Display a map
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 should:
- Have an ArcGIS account and an API key to access ArcGIS services. If you don't have an account, sign up for free.
- 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.
Steps
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 .NET Core WPF 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 App (.NET) template for C#, then click Next.
- Provide required values in the Configure your new project panel:
- Project name:
Display
AMap - Location:
choose a folder
- Project name:
- Click Create to create the project.
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 Package source selected is
nuget.org
. - Select the Browse tab and search for ArcGIS Runtime.
- 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 Install.
- NuGet automatically resolves any package(s) dependencies or conflicts. By default the Preview Changes dialog will be displayed. 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.
- Close the NuGet Package Manager window.
Get an API key
An API key is required to enable access to services, web maps, and web scenes hosted in ArcGIS Online.If you haven't already, go to your developer dashboard to get your API key. For these tutorials, use your default API key. It is scoped to include all of the services demonstrated in the tutorials.
You will use this API Key below.
Set the API Key in your app
Provide your API Key when the application starts by overriding
O
inn Startup App.xaml.cs
.App.xaml.csUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line.
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, the model
represents the data
consumed in an app, the view
is the user interface, and the view model
contains the logic that binds the
models and views together. The extra framework required for such a pattern might seem like a lot of work for
a small project, but as the complexity of your project grows, a solid design can make your code much more
maintainable and flexible.
In an ArcGIS app designed with MVVM, the map view usually provides the main view component. Many of the classes fill the role of models (representing data as maps, layers, graphics, features, and others). Much of the code you write will be for the view model component, since this is 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 Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Implement the
INotify
interface in theProperty Changed Map
class.View Model MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks Change line Change line Inside the
Map
class, add code to implement theView Model Property
event.Changed MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Define a new property on the view model called
Map
that exposes aMap
object. When the property is set, callO
.n Property Changed MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. 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.MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add a constructor to the class that calls
Setup
when a newMap Map
is instantiated.View Model MapViewModel.csUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line.
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.
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.
MainWindow.xamlUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add a
MapView
control toMain
and bind it to theWindow.xaml Map
.View Model MainWindow.xamlUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line.
Set a viewpoint on the map view
Set a viewpoint for the map view when the window loads. The viewpoint defines a point and map scale that centers the display on the Santa Monica mountains along the coast of southern California.
Open
Main
. This is the code behind file that contains code associated withWindow.xaml.cs Main
and the user interface element it defines.Window.xaml Add new required usings:
MainWindow.xaml.csUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line. In the constructor for
Main
, add code to define a newWindow Viewpoint
and apply it to the map view.MainWindow.xaml.csUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line.
Run the app
Click Debug > Start Debugging (or press <F5> on the keyboard) to run the app.
You should 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: