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

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:
-
You need an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.
-
Ensure your development environment meets the system requirements.
Optionally, you may want to install the ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET to get access to project templates in Visual Studio (Windows only) and offline copies of the NuGet packages.
Set up authentication
To access the secure ArcGIS location services used in this tutorial, you must implement API key authentication or user authentication using an ArcGIS Location Platform or an ArcGIS Online account.
You can implement API key authentication or user authentication in this tutorial. Compare the differences below:
API key authentication
- Users are not required to sign in.
- Requires creating an API key credential with the correct privileges.
- API keys are long-lived access tokens.
- Service usage is billed to the API key owner/developer.
- Simplest authentication method to implement.
- Recommended approach for new ArcGIS developers.
Learn more in API key authentication.
User authentication
- Users are required to sign in with an ArcGIS account.
- User accounts must have privilege to access the ArcGIS services used in application.
- Requires creating OAuth credentials.
- Application uses a redirect URL and client ID.
- Service usage is billed to the organization of the user signed into the application.
Learn more in User authentication.
Create a new API key access token with privileges to access the secure resources used in this tutorial.
-
Complete the Create an API key tutorial and create an API key with the following privilege(s):
- Privileges
- Location services > Basemaps
- Privileges
-
Copy and paste the API key access token into a safe location. It will be used in a later step.
Develop or download
You have two options for completing this tutorial:
Option 1: Develop the code
Create a new Visual Studio Project
ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET supports apps for Windows Presentation Framework (WPF), Universal Windows Platform (UWP), Windows UI Library (WinUI), and .NET MAUI. The instructions for this tutorial are specific to creating a WPF .NET project using Visual Studio for Windows.
-
Start Visual Studio and create a new project.
- In the Visual Studio start screen, click Create a new project.
- Choose the WPF Application template for C#. If you don't see the template listed, you can find it by typing
WP
into the Search for templates text box.F Application - Click Next.
- Provide required values in the Configure your new project panel:
- Project name:
Display
A Map - Location:
choose a folder
- Project name:
- Click Next.
- Choose the framework:
.
NE T 8.0 ( Long Term Support)
- Choose the framework:
- Click Create to create the project.
If you are developing with Visual Studio for Windows, ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET provides a set of project templates for each supported .NET platform. These templates follow the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) design pattern. Install the ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET Visual Studio Extension to add the templates to Visual Studio (Windows only). See Install and set up for details.
Add a reference to the API
-
Add a reference to the API by installing a NuGet package.
- In Solution Explorer, right-click Dependencies and choose Manage NuGet Packages.
- In the NuGet Package Manager window, ensure the selected Package source is
nuget.org
(upper-right). - Select the Browse tab and search for ArcGIS Maps SDK.
- In the search results, select the appropriate package for your platform. For this tutorial project, choose the Esri.ArcGISRuntime.WPF NuGet package.
- Confirm the Latest stable version of the package is selected in the Version dropdown.
- Click Apply.
- The Preview Changes dialog confirms any package(s) dependencies or conflicts. Review the changes and click OK to continue installing the packages.
- Review the license information on the License Acceptance dialog and click I Accept to add the package(s) to your project.
- In the Visual Studio Output window, ensure the packages were successfully installed. If you see an error about the target Windows version, you will fix that in the next step.
- Close the NuGet Package Manager window.
-
You may see an error like this in the Visual Studio Error List:
The '
. If so, follow these steps to address it.Esri. ArcGIS Runtime. WP F' nuget package cannot be used to target 'net8.0-windows'. Target 'net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0' or later instead. - In Solution Explorer, right-click the project entry in the tree view and choose Edit Project File.
- Update the
<Target
element withFramework > net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0
(or higher).
Use dark colors for code blocks <PropertyGroup> <OutputType>WinExe</OutputType> <TargetFramework>net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0</TargetFramework> <UseWPF>true</UseWPF> </PropertyGroup>
- Save the project file and close it.
Create a view model to store app logic
This app is the foundation for many following tutorials so it's good to build it with a solid design.
The Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) design pattern provides an architecture that separates user interface elements, and related code, from the underlying app logic. In this pattern,model
represents the data consumed in an app, view
represents the user interface, and view model
contains the logic that binds model
and view
together. The framework required for such a pattern might initially seem like a lot of work for a small project, but as your project's complexity increases, a solid design foundation will make your code more flexible and easier to maintain.
In an ArcGIS app designed with MVVM, the map view or scene view usually provides the main view
component. Many of the classes fill the role of model
(representing data as maps, scenes, layers, graphics, features, and others). Much of the code you write will be for the view model
component, where you will add logic to work with ArcGIS objects and provide data for display in the view
.
-
Add a new class that will define a view model for the project.
- Click Project > Add Class ....
- Name the new class
Map
.View Model.cs - Click Add to create the new class and add it to the project.
- The new class will open in Visual Studio.
-
Add required
using
statements to the view model.MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using System.Threading.Tasks; using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Mapping; using System.ComponentModel; using System.Runtime.CompilerServices; using Esri.ArcGISRuntime.Geometry;
-
Implement the
I
interface in theNotify Property Changed Map
class.View Model This interface defines a
Property
event that is used to notify clients (views) that a property of the view model has changed.Changed MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks namespace DisplayAMap { internal class MapViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged {
-
Inside the
Map
class, add code to implement theView Model Property
event.Changed When a property of the view model changes, a call to
On
will raise this event.Property Changed MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks internal class MapViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged { public event PropertyChangedEventHandler? PropertyChanged; protected void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = "") { PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName)); } }
-
Define a new property on the view model called
Map
that exposes aMap
object. When the property is set, callOn
.Property Changed MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks internal class MapViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged { public event PropertyChangedEventHandler? PropertyChanged; protected void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = "") { PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName)); } private Map? _map; public Map? Map { get { return _map; } set { _map = value; OnPropertyChanged(); } } }
-
Add a function to the
Map
class calledView Model Setup
. This function will create a new map and use it to set theMap Map
property.The map will use one of the secured ArcGIS basemap styles and center on the Santa Monica Mountains in California.
MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks private void SetupMap() { // Create a new map with a 'topographic vector' basemap. var map = new Map(BasemapStyle.ArcGISTopographic); // Set the initial viewpoint around the Santa Monica Mountains in California. var mapCenterPoint = new MapPoint(-118.805, 34.027, SpatialReferences.Wgs84); map.InitialViewpoint = new Viewpoint(mapCenterPoint, 100000); // Set the view model's Map property with the map. Map = map; }
-
Add a constructor to the class that calls
Setup
when a newMap Map
is instantiated.View Model When you write code like
Map
, the class constructor runs. This is a good place to add code that needs to run when the class is initialized.View Model new Map V M = new Map View Model(); MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks namespace DisplayAMap { internal class MapViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged { public MapViewModel() { SetupMap(); }
Your Map
is complete!
An advantage of using the MVVM design pattern is the ability to reuse code in a view model. Because this API has a nearly-standard API surface across platforms, a view model
written for one app typically works on all supported .NET platforms. This view model could be used in a .NET MAUI app, a WinUI app, or a UWP app with little or no modification.
Set developer credentials
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.
-
In the Solution Explorer, expand the node for App.xaml, and double-click App.xaml.cs to open it.
-
In the App class, add an override for the
On
function to set theStartup() Api
property onKey ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment
.App.xaml.csUse dark colors for code blocks public partial class App : Application { protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e) { base.OnStartup(e); // Set the access token for ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET. Esri.ArcGISRuntime.ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.ApiKey = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"; } } }
-
Replace "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" with the API key access token you created earlier.
-
Save and close the
App.xaml.cs
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.
Next, you will set up a view
in your project to consume the view model.
Add a map view
A MapView
control is used to display a map. You will add a map view to your project UI and wire it up to consume the map that is defined on Map
.
-
Add required XML namespace and resource declarations.
- Open
Main
and switch to the XAML viewWindow.xaml - Inside the existing namespace declarations, add an
esri
XML namespace for the ArcGIS controls - Add XAML that defines a
Map
instance as a static resourceView Model
MainWindow.xamlUse dark colors for code blocks <Window x:Class="DisplayAMap.MainWindow" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml" xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008" xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006" xmlns:local="clr-namespace:DisplayAMap" xmlns:esri="http://schemas.esri.com/arcgis/runtime/2013" mc:Ignorable="d" Title="MainWindow" Height="450" Width="800"> <Window.Resources> <local:MapViewModel x:Key="MapViewModel" /> </Window.Resources>
- Open
-
Add a
MapView
control toMain
and bind it to theWindow.xaml Map
.View Model - Add XAML that defines a
Map
control namedView Main
Map View - Use data binding to set the
Map
property of the control using theMap
resource.View Model
MainWindow.xamlUse dark colors for code blocks <Grid> <esri:MapView x:Name="MainMapView" Map="{Binding Map, Source={StaticResource MapViewModel}}" /> </Grid>
- Add XAML that defines a
Run the app
Click Debug > Start Debugging (or press <F5> on the keyboard) to run the app. If your app uses user authentication, enter your ArcGIS Online credentials when prompted.
You will see a map with the topographic basemap layer centered on the Santa Monica Mountains in California. Double-click, drag, and scroll the mouse wheel over the map view to explore the map.
Alternatively, you can download the tutorial solution, as follows.
Option 2: Download the solution
-
Click the Download solution link in the right-hand panel of the page.
-
Unzip the file to a location on your machine.
-
Open the
.sln
file in Visual Studio.
Since the downloaded solution does not contain authentication credentials, you must add the developer credentials that you created in the set up authentication section.
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.
-
In Visual Studio, in the Solution Explorer, click App.xaml.cs to open the file.
-
Set the
ArcGIS
property with your API key access token.Environment. Api Key App.xaml.csUse dark colors for code blocks protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e) { base.OnStartup(e); // Set the access token for ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET. Esri.ArcGISRuntime.ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.ApiKey = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"; // Call a function to set up the AuthenticationManager for OAuth. UserAuth.ArcGISLoginPrompt.SetChallengeHandler(); }
-
Remove the code that sets up user authentication.
App.xaml.csUse dark colors for code blocks protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e) { base.OnStartup(e); // Set the access token for ArcGIS Maps SDK for .NET. Esri.ArcGISRuntime.ArcGISRuntimeEnvironment.ApiKey = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"; // Call a function to set up the AuthenticationManager for OAuth. UserAuth.ArcGISLoginPrompt.SetChallengeHandler(); }
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 app
Click Debug > Start Debugging (or press <F5> on the keyboard) to run the app. If your app uses user authentication, enter your ArcGIS Online credentials when prompted.
You will see a map with the topographic basemap layer centered on the Santa Monica Mountains in California. Double-click, drag, and scroll the mouse wheel over 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: