iOS MapKit Tutorial: Getting Started Search Location and Directions on Mapkit

MapKit is a really useful API available on iOS devices that makes it easy to display maps, user locations with locality, and even draw routes your location to your destination.

Getting Started User Location

Create a new project single view appplication in Swift. - MKLocationMap

Open Info.plist from the Project navigator and configure the location permission prompt message NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription

Add "NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription" instead of "Privacy - Location Always and When in use usage description".

ViewController.swift:

import UIKit

import MapKit

protocol HandleMapSearch {

    func dropPinZoomIn(placemark:MKPlacemark)

}

class ViewController: UIViewController{

    let locationManager = CLLocationManager()

    var resultSearchController:UISearchController!

    var selectedPin:MKPlacemark?

  

    @IBOutlet var mapView: MKMapView!

    override func viewDidLoad() {

        super.viewDidLoad()

        // Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib.

        locationManager.delegate = self

        locationManager.desiredAccuracy = kCLLocationAccuracyBest

        locationManager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization()

        locationManager.requestLocation()

        let locationSearchTable = storyboard!.instantiateViewController(withIdentifier: "LocationSearchTable") as! LocationSearchTable

        locationSearchTable.mapView = mapView

        resultSearchController = UISearchController(searchResultsController: locationSearchTable)

        resultSearchController?.searchResultsUpdater = locationSearchTable

        locationSearchTable.handleMapSearchDelegate = self

        let searchBar = resultSearchController!.searchBar

        searchBar.sizeToFit()

        searchBar.placeholder = "Search for places"

        navigationItem.titleView = resultSearchController?.searchBar

        resultSearchController?.hidesNavigationBarDuringPresentation = false

        resultSearchController?.dimsBackgroundDuringPresentation = true

        definesPresentationContext = true

        locationSearchTable.mapView = mapView

        locationSearchTable.handleMapSearchDelegate = self

    }

    @objc func getDirections(){

        guard let selectedPin = selectedPin else {

            return

        }

        let mapItem = MKMapItem(placemark: selectedPin)

        let launchOptions = [MKLaunchOptionsDirectionsModeKey: MKLaunchOptionsDirectionsModeDriving]

        mapItem.openInMaps(launchOptions: launchOptions)

        print ("GET DIRECTION")

    }

    override func didReceiveMemoryWarning() {

        super.didReceiveMemoryWarning()

        // Dispose of any resources that can be recreated.

    }

}

extension ViewController : CLLocationManagerDelegate {

    func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didFailWithError error: Error) {

        print("error:: \(error.localizedDescription)")

    }

 func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didChangeAuthorization status: CLAuthorizationStatus) {

        if status == .authorizedWhenInUse {

            locationManager.requestLocation()

        }

    }

  func locationManager(_ manager: CLLocationManager, didUpdateLocations locations: [CLLocation]) {

        if let location = locations.first {

            let span = MKCoordinateSpanMake(0.05, 0.05)

            let region = MKCoordinateRegion(center: location.coordinate, span: span)

            mapView.setRegion(region, animated: true)

        }

    }

}

extension ViewController: HandleMapSearch {

    func dropPinZoomIn(placemark:MKPlacemark){

        // cache the pin

        selectedPin = placemark

        // clear existing pins

        mapView.removeAnnotations(mapView.annotations)

        let annotation = MKPointAnnotation()

        annotation.coordinate = placemark.coordinate

        annotation.title = placemark.name

        if let city = placemark.locality,

           let state = placemark.administrativeArea {

            annotation.subtitle = "\(city) \(state)"

        }

        mapView.addAnnotation(annotation)

        let span = MKCoordinateSpanMake(0.05, 0.05)

        let region = MKCoordinateRegionMake(placemark.coordinate, span)

        mapView.setRegion(region, animated: true)

    }

}

In the Project Navigator, open Assets.xcassets and create a add image icon like used car.png files of various sizes (30×30, 60×60, and 90×90) to fill up the 1x, 2x, and 3x

extension ViewController : MKMapViewDelegate {

    

    func mapView(_ mapView: MKMapView, viewFor annotation: MKAnnotation) -> MKAnnotationView?{

        if annotation is MKUserLocation {

            //return nil so map view draws "blue dot" for standard user location

            return nil

        }

        let reuseId = "pin"

        var pinView = mapView.dequeueReusableAnnotationView(withIdentifier: reuseId) as? MKPinAnnotationView

        if pinView == nil {

        pinView = MKPinAnnotationView(annotation: annotation, reuseIdentifier: reuseId)

        }

        pinView?.pinTintColor = UIColor.orange

        pinView?.canShowCallout = true

        let smallSquare = CGSize(width: 30, height: 30)

        let button = UIButton(frame: CGRect(origin: CGPoint.zero, size: smallSquare))

        button.setBackgroundImage(UIImage(named: "car"), for: .normal)

        button.addTarget(self, action: #selector(ViewController.getDirections), for: .touchUpInside)

        pinView?.leftCalloutAccessoryView = button

        return pinView

    }

}

LocationSearchTable.swift:

import UIKit

import MapKit

class LocationSearchTable: UITableViewController{

    

    var matchingItems:[MKMapItem] = []

    var mapView: MKMapView?

    var handleMapSearchDelegate: HandleMapSearch?

    

    override func viewDidLoad() {

        super.viewDidLoad()

    }

    func parseAddress(selectedItem:MKPlacemark) -> String {

        // put a space between "4" and "Melrose Place"

        let firstSpace = (selectedItem.subThoroughfare != nil && selectedItem.thoroughfare != nil) ? " " : ""

        // put a comma between street and city/state

        let comma = (selectedItem.subThoroughfare != nil || selectedItem.thoroughfare != nil) && (selectedItem.subAdministrativeArea != nil || selectedItem.administrativeArea != nil) ? ", " : ""

        // put a space between "Washington" and "DC"

        let secondSpace = (selectedItem.subAdministrativeArea != nil && selectedItem.administrativeArea != nil) ? " " : ""

        let addressLine = String(

            format:"%@%@%@%@%@%@%@",

            // street number

            selectedItem.subThoroughfare ?? "",

            firstSpace,

            // street name

            selectedItem.thoroughfare ?? "",

            comma,

            // city

            selectedItem.locality ?? "",

            secondSpace,

            // state

            selectedItem.administrativeArea ?? ""

        )

        return addressLine

    }

    override func didReceiveMemoryWarning() {

        super.didReceiveMemoryWarning()

        // Dispose of any resources that can be recreated.

    }

}

extension LocationSearchTable : UISearchResultsUpdating {

    

    func updateSearchResults(for searchController: UISearchController) {

        guard let mapView = mapView,

        let searchBarText = searchController.searchBar.text else { return }

        let request = MKLocalSearchRequest()

        request.naturalLanguageQuery = searchBarText

        request.region = mapView.region

        let search = MKLocalSearch(request: request)

        search.start { response, _ in

            guard let response = response else {

                return

            }

            self.matchingItems = response.mapItems

            self.tableView.reloadData()

        }

    }

}

extension LocationSearchTable {

    override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, numberOfRowsInSection section: Int) -> Int {

        return matchingItems.count

    }

    override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, cellForRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) -> UITableViewCell {

                let cell = tableView.dequeueReusableCell(withIdentifier: "cell")!

                let selectedItem = matchingItems[indexPath.row].placemark

                cell.textLabel?.text = selectedItem.name

        cell.detailTextLabel?.text = parseAddress(selectedItem: selectedItem)

                return cell

            }

}

extension LocationSearchTable {

    override func tableView(_ tableView: UITableView, didSelectRowAt indexPath: IndexPath) {

        

        let selectedItem = matchingItems[indexPath.row].placemark

        handleMapSearchDelegate?.dropPinZoomIn(placemark: selectedItem)

        dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil)

    }

}