Learn how to display the current device location on a map or scene.
You can display the device location on a map or scene. This is important for workflows that require the user's current location, such as finding nearby businesses, navigating from the current location, or identifying and collecting geospatial information.
By default, location display uses the device's location provider. Your app can also process input from other location providers, such as an external GPS receiver or a provider that returns a simulated location. For more information, see the Show device location topic.
Prerequisites
The following are required for this tutorial:
- An ArcGIS account to access API keys. If you don't have an account, sign up for free.
- Your system meets the system requirements.
- The ArcGIS Runtime API for Qt is installed.
Steps
Create a new ArcGIS Runtime Qt Creator Project
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Launch Qt Creator and create a new project. Under Choose a Template, select Qt Quick C++ app project for the latest version of ArcGIS Runtime installed.
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Name your project display_device_location.
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Accept all defaults. At the Define Project Details window, leave the ArcGIS Online Basemap selection as is. Complete the project creation.
Set your 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.
-
In the Projects window, in the Sources folder, open the main.cpp file. Modify the code to set the API key. Paste the API key, acquired from your dashboard, between the quotes. Then save and close the file.
main.cppUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. // 2. API key: A permanent key that gives your application access to Esri // location services. Create a new API key or access existing API keys from // your ArcGIS for Developers dashboard (https://links.esri.com/arcgis-api-keys). const QString apiKey = QString("");
Declare the new method in the header file
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In the Projects window, open the Headers folder. Double-click the file display_device_location.h to open it. Add the new method declaration under
private:
. Then save and close the file.Display_device_location.hUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. private: Esri::ArcGISRuntime::MapQuickView* mapView() const; void setMapView(Esri::ArcGISRuntime::MapQuickView* mapView); void startLocation();
Show the current location
Each map view has its own instance of a
LocationDisplay
for showing the current location (point) of the device. The location is displayed as an overlay in the map view.
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In the Projects window, open the Sources folder. Open the display_device_location.cpp file and add the new method shown. This code enables
LocationDisplay
for the map view and assigns aLocationDisplayAutoPanMode
that centers the map at the device location.Display_device_location.cppUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. Add line. MapQuickView* Display_device_location::mapView() const { return m_mapView; } void Display_device_location::startLocation() { // start location display m_mapView->locationDisplay()->start(); // center the location display around the device location m_mapView->locationDisplay()->setAutoPanMode(LocationDisplayAutoPanMode::Recenter); }
The
set
method appearing later in this file gets a handle to theM a p View Map
object that was declared in QML code and sets theView Map
on theMap
for display. This code is installed by the templates that ArcGIS provides when creating a new project in Qt.View -
Within the
set
method, add the call to the new method.M a p View Display_device_location.cppUse dark colors for code blocks Add line. // Set the view (created in QML) void Display_device_location::setMapView(MapQuickView* mapView) { if (!mapView || mapView == m_mapView) { return; } m_mapView = mapView; m_mapView->setMap(m_map); startLocation();
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Remove the following include statements; these classes are not used.
Display_device_location.cppUse dark colors for code blocks Remove line Remove line #include "Basemap.h" #include "Map.h" #include "MapQuickView.h" #include <QUrl>
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Press Ctrl + R to run the app.
You should see your current location displayed on the map. Different location symbols are used depending on the auto pan mode and whether a location is acquired. See
LocationDisplayAutoPanMode
for details.
By default, a round blue symbol is used to display the device's location. The location data source tries to get the most accurate location available but depending upon signal strength, satellite positions, and other factors, the location reported could be an approximation. A semi-transparent circle around the location symbol indicates the range of accuracy. As the device moves and location updates are received, the location symbol will be repositioned on the map.
Learn how to use additional API features, ArcGIS location services, and ArcGIS tools in these tutorials:
Not all tutorials listed have instructions for QML.