Display a web map

Learn how to create and display a map from a web map stored in ArcGIS.

display a web map

A web map contains the definition of a map, including properties such as the basemap, initial extent, layers, styles, pop-ups, and labels. You can author and save web maps using the Map Viewer or ArcGIS Pro and share them in ArcGIS. Each web map is stored as an item in ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise, allowing you to access a web map from a portal using its item ID and display it in your app.

In this tutorial, you use a web map's item ID to display a map of trails, trailheads and parks in the Santa Monica Mountains . The web map is hosted in ArcGIS Online.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial:

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

  2. Your system meets the system requirements.

  3. The ArcGIS Maps SDK for Qt, version 200.6.0 or later is installed.

  4. The Qt 6.5.6 software development framework is installed.

Develop or Download

You have two options for completing this tutorial:

  1. Option 1: Develop the code or
  2. Option 2: Download the completed solution

Option 1: Develop the code

To start the tutorial, complete the Display a map tutorial. This creates a map to display the Santa Monica Mountains in California using the topographic basemap from the ArcGIS basemap styles service.

Open a Qt Creator project

  1. Open the project you created by completing the Display a map tutorial.
  2. Continue with the following instructions to display a map from a web map stored in ArcGIS.

Get the web map item ID

You can use ArcGIS tools to create and view web maps. Use the Map Viewer to identify the web map item ID. This item ID will be used later in the tutorial.

  1. Go to the LA Trails and Parks web map in the Map Viewer in ArcGIS Online. This web map displays trails, trailheads and parks in the Santa Monica Mountains.
  2. Make a note of the item ID at the end of the browser's URL. The item ID should be

    41281c51f9de45edaf1c8ed44bb10e30

Initialize the map using a web map

  1. In Projects, double-click Sources > Display_a_map.cpp to open the file.

  2. Remove the five classes shown. These are not needed when displaying a web map.

    Display_a_map.cpp
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    #include "Display_a_map.h"
    #include "Map.h"
    
    #include "MapTypes.h"
    
    #include "MapQuickView.h"
    
    #include "Point.h"
    #include "Viewpoint.h"
    #include "SpatialReference.h"
    #include <QFuture>
    
  3. Remove the comma after QObject(parent) and then modify the constructor to remove initialization with BasemapStyle and the Map.

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    Display_a_map::Display_a_map(QObject* parent /* = nullptr */):
    
        QObject(parent),
    
        m_map(new Map(BasemapStyle::ArcGISTopographic, this))
    
  4. In the setupViewpoint() method, replace the existing code with the following. This code creates a QString named item_id and sets it to the item ID for the LA Trails and Parks web map. It appends the item ID to the ArcGIS Online base URL and stores it in a QUrl. The new code creates a Map from the web map configuration specified by the item ID.

    Display_a_map.cpp
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    MapQuickView* Display_a_map::mapView() const
    {
        return m_mapView;
    }
    
    void Display_a_map::setupViewpoint()
    {
    
        const QString item_id("41281c51f9de45edaf1c8ed44bb10e30");
        const QUrl portal_url(QString("https://arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/" + item_id));
        m_map = new Map(portal_url, this);
        m_mapView->setMap(m_map);
    
    Expand
  5. Press Ctrl + R to run the app.

You will see a map of trails, trailheads and parks in the Santa Monica Mountains. Click, drag, and scroll the mouse wheel on the map view to explore the map.

Alternatively, you can download the tutorial solution, as follows.

Option 2: Download the solution

  1. Click the Download solution link under Solution and unzip the file to a location on your machine.

  2. Open the project in Qt Creator.

Since the downloaded solution does not contain authentication credentials, you must set up authentication to create the developer credentials and add them to the project.

Set up authentication

To access the secure ArcGIS location services used in this tutorial, you must implement API key authentication using an ArcGIS Location Platform or an ArcGIS Online account.

Create a new API key access token with privileges to access the secure resources used in this tutorial.

  1. Complete the Create an API key tutorial and create an API key with the following privilege(s):

    • Privileges
      • Location services > Basemaps
  2. Copy and paste the API key access token into a safe location. It will be used in a later step.

Set developer credentials in the solution

To allow your app users to access ArcGIS location services, use the developer credentials that you created in the Set up authentication step to authenticate requests for resources.

  1. In the Projects window, go to the Sources folder

  2. Open the main.cpp file.

  3. Modify the code to set the accessToken using your API key access token.

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        // 2. API key authentication: Get a long-lived access token that gives your application access to
        // ArcGIS location services. Go to the tutorial at https://links.esri.com/create-an-api-key.
        // Copy the API Key access token.
    
        const QString accessToken = QString("");
    
  4. Save and close the file.

Best Practice: The access token is stored directly in the code as a convenience for this tutorial. Do not store credentials directly in source code in a production environment.

Run the solution

Press Ctrl + R to run the app.

You will see a map of trails, trailheads and parks in the Santa Monica Mountains. Click, drag, and scroll the mouse wheel on 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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