemap layer.

  1. In Xcode, in the Project Navigator, click ViewController.swift.

  2. In the editor, define a private method named setupMap(). In setupMap() create an AGSMap.

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    class ViewController: UIViewController {
    
        @IBOutlet weak var mapView: AGSMapView!
    
        private func setupMap() {
    
            let map = AGSMap(
                basemapStyle: .arcGISTopographic
            )
    
            mapView.setViewpoint(
                AGSViewpoint(
                    latitude: 34.02700,
                    longitude: -118.80500,
                    scale: 72_000
                )
            )
    
        }
    
        override func viewDidLoad() {
            super.viewDidLoad()
    
        }
    
    }
  3. Set the map property of the mapView outlet to the new AGSMap.

    ViewController.swift
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        private func setupMap() {
    
            let map = AGSMap(
                basemapStyle: .arcGISTopographic
            )
    
            mapView.map = map
    
            mapView.setViewpoint(
                AGSViewpoint(
                    latitude: 34.02700,
                    longitude: -118.80500,
                    scale: 72_000
                )
            )
    
        }
    
    Expand
  4. In the ViewController's viewDidLoad method, call setupMap() once the view has loaded.

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        override func viewDidLoad() {
            super.viewDidLoad()
    
            setupMap()
    
        }
    
    Expand

Get an access token

You need an access token to use the location services used in this tutorial.

  1. Go to the Create an API key tutorial to obtain an access token.

  2. Ensure that the following privilege is enabled: Location services > Basemaps > Basemap styles service.

  3. Copy the access token as it will be used in the next step.

To learn more about other ways to get an access token, go to Types of authentication.

Set your API key

  1. In the Project Navigator, click AppDelegate.swift.

  2. In the editor, add an import statement to reference the API and in the AppDelegate's application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:) method, set the apiKey property on the AGSArcGISRuntimeEnvironment with your access token.

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    import UIKit
    
    import ArcGIS
    
    
    @UIApplicationMain
    class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
        var window: UIWindow?
    
        func application(_ application: UIApplication,
                         didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
    
            AGSArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.apiKey = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"
    
            return true
        }
    
    }
  3. Press Command + R to run the app.

You should see a map with the topographic basemap layer centered on the Santa Monica Mountains in California. Pinch, drag, and double-tap the map view to explore the map.

What's next?

Learn how to use additional API features, ArcGIS location services, and ArcGIS tools in these tutorials:

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