Native GoogleMaps iOS SDK in Appcelerator Titanium

Summary

Ti.GoogleMaps is an open-source project to support the Google Maps iOS-SDK in Appcelerator's Titanium Mobile. The module currently supports the following API's:

• Map View
• Annotations
• Tile overlay
• Polygon overlay
• Polyline overlay
• Circle overlay
• Autocompletion dialog
• Clustering
• Directions
• Heatmap Layers
• All delegates (exposed as events)

Requirements

• Titanium 10.0.0+
• Minimum Deployment Target iOS 13+

Download, Setup and Build

Download

• Stable release
• 

Setup

Add to your Project

Unpack the module and place it inside the modules/iphone/ folder of your project. Edit the modules section of your tiapp.xml file to include this module:

<modules>
    <module platform="iphone">ti.googlemaps</module>
</modules>

Initialize with your API Key

Initialize the module by setting the Google Maps API key you can get from here.

const maps = require('ti.googlemaps');
maps.setAPIKey('<YOUR_GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY>');

Use Cross-Platform with Android

If you want to use this moduel as a replacement for Ti.Map on iOS, here is how you can have 100 % parity:

1. Create a file called maps.js in app/lib/ (Alloy) or Resources/ (Classic) with the following content

if (Ti.Platform.osname === 'iphone' || Ti.Platform.osname === 'ipad') {
  module.exports = TiMap = require('ti.googlemaps');
} else {
  module.exports = TiMap = require('ti.map');
}

2. In your controllers, import / require the maps instance like before:

// ES6+ (recommended)
import TiMap from 'maps'

// ES5
const TiMap = require('maps');

3. (optional) You can even use it in Alloy:

<View module="maps" method="createView" id="mapView" />

That's it!

Build

If you want to build the module from the source, you need to check some things beforehand:

• Set the TITANIUM_SDK_VERSION inside the ios/titanium.xcconfig file to the Ti.SDK version you want to build with.
• Build the project with appc run -p ios --build-only
• Check the releases tab for stable pre-packaged versions of the module

Features

Map View

A map view creates the view on which annotations and overlays can be added to. You can see all possible events in the demo app. In addition, you can specify one of the following constants to the mapType property:

• MAP_TYPE_NORMAL
• MAP_TYPE_HYBRID
• MAP_TYPE_SATELLITE
• MAP_TYPE_TERRAIN
• MAP_TYPE_NONE

const mapView = maps.createView({
    mapType: maps.MAP_TYPE_TERRAIN,
    indoorEnabled: true, // shows indoor capabilities (see "Indoor Navigation" section)
    indoorPicker: true, // shows the vertical floor level (see "Indoor Navigation" section)
    compassButton: true, // shows the compass (top/right) when bearing is non-zero
    myLocationEnabled: true, // default: false
    myLocationButton: true, // shows the default My location button
    region: { // Camera center of the map
        latitude: 37.368122,
        longitude: -121.913653,
        zoom: 10, // EITHER: Zoom in points
        latitudeDelta: 0.1, longitudeDelta: 0.1, // OR: LAT/LONG-delta
        bearing: 45, // orientation measured in degrees clockwise from north
        viewingAngle: 30 // measured in degrees
    }
});

Safe Area / iPhone X

The GoogleMaps SDK supports configuring the map-view for the iPhone X. Use the paddingAdjustmentBehavior to get or set the padding-adjustment-behavior and use one of the following constants:

/** 1. Always include the safe area insets in the padding. */
PADDING_ADJUSTMENT_BEHAVIOR_ALWAYS

/**
* 2. When the padding value is smaller than the safe area inset for a particular edge, use the safe
* area value for layout, else use padding.
*/
PADDING_ADJUSTMENT_BEHAVIOR_AUTOMATIC

/**
* 3. Never include the safe area insets in the padding. This was the behavior prior to version 2.5.
*/
PADDING_ADJUSTMENT_BEHAVIOR_NEVER

Map Events

The module supports all native delegates - exposed as events. These are:

• click - Can be an annotation, overlay or info-window. Use clicksource to determine.
• mapclick
• locationclick
• longclick
• poiclick
• regionchanged
• regionwillchange
• idle
• dragstart
• dragmove
• dragend
• complete

Note: For annotations, the latitude, longitude and userData is returned, not the whole annotation proxy to keep the performance at it's best. If you want to identify an annotation, either use the generated UUID string in the userData or set an own key in the userData property of your annotation.

Map Controls

mapView.indoorEnabled = false;
mapView.indoorPicker = true;
mapView.compassButton = true;
mapView.myLocationEnabled = false;
mapView.myLocationButton = false;
mapView.trafficEnabled = true; // default is false

Enable / Disable Gestures

mapView.scrollGesture = true;
mapView.zoomGestures = false;
mapView.tiltGestures = true;
mapView.rotateGestures = false;
mapView.allowScrollGesturesDuringRotateOrZoom = false;

Get current zoom level

const currentZoom = mapView.zoomLevel;

Note: You can watch the regionchanged event to get real time updates about the zoom level change. See the event.zoom property for details.

Map Padding

Note: The mapInsets property is deprecated since Ti.GoogleMaps 4.0.0 in favor this property to achieve better parity with Ti.Map and will be removed in future versions of the module.

mapView.padding = { bottom:200 };

Map Style

// Either a JSON-string
mapView.mapStyle = 'JSON_STYLE_GOES_HERE';

// Or a JSON-file
mapView.mapStyle = 'mapStyle.json'

See this link for more infos on map styling.

Map Location

map.location = {
  latitude: 37.368122,
  longitude: -121.913653,
  latitudeDelta: 0.2,
  longitudeDelta: 0.2,
  animate: true
}

Animations

Animate to a location

mapView.animateToLocation({
    latitude: 36.368122,
    longitude: -120.913653
});

Animate to a zoom level:

mapView.animateToZoom(5, 2000 /* Optional parameter to specify the duration (in ms) */);

Animate to a bearing:

mapView.animateToBearing(45);

Animate to a viewing angle:

mapView.animateToViewingAngle(30);

Take a snapshot:

const imageBlob = mapView.takeSnapshot({
    width: 300,
    width: 300
});

Check if a location is currently visible on the map

const contains = mapView.containsCoordinate({ latitude: -13.37, longitude:  42.0 });

Camera Update

You can perform camera updates to your map view instance by creating an instance of the CameraUpdate API:

const maps = require('ti.googlemaps');
const cameraUpdate = maps.createCameraUpdate();

Before you can use the camera update, you must specify one of this actions:

• zoomIn

cameraUpdate.zoomIn();

• zoomOut

cameraUpdate.zoomOut();

• zoom

// The second parameter is optional
cameraUpdate.zoom(4, {
    x: 100,
    y: 100
});

• **enableMetalRenderer

maps.enableMetalRenderer();

• setTarget

cameraUpdate.setTarget({
    latitude: 10.0,
    longitude: 10.0,
    zoom: 4 // optional
});

• setCamera

cameraUpdate.setTarget({
    latitude: 10.0,
    longitude: 10.0,
    zoom: 4,
    bearing: 1,
    viewingAngle: 45
});

• fitBounds

cameraUpdate.fitBounds({
    // IMPORTANT: Use either `padding` or `insets`, not both together
    padding: 20,
    insets: {top: 10, left: 10, bottom: 10, right: 10},
    bounds: {
        coordinate1: {
            latitude: 10.0,
            longitude: 10.0
        },
        coordinate2: {
            latitude: 12.0,
            longitude: 12.0
        }
    }
});`

• scrollBy

cameraUpdate.scrollBy({
    x: 100,
    y: 100
});

After creating the camera update, you can use it in one of the following methods: moveCamera

mapView.moveCamera(cameraUpdate);

animateWithCameraUpdate

mapView.animateWithCameraUpdate(cameraUpdate);

Annotations

An annotation represents a location specified by at least a title and a subtitle property. It can be added to a map view:

const annotation = maps.createAnnotation({
    latitude: 37.368122,
    longitude: -121.913653,
    title: 'Appcelerator, Inc',
    subtitle: '1732 N. 1st Street, San Jose',
    pinColor: 'green',
    image: 'pin.png',
    touchEnabled: true, // Default: true
    draggable: true, // Default: false
    flat: true, // Default: false
    opacity: 1,
    zIndex: 1,
    animationStyle: maps.APPEAR_ANIMATION_POP, // One of 'APPEAR_ANIMATION_NONE' (default), 'APPEAR_ANIMATION_POP' or 'APPEAR_ANIMATION_FADE'
    rotation: 30, // measured in degrees clockwise from the default position
    centerOffset: {
        x: 0.5,
        y: 0
    },
    groundOffset: {
        x: 0.5,
        y: 0
    },
    userData: {
        id: 123,
        custom_key: 'custom_value'
    }
});
mapView.addAnnotation(annotation);

You can get a list of all currently added annotations by using mapView.annotations;

You can set an info window of the annotation. Note that you have to specify a width / height for subviews, otherwise the SDK will not set a proper frame for the subview:

const view = Ti.UI.createView({
    backgroundColor: "red",
    width: 200,
    height: 30
});

const label = Ti.UI.createLabel({
    text: key,
    width: 200,
    height: 30,
    color: '#fff',
    textAlign: 'center'
});

view.add(label);

const annotation = maps.createAnnotation({
    latitude: 37.4748624,
    longitude: -122.1490817
    infoWindow: view
});

You can update the location of an Annotation by using:

annotation.updateLocation({
    // Required
    latitude: 36.368122,
    longitude: -125.913653,

    // Optional
    animated: true,
    duration: 1000 // in MS, default: 2000
    opacity: 0.5,
    rotation: 30 // in degrees, clockwise from the default position
});

Since Ti.GoogleMaps 3.5.0, you can also set a custom view. Please note that you need to specify a valid size (width/height) for each view-child of this properly, otherwise the view will not be visible. Example:

const maps = require("ti.googlemaps");
maps.setAPIKey('<api-key>');
const win = Ti.UI.createWindow({
    backgroundColor: '#fff'
});

const mapView = maps.createView({
    region: { // Camera center of the map
        latitude: 37.368122,
        longitude: -121.913653
    }
});

const label = Ti.UI.createLabel({
    text: 'Ti',
    width: Ti.UI.FILL, height: Ti.UI.FILL
});

const view = Ti.UI.createView({
    backgroundColor: 'red',
    width: 30, height: 30
});

view.add(label);

const annotation = maps.createAnnotation({
    latitude: 37.368122,
    longitude: -121.913653,
    title: 'Appcelerator, Inc',
    customView: view
});

mapView.addAnnotation(annotation);

win.add(mapView);
win.open();

You also can add multiple annotations as well as remove annotations again:

mapView.addAnnotations([anno1,anno2,anno3]);
mapView.removeAnnotation(anno4);

Use a module-generated custom pin to improve performance by decrease crossing the bridge and retaining Titanium proxies natively. Compared to image, you don't pass a blob but only a file reference and compared to customView, you don't have to pass JS proxies to the module:

const annotation = maps.createAnnotation({
    latitude: 37.368122,
    longitude: -121.913653,
    customIcon: { title: '3+', image: '/images/pin.png', tintColor: 'red', textColor: 'white' }
});

Remove Annotations by passing an array of Annotations:

mapView.removeAnnotations([anno1,anno2,anno3]);

Remove all annotations (one shot):

mapView.removeAllAnnotations();

You can select and deselect annotations, as well as receive the currently selected annotation:

mapView.selectAnnotation(anno1); // Select
mapView.deselectAnnotation(); // Deselect
const selectedAnnotation = mapView.getSelectedAnnotation(); // Selected annotation, null if no annotation is selected

Heatmap Layer

Use heatmaps-layers in your map-views by providing weighted data and designated gradient-colors.

// Import data
const stations = JSON.parse(Ti.Filesystem.getFile('police_stations.json').read());
const data = [];

// Map data to an array of latitude/longitude/intensity objects
for (const i = 0; i < stations.length; i++) {
  const station = stations[i];

  data.push({
    latitude: station.lat,
    longitude: station.lng,
    intensity: 1.0
  });
}

// Create a new heatmap-layer
const heatmap = maps.createHeatmapLayer({
  weightedData: data,
  radius: 80,
  opacity: 0.8,
  gradient: {
    colors: [ 'green', 'red' ],
    startPoints: [ 0.2, 1.0 ],
    colorMapSize: 256
  }
});

// Add the layer to your map-view
mapView.addHeatmapLayer(heatmap);

Autocomplete Dialog

A autocomplete dialog can be opened modally to search for places in realtime. A number of events helps to work with partial results and final selections.

The whole dialog can be styled (like in the following example) and the default native theming is light.

const dialog = GoogleMaps.createAutocompleteDialog({
    tableCellBackgroundColor: '#333',
    tableCellSeparatorColor: '#444',
    primaryTextColor: '#fff',
    primaryTextHighlightColor: 'blue',
    tintColor: 'blue'
});

// You need a Google Places API key from the Google Developer Console
// This is not the same one like your Google Maps API key
dialog.configure('<YOUR_GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY>');

dialog.open();

Autocomplete Events

• success
• error
• cancel

Overlays

Overlays can be added to the map view just like annotations. The module supports the methods addPolygon, addPolyline and addCircle to add overlays and removePolygon, removePolyline and removeCircle to remove them.

Polyline

A polyline is a shape defined by its points property. It needs at least 2 points to draw a line.

const polyline = maps.createPolyline({
    points: [ { // Can handle both object and array
        latitude: -37.81319,
        longitude: 144.96298
    }, [ -31.95285, 115.85734 ] ], // Important: The longitude is at index 0 and the latitude at index 1
    strokeWidth: 3, // Default: 1
    strokeColor: '#f00'  // Default: Black (#000000),
    title: 'My Polyline',
    zIndex: 10,
    tappable: true
});
mapView.addPolyline(polyline);

You can get a list of all currently added polylines by using mapView.polylines.

You can also set a stamp-styled polyline by setting a dots image:

maps.dotsImage = 'images/my_icon.png';

Rounded Polylines

If you want rounded polylines (e.g. for simulating a flight direction), you can use the following method to draw the line:

$.mapView.drawRoundedPolylineBetweenCoordinates({
    coordinates: [ { latitude: 0.0, longitude: 0.0 }, { latitude: 1.0, longitude: 1.0 } ],
    options: {} // Unused so far
});

Polygon

A polygon is a shape defined by its points property. It behaves similiar to a polyline, but is meant to close its area automatically and also supports the fillColor property.

const polygon = maps.createPolygon({
    points: [ { // Can handle both object and array
        latitude: -37.81819,
        longitude: 144.96798
    }, [ -31.95285, 115.85734 ] ],
    strokeWidth: 3,
    fillColor: 'yellow', // Default: Blue (#0000ff)
    strokeColor: 'green',
    title: 'My Polygon',
    holes: [ {
        latitude: -32.95785,
        longitude: 115.86234
    }, [ -32.95785, 115.86234 ] ], // Important: The longitude is at index 0 and the latitude at index 1.
                                   // This has been changed in v6.1.2 of the module to align with the other APIs!
    zIndex: 10
});
mapView.addPolygon(polygon);

You can get a list of all currently added polygons by using mapView.polygons;

Circle

A circle is a shape defined by the center property to specify its location as well as the radius in meters.

const circle = maps.createCircle({
    center: [ -32.9689, 151.7721 ], // Can handle object or array. Important: The longitude is at index 0 and the latitude at index 1.
    radius: 500 * 1000, // 500 km, Default: 0
    fillColor: 'blue', // Default: transparent
    strokeWidth: 3,
    strokeColor: 'orange'
    title: 'My Circle',
    zIndex: 10
});
mapView.addCircle(circle);

You can get a list of all currently added circles by using mapView.circles;

Clustering

You can cluster multiple items by using the Clustering API.

First, create a few cluster items using the ClusterItem:

const items = [];

const clusterItem = maps.createClusterItem({
    // Required
    latitude: 37.368122,
    longitude: -121.913653,

    // Optional - for now only this three properties available
    title: 'My Annotation',
    subtitle: 'Hello World!',
    icon: 'marker.png' // either a String, Ti.Blob or Ti.File
});

// Create some more items here ...

items.push(clusterItem);

Then add the cluster items to a map:

mapView.addClusterItems(items);

Finally, call cluster() to generate a new cluster:

mapView.cluster();

You are all set! Optionally, you can also set your own cluster ranges and define custom images for each cluster range in your mapView instance:

const mapView = maps.createView({
    clusterConfiguration: {
        ranges: [ 10, 50, 100, 200, 500 ],
        rangeBackgrounds: [
            'buckets/m1.png',
            'buckets/m2.png',
            'buckets/m3.png',
            'buckets/m4.png',
            'buckets/m5.png'
        ],
        minimumClusterSize: 4,
        maximumClusterZoom: 20,
        animationDuration: 0.5
    },
    region: {
        latitude: 37.368122,
        longitude: -121.913653,
    }
});

To remove cluster-items or clear the whole cluster, use the following methods:

// Remove a single cluster-item
mapView.removeClusterItem(clisterItem);

// Clear the whole cluster
mapView.clearClusterItems();

Use the clusterclick and clusteritemclick events on your map view instance to receive infos about your current cluster or cluster item.

Tile Layers

You can create URL-based tile layers that use the x / y / z (zoom level) pattern to determine the location pattern:

const tile = maps.createTile({
    // Required
	  // z is for zoom level
    url: "http://c.tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png",

    // Optional
    userAgent: "Titanium rocks!",
    zIndex: 100,
    size: 200,
    opacity: 1,
    fadeIn: true
});

// Clear previous tile cache from this URL
tile.clearTileCache();

// Add tile
mapView.addTile(tile);

// Remove tile
mapView.removeTile(tile);

You can also request a tile image for a specified x/y/zoom position:

const tile = maps.createTile({
    url: "http://c.tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png",
});

tile.addEventListener('receivetile', event => {
    Ti.API.info(`Received new tile at ${event.tile.x}x${event.tile.y}`);
    Ti.API.info(event);

    // Add tile image to a view or process it somewhere else
    // win.add(Ti.UI.createImageView({ image: event.tile.image }));
});

tile.requestTile({
    x: 200,
    y: 200,
    zoom: 3
});

For more information on Tile Layers: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/ios-sdk/tiles

In future releases you will also be able to specify local images, but that is not scheduled so far.

Renderer

Using Ti.GoogleMaps 3.8.0 and later, you are able to render '.geojson' and '.kml' files inside your map by using the Renderer API. In can be instantiated by using the following constructor:

const renderer = map.createRenderer({
    file: 'example.geojson'
    mapView: mapView
});

There are two methods render and clear available:

// Renders the geometries
renderer.render();

// Removes the geometries
renderer.clear();

Reverse Geocoder

Use the reverse geocoder to search a location based on a latitude and longitude:

maps.reverseGeocoder(36.368122, -120.913653, event => {
    alert('Address found!');

    Ti.API.info(event.places);
});

Indoor Navigation

There are a number of special API's to deal with indoor-navigtion in GoogleMaps. Inside a View instance, you can enabled indoor-navigation by setting indoorEnabled to true. To show the the vertical floor levels in your map-instance, set indoorPicker to true.

To receive the indoor-display, use the indoorDisplay getter, which has the following events to be notified when the indoor-navigation changes:

• didChangeActiveBuilding (Raised when the activeBuilding has changed)

  • defaultLevelIndex (Array of GMSIndoorLevel describing the levels which make up the building)
  • isUnderground (Index in the levels array of the default level)
  • levels (If true, the building is entirely underground and supports being hidden)

• didChangeActiveLevel (Raised when the activeLevel has changed)

  • name (Localized display name for the level, e.g. "Ground floor")
  • shortName (Localized short display name for the level, e.g. "1")

In addition to the above events, you can also communicate with the indoor-display by receiving the activeBuilding and activeLevel properties. Finally, when receiving the floor-level inside the level property of the didChangeActiveBuilding event, you can set the activeLevel property as well, to change the currently active floor-level.

Directions

Use the Directions API to calculate advanced directions:

maps.getDirections({
    origin: 'Mountain View, CA',
    destination: 'San Francisco, CA',
    success: event => {
        Ti.API.info(event.routes);
    },
    error: event => {
        Ti.API.error(`Error: ${event.error}`);
    },
    waypoints: [ 'Cupertino, CA', 'via:Sunnyvale, CA' ] // Optional
});

The polyline points will be received encoded:

"polyline": {
    "points": "a}dcF~nchVPLXLHQhAsCDKzAyDPe@fAqC`@aAh@sARc@pCoHJUj@yAj@{AL]`@cAd@iAbAiCnC_HjAsCvAqDL_@l@mB`@sA^kAJ[h@aBPi@DSJWDMHSFS@GXaABIBI\\eAHW?ATy@HSPo@"
}

To decode the polyline points, use the maps.decodePolylinePoints(points) utility method or this utility.

Note that this is not officially supported in the Google Maps iOS SDK. It has been exposed by using the REST-API in combination with the NSURLSession API and the provided API key.

Geometry Utils

geometryContainsLocation

Check whether or not a given geometry list contains a given location.

const geometryContainsLocation = maps.geometryContainsLocation({
    location: { latitude: 1, longitude: -1 },
    points: [ {
        latitude: 37.368122,
        longitude: -121.234
    }, {
        latitude: 35.368122,
        longitude: -119.234
    } ]
});

console.log(`geometryContainsLocation: ${geometryContainsLocation}`);

geometryDistanceBetweenPoints

Get the geometry distance between two given points in meters. The geodesic is included in the calculation.

const location1 = { latitude: 52.687489, longitude: 7.291130 };
const location2 = { latitude: 52.279911, longitude: 8.047179 };

const geometryDistanceBetweenPoints = maps.geometryDistanceBetweenPoints(location1, location2);

coordinateForPoint

Returns the coordinate pair for the given screen point

const coordinate = maps.coordinateForPoint({
  x: point.x,
  y: point.y,
});

Google License Info

Google requires you to link the Open Source license somewhere in your app. Use the following API to receive the Google Maps license:

const license = maps.getOpenSourceLicenseInfo();

Example

For a full example, check the demos in example/app.js and example/clustering.js.

Author

Hans Knöchel (@hansemannnn / Web)

License

Apache 2.0

Contributing

Code contributions are greatly appreciated, please submit a new Pull-Request!