Skip to content
View inMAUIUWPWPFWinUIView on GitHubSample viewer app

Find places of interest near a location or within a specific area.

Image of find place

Use case

When getting directions or looking for nearby places, users may only know what the place has ("food"), the type of place ("gym"), or the generic place name ("Starbucks"), rather than the specific address. You can get suggestions and locations for these places of interest (POIs) using a natural language query. Additionally, you can filter the results to a specific area.

How to use the sample

Choose a type of place in the first field and an area to search within in the second field. Click the Search button to show the results of the query on the map. Click on a result pin to show its name and address. If you pan away from the result area, a "Redo search in this area" button will appear. Click it to query again for the currently viewed area on the map.

How it works

  1. Create a LocatorTask using a URL to a locator service.
  2. Find the location for an address (or city name) to build an envelope to search within:
    • Create GeocodeParameters.
    • Add return fields to the parameters' ResultAttributeNames collection. Only add a single "*" option to return all fields.
    • Call locatorTask.GeocodeAsync(locationQueryString, geocodeParameters) to get a list of GeocodeResults.
    • Use the DisplayLocation from one of the results to build an Envelope to search within.
  3. Get place of interest (POI) suggestions based on a place name query:
    • Create SuggestParameters.
    • Add "POI" to the parameters' categories collection.
    • Call locatorTask.SuggestAsync(placeQueryString, suggestParameters) to get a list of SuggestResults.
    • The SuggestResult will have a label to display in the search suggestions list.
  4. Use one of the suggestions or a user-written query to find the locations of POIs:
    • Create GeocodeParameters.
    • Set the parameters' searchArea to the envelope.
    • Call locatorTask.GeocodeAsync(suggestionLabelOrPlaceQueryString, geocodeParameters) to get a list of GeocodeResults.
    • Display the places of interest using the results' DisplayLocations.

Relevant API

  • GeocodeParameters
  • GeocodeResult
  • LocatorTask
  • SuggestParameters
  • SuggestResult

Additional information

This sample uses the World Geocoding Service. For more information, see the Geocoding service help topic on the ArcGIS Developer website.

Tags

businesses, geocode, locations, locator, places of interest, POI, point of interest, search, suggestions

Sample Code

FindPlace.xaml.csFindPlace.xaml.csFindPlace.xaml
Use dark colors for code blocksCopy
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 // Copyright 2018 Esri. // // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. // You may obtain a copy of the License at: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 // // Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an // "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific // language governing permissions and limitations under the License.  using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Data; using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Geometry; using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Mapping; using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Symbology; using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Tasks.Geocoding; using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.UI; using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.UI.Controls; using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.IO; using System.Linq; using System.Reflection; using System.Threading.Tasks; using System.Windows; using System.Windows.Controls;  namespace ArcGIS.WPF.Samples.FindPlace {  [ArcGIS.Samples.Shared.Attributes.Sample(  name: "Find place",  category: "Search",  description: "Find places of interest near a location or within a specific area.",  instructions: "Choose a type of place in the first field and an area to search within in the second field. Click the Search button to show the results of the query on the map. Click on a result pin to show its name and address. If you pan away from the result area, a \"Redo search in this area\" button will appear. Click it to query again for the currently viewed area on the map.",  tags: new[] { "POI", "businesses", "geocode", "locations", "locator", "places of interest", "point of interest", "search", "suggestions" })]  [ArcGIS.Samples.Shared.Attributes.EmbeddedResource(@"PictureMarkerSymbols\pin_star_blue.png")]  public partial class FindPlace  {  // Flag used to help prevent search completion from competing with user input.  private bool _waitFlag;   // The LocatorTask provides geocoding services.  private LocatorTask _geocoder;   // Service Uri to be provided to the LocatorTask (geocoder).  private readonly Uri _serviceUri =  new Uri("https://geocode-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/World/GeocodeServer");   public FindPlace()  {  InitializeComponent();   // Setup the control references and execute initialization.  _ = Initialize();  }   private async Task Initialize()  {  // Add event handler for when this sample is unloaded.  Unloaded += SampleUnloaded;   // Show a map with a streets basemap.  MyMapView.Map = new Map(BasemapStyle.ArcGISStreets);   // Subscribe to location changed events (to support zooming to current location).  MyMapView.LocationDisplay.LocationChanged += LocationDisplay_LocationChanged;   // Enable location display.  MyMapView.LocationDisplay.IsEnabled = true;   // Enable tap-for-info pattern on results.  MyMapView.GeoViewTapped += MyMapView_GeoViewTapped;   // Initialize the LocatorTask with the provided service Uri.  _geocoder = await LocatorTask.CreateAsync(_serviceUri);   // Enable all controls now that the locator task is ready.  MySearchBox.IsEnabled = true;  MyLocationBox.IsEnabled = true;  MySearchButton.IsEnabled = true;  MySearchRestrictedButton.IsEnabled = true;  }   private void LocationDisplay_LocationChanged(object sender, Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Location.Location e)  {  // Return if position is null; event is called with null position when location display is turned on.  if (e.Position == null)  {  return;  }   // Unsubscribe from the event (only want to zoom once).  ((LocationDisplay)sender).LocationChanged -= LocationDisplay_LocationChanged;   // Zoom to the location.  MyMapView.SetViewpointCenterAsync(e.Position, 100000);  }   /// <summary>  /// Gets the map point corresponding to the text in the location textbox.  /// If the text is 'Current Location', the returned map point will be the device's location.  /// </summary>  private async Task<MapPoint> GetSearchMapPoint(string locationText)  {  // Get the map point for the search text.  if (locationText != "Current Location")  {  // Geocode the location.  IReadOnlyList<GeocodeResult> locations = await _geocoder.GeocodeAsync(locationText);   // return if there are no results.  if (!locations.Any())  {  return null;  }   // Get the first result.  GeocodeResult result = locations.First();   // Return the map point.  return result.DisplayLocation;  }  else  {  // Get the current device location (if available).  return MyMapView.LocationDisplay.Location?.Position;  }  }   /// <summary>  /// Runs a search and populates the map with results based on the provided information.  /// </summary>  /// <param name="enteredText">Results to search for.</param>  /// <param name="locationText">Location around which to find results.</param>  /// <param name="restrictToExtent">If true, limits results to only those that are within the current extent.</param>  private async Task UpdateSearch(string enteredText, string locationText, bool restrictToExtent = false)  {  try  {  // Clear any existing markers.  MyMapView.GraphicsOverlays.Clear();   // Return gracefully if the textbox is empty or the geocoder isn't ready.  if (String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(enteredText) || _geocoder == null)  {  return;  }   // Create the geocode parameters.  GeocodeParameters parameters = new GeocodeParameters();   // Request that the "Address" attribute is included with results, to display in callouts.  parameters.ResultAttributeNames.Add("Address");   // Get the MapPoint for the current search location.  MapPoint searchLocation = await GetSearchMapPoint(locationText);   // Update the geocode parameters if the map point is not null.  if (searchLocation != null)  {  parameters.PreferredSearchLocation = searchLocation;   // Raise MinScore to a non-zero value, otherwise PreferredSearchLocation has no effect.  parameters.MinScore = 1;  }   // Update the search area if desired.  if (restrictToExtent)  {  // Update the search parameters with the current map extent.  parameters.SearchArea = MyMapView.VisibleArea;  }   // Show the progress bar.  MyProgressBar.Visibility = Visibility.Visible;   // Get the location information.  IReadOnlyList<GeocodeResult> locations = await _geocoder.GeocodeAsync(enteredText, parameters);   // Stop gracefully and show a message if the geocoder does not return a result.  if (locations.Count < 1)  {  MyProgressBar.Visibility = Visibility.Collapsed; // 1. Hide the progress bar.  MessageBox.Show("No results found"); // 2. Show a message.  return; // 3. Stop.  }   // Create the GraphicsOverlay so that results can be drawn on the map.  GraphicsOverlay resultOverlay = new GraphicsOverlay();  var symbol = await GetPinSymbolAsync();   // Add each address to the map.  foreach (GeocodeResult location in locations)  {  // Get the Graphic to display.  var point = new Graphic(location.DisplayLocation, symbol);   // Add the specific result data to the point.  point.Attributes["Match_Title"] = location.Label;  point.Attributes["Match_Address"] = location.Attributes["Address"];   // Add the Graphic to the GraphicsOverlay.  resultOverlay.Graphics.Add(point);  }   // Hide the progress bar.  MyProgressBar.Visibility = Visibility.Collapsed;   // Add the GraphicsOverlay to the MapView.  MyMapView.GraphicsOverlays.Add(resultOverlay);   // Update the map viewpoint.  await MyMapView.SetViewpointGeometryAsync(resultOverlay.Extent, 50);  }  catch (Exception ex)  {  MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error");  }  }   /// <summary>  /// Creates and returns a "Pin" symbol used to mark search results on the MapView.  /// </summary>  private async Task<Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Symbology.Symbol> GetPinSymbolAsync()  {  // Hold a reference to the picture marker symbol.  PictureMarkerSymbol pinSymbol;   // Get current assembly that contains the image.  Assembly currentAssembly = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();   // Get the resource name of the blue pin image.  string resourceStreamName = this.GetType().Assembly.GetManifestResourceNames().Single(str => str.EndsWith("pin_star_blue.png"));   // Load the blue pin resource stream.  using (Stream resourceStream = this.GetType().Assembly.  GetManifestResourceStream(resourceStreamName))  {  // Create new symbol using asynchronous factory method from stream.  pinSymbol = await PictureMarkerSymbol.CreateAsync(resourceStream);  pinSymbol.Width = 60;  pinSymbol.Height = 60;  // The symbol is a pin; centering it on the point is incorrect.  // The values below center the pin and offset it so that the pinpoint is accurate.  pinSymbol.LeaderOffsetX = 30;  pinSymbol.OffsetY = 14;  }   return pinSymbol;  }   /// <summary>  /// Shows a callout for any tapped graphics.  /// </summary>  private async void MyMapView_GeoViewTapped(object sender, GeoViewInputEventArgs e)  {  try  {  // Search for the graphics underneath the user's tap.  IReadOnlyList<IdentifyGraphicsOverlayResult> results = await MyMapView.IdentifyGraphicsOverlaysAsync(e.Position, 12, false);   // Clear callouts and return if there was no result.  if (results.Count < 1 || results.First().Graphics.Count < 1)  {  MyMapView.DismissCallout();  return;  }   // Get the first graphic from the first result.  Graphic matchingGraphic = results.First().Graphics.First();   // Get the title; manually added to the point's attributes in UpdateSearch.  string title = matchingGraphic.Attributes["Match_Title"].ToString();   // Get the address; manually added to the point's attributes in UpdateSearch.  string address = matchingGraphic.Attributes["Match_Address"].ToString();   // Define the callout.  CalloutDefinition calloutBody = new CalloutDefinition(title, address);   // Show the callout on the map at the tapped location.  MyMapView.ShowCalloutAt(e.Location, calloutBody);  }  catch (Exception ex)  {  MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error");  }  }   /// <summary>  /// Returns a list of suggestions based on the input search text and limited by the specified parameters.  /// </summary>  /// <param name="searchText">Text to get suggestions for.</param>  /// <param name="location">Location around which to look for suggestions.</param>  /// <param name="poiOnly">If true, restricts suggestions to only Points of Interest (e.g. businesses, parks),  /// rather than all matching results.</param>  /// <returns>List of suggestions as strings.</returns>  private async Task<List<string>> GetSuggestResults(string searchText, string location = "",  bool poiOnly = false)  {  // Quit if string is null, empty, or whitespace.  if (String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(searchText))  {  return new List<string>();  }   // Quit if the geocoder isn't ready.  if (_geocoder == null)  {  return new List<string>();  }   // Create geocode parameters.  SuggestParameters parameters = new SuggestParameters();   // Restrict suggestions to points of interest if desired.  if (poiOnly)  {  parameters.Categories.Add("POI");  }   // Set the location for the suggest parameters.  if (!String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(location))  {  // Get the MapPoint for the current search location.  MapPoint searchLocation = await GetSearchMapPoint(location);   // Update the geocode parameters if the map point is not null.  if (searchLocation != null)  {  parameters.PreferredSearchLocation = searchLocation;  }  }   // Get the updated results from the query so far.  IReadOnlyList<SuggestResult> results = await _geocoder.SuggestAsync(searchText, parameters);   // Convert the list into a list of strings (corresponding to the label property on each result) and return.  return results.Select(result => result.Label).ToList();  }   /// <summary>  /// Method used to keep the suggestions up-to-date for the search box.  /// </summary>  private async void MySearchBox_TextChanged(object sender, TextChangedEventArgs e)  {  try  {  // Don't update results immediately; makes search-as-you-type more comfortable  if (_waitFlag)  {  return;  }   _waitFlag = true;  await Task.Delay(150);  _waitFlag = false;   // Dismiss callout, if any.  MyMapView.DismissCallout();   // Get the current text.  string searchText = MySearchBox.Text;   // Get the current search location.  string locationText = MyLocationBox.Text;   // Convert the list into a usable format for the suggest box.  List<string> results = await GetSuggestResults(searchText, locationText, true);   // Quit if there are no results.  if (!results.Any())  {  return;  }   // Update the list of options.  MySearchBox.ItemsSource = results;  }  catch (Exception ex)  {  MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error");  }  }   /// <summary>  /// Method used to keep the suggestions up-to-date for the location box.  /// </summary>  private async void MyLocationBox_TextChanged(object sender, TextChangedEventArgs e)  {  try  {  // Don't update results immediately; makes search-as-you-type more comfortable  if (_waitFlag)  {  return;  }   _waitFlag = true;  await Task.Delay(150);  _waitFlag = false;   // Dismiss callout, if any.  MyMapView.DismissCallout();   // Get the current text.  string searchText = MyLocationBox.Text;   // Get the results.  List<string> results = await GetSuggestResults(searchText);   // Quit if there are no results.  if (!results.Any())  {  return;  }   // Add a 'current location' option to the list.  results.Insert(0, "Current Location");   // Update the list of options.  MyLocationBox.ItemsSource = results;  }  catch (Exception ex)  {  MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Error");  }  }   /// <summary>  /// Method called to start a search that is restricted to results within the current extent.  /// </summary>  private void MySearchRestrictedButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)  {  // Dismiss callout, if any.  MyMapView.DismissCallout();   // Get the search text.  string searchText = MySearchBox.Text;   // Get the location text.  string locationText = MyLocationBox.Text;   // Run the search.  _ = UpdateSearch(searchText, locationText, true);  }   /// <summary>  /// Method called to start an unrestricted search.  /// </summary>  private void MySearchButton_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)  {  // Dismiss callout, if any.  MyMapView.DismissCallout();   // Get the search text.  string searchText = MySearchBox.Text;   // Get the location text.  string locationText = MyLocationBox.Text;   // Run the search.  _ = UpdateSearch(searchText, locationText);  }   private void SampleUnloaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)  {  // Stop the location data source.  MyMapView.LocationDisplay?.DataSource?.StopAsync();  }  } }

Your browser is no longer supported. Please upgrade your browser for the best experience. See our browser deprecation post for more details.