Search for an address

Learn how to find an address or place with a search bar and the geocoding service.

Geocoding is the process of converting address or place text into a location. The geocoding service can search for an address or a place and perform reverse geocoding.

In this tutorial, you use a search bar in the user interface to access the Geocoding service and search for addresses and places.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial:

You need an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.
Confirm that your system meets the minimum system requirements.
An IDE for Java.

Steps

Get an access token

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

Go to the Create an API key tutorial to obtain an access token.
Ensure that the following privileges are enabled: Location services > Basemaps > Basemap styles service and Location services > Geocoding.
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.

Open a Java project with Gradle

To start this tutorial, complete the Display a map tutorial, or download and unzip the Display a map solution into a new folder.
Open the build.gradle file as a project in IntelliJ IDEA.
In IntelliJ IDEA's Project tool window, open src/main/java/com.example.app and double-click App.
In the start() method, set the API key property on the ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment with your access token. Replace YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN with your copied access token. Be sure to surround your access token with double quotes as it is a string.
App.java
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    ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.setApiKey("YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN");
```
Warning
The access token is stored directly in the code as a convenience for this tutorial. Storing access tokens in the source code is not best practice.

Add import statements and variable declarations

Add import statements and variable declarations to reference the packages and classes required for this tutorial.

In IntelliJ IDEA's Project tool window, open src/main/java/com.example.app and double-click App.

Add the following imports above the existing imports:

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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.import java.util.List;
import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;

import javafx.geometry.Insets;
import javafx.geometry.Pos;
import javafx.scene.paint.Color;
import javafx.scene.control.Alert;
import javafx.scene.control.TextField;

import com.esri.arcgisruntime.concurrent.ListenableFuture;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.Graphic;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.GraphicsOverlay;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.symbology.SimpleMarkerSymbol;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.symbology.TextSymbol;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.tasks.geocode.GeocodeParameters;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.tasks.geocode.GeocodeResult;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.tasks.geocode.LocatorTask;

import com.esri.arcgisruntime.ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.ArcGISMap;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.BasemapStyle;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.Viewpoint;
import com.esri.arcgisruntime.mapping.view.MapView;

import javafx.application.Application;
import javafx.scene.Scene;
import javafx.scene.layout.StackPane;
import javafx.stage.Stage;

Within the App class, add the following member variables to easily reference them from other parts of the application:

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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.public class App extends Application {

  private MapView mapView;

  private GeocodeParameters geocodeParameters;
  private GraphicsOverlay graphicsOverlay;
  private LocatorTask locatorTask;

  private TextField searchBox;

Add a graphics overlay

A graphics overlay is a container for graphics. A graphic will be added later in this tutorial as a visual means to display the search result on the map.

In the start() method, create a new GraphicsOverlay and add it to the mapView.

App.java
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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.    ArcGISMap map = new ArcGISMap(BasemapStyle.ARCGIS_TOPOGRAPHIC);
    // set the map on the map view
    mapView.setMap(map);
    mapView.setViewpoint(new Viewpoint(34.02700, -118.80543, 144447.638572));

    // create a graphics overlay and add it to the map view
    graphicsOverlay = new GraphicsOverlay();

    mapView.getGraphicsOverlays().add(graphicsOverlay);
Expand

Add a UI for user input

To search an address using the application, add a UI element to prompt the user for text input. The text input will be used as the geocode search text in a later step.

Create a new private method named setupTextField().

Within the method body, create a JavaFX TextField, assign it to the searchBox member variable, and set its width and prompt text.

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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.    mapView.getGraphicsOverlays().add(graphicsOverlay);

  }

  private void setupTextField() {
    searchBox = new TextField();
    searchBox.setMaxWidth(400);
    searchBox.setPromptText("Search for an address");
  }
Expand

Call the setupTextField() method in the start() method.

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Add line.    mapView.getGraphicsOverlays().add(graphicsOverlay);

    setupTextField();
Expand

Add the searchBox to the top left of the map, setting its alignment and margins as shown:

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Add line.Add line.Add line.    setupTextField();

    stackPane.getChildren().add(searchBox);
    StackPane.setAlignment(searchBox, Pos.TOP_LEFT);
    StackPane.setMargin(searchBox, new Insets(10, 0, 0, 10));

  }
Expand

Create a locator task with geocode parameters

Geocoding is implemented with a locator, typically created by referencing a service such as the Geocoding service or, for offline geocoding, by referencing locator data contained in a mobile package. Geocoding parameters can be used to fine-tune the results, such as setting the maximum number of results or requesting additional attributes in the results.

Create a new private method named createLocatorTaskAndDefaultParameters().
Within the method body, create a new LocatorTask based on the Geocoding service, and assign it to the locatorTask member variable.

A locator task is used to convert an address to a point (geocode) or vice-versa (reverse geocode). An address includes any type of information that distinguishes a place. A locator involves finding matching locations for a given address. Reverse-geocoding is the opposite and finds the closest address for a given location.
Create new GeocodeParameters, and assign it to the geocodeParameters member variable. Specify the geocode's attributes as follows:
- Specify which attributes to return by calling the .add() method on the GeocodeParameters.getResultAttributeNames(). * is used to return all attributes.
- Set the maximum number of results to be returned with GeocodeParameters.setMaxResults(). In this tutorial, only return the best match by passing in 1. Results are ordered by score, so returning only the first result will return the highest scoring result.
- Set the spatial reference with GeocodeParameters.setOutputSpatialReference(). By default the output spatial reference is determined by the geocode service. For optimal performance when displaying the geocode result, ensure the returned coordinates match those of the map view by providing mapView.getSpatialReference() as a parameter.
When geocoding an address, you can optionally provide GeocodeParameters to control certain aspects of the geocoding operation, and specify the kinds of results to return from the locator task.
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```
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  private void setupTextField() {
    searchBox = new TextField();
    searchBox.setMaxWidth(400);
    searchBox.setPromptText("Search for an address");
  }

  private void createLocatorTaskAndDefaultParameters() {
    locatorTask = new LocatorTask("https://geocode-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/GeocodeServer");

    geocodeParameters = new GeocodeParameters();
    geocodeParameters.getResultAttributeNames().add("*");
    geocodeParameters.setMaxResults(1);
    geocodeParameters.setOutputSpatialReference(mapView.getSpatialReference());
  }
```
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Call the createLocatorTaskAndDefaultParameters() method in the start() method.

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Add line.    setupTextField();

    createLocatorTaskAndDefaultParameters();
Expand

Get the geocode results with a geocode operation

An asynchronous geocode operation is required to find and return the location candidates for a given address and geocode parameters.

Create a new private method named performGeocode() that takes a String parameter for the address.

To find the location for a given address, call the LocatorTask.geocodeAsync() method on the locatorTask, providing the address string and geocodeParameters as parameters, and store the result in a local variable named geocodeResults. The result is an immutable list of GeocodeResult objects. In this tutorial, only one result will be returned, as the maximum results parameter was set to 1. Get the location result by calling an ListenableFuture.addDoneListener() on the geocodeResults. The result will be displayed visually in the next step.

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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.  private void createLocatorTaskAndDefaultParameters() {
    locatorTask = new LocatorTask("https://geocode-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/GeocodeServer");

    geocodeParameters = new GeocodeParameters();
    geocodeParameters.getResultAttributeNames().add("*");
    geocodeParameters.setMaxResults(1);
    geocodeParameters.setOutputSpatialReference(mapView.getSpatialReference());
  }

  private void performGeocode(String address) {
    ListenableFuture<List<GeocodeResult>> geocodeResults = locatorTask.geocodeAsync(address, geocodeParameters);

    geocodeResults.addDoneListener(() -> {
      try {
        List<GeocodeResult> geocodes = geocodeResults.get();
        if (geocodes.size() > 0) {
          GeocodeResult result = geocodes.get(0);

        } else {
          new Alert(Alert.AlertType.INFORMATION, "No results found.").show();
        }
      } catch (InterruptedException | ExecutionException e) {
        new Alert(Alert.AlertType.ERROR, "Error getting result.").show();
        e.printStackTrace();
      }
    });
  }
Expand

Display the result

The result obtained from the geocode operation can be displayed by adding a graphic to the map view's graphics overlay.

Create a new private method taking a GeocodeResult (the result to be displayed on the map) as a parameter, and name it displayResult().

Within the method body, create and style two Graphic objects and add them to the graphicsOverlay. Use the geocodeResult's label and display location to add one graphic showing the geocode result's label text (the address), and another showing the geocode result's location.

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Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.Add line.        } else {
          new Alert(Alert.AlertType.INFORMATION, "No results found.").show();
        }
      } catch (InterruptedException | ExecutionException e) {
        new Alert(Alert.AlertType.ERROR, "Error getting result.").show();
        e.printStackTrace();
      }
    });
  }

  private void displayResult(GeocodeResult geocodeResult) {
    graphicsOverlay.getGraphics().clear(); // clears the overlay of any previous result

    // create a graphic to display the address text
    String label = geocodeResult.getLabel();
    TextSymbol textSymbol = new TextSymbol(18, label, Color.BLACK, TextSymbol.HorizontalAlignment.CENTER, TextSymbol.VerticalAlignment.BOTTOM);
    Graphic textGraphic = new Graphic(geocodeResult.getDisplayLocation(), textSymbol);
    graphicsOverlay.getGraphics().add(textGraphic);

    // create a graphic to display the location as a red square
    SimpleMarkerSymbol markerSymbol = new SimpleMarkerSymbol(SimpleMarkerSymbol.Style.SQUARE, Color.RED, 12.0f);
    Graphic markerGraphic = new Graphic(geocodeResult.getDisplayLocation(), geocodeResult.getAttributes(), markerSymbol);
    graphicsOverlay.getGraphics().add(markerGraphic);

    mapView.setViewpointCenterAsync(geocodeResult.getDisplayLocation());
  }
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In the performGeocode() method, in the lambda expression body, call the displayResult() method, passing in result as the parameter. This will display the result of the geocode operation on the map.

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      try {
        List<GeocodeResult> geocodes = geocodeResults.get();
        if (geocodes.size() > 0) {
          GeocodeResult result = geocodes.get(0);

          displayResult(result);
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In the start() method, set an action on the searchBox to get the input text. Get the text from the search box and call performGeocode(), passing in the text as the parameter.

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    searchBox.setOnAction(event -> {
      String address = searchBox.getText();
      if (!address.isBlank()) {
        performGeocode(address);
      }
    });
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Run the app. Ensure to run the app as a Gradle task and not as an application in your IDE. In the Gradle tool window, under Tasks > application, double-click run.

You should see a search box on the top left of the map. Search for an address by entering an address and press Return on the keyboard. The result of the search should display on the map as a red square.

What's next?

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