Geocoding: Show place search results

This tutorial shows how you can use place search using the MapTiler Geocoding API. The resultant map application takes a search query from the URL and displays the search results on the map, zooming in on the first result.

^{The map shows as a red dot the first search result for “Austin”.}

NPM module setup

Install the npm package.
```
 npm install --save @maptiler/sdk
```

Include the CSS file.

If you have a bundler that can handle CSS, you can import the CSS


 import "@maptiler/sdk/dist/maptiler-sdk.css";

or include it with a <link /> in the head of the document via the CDN


 <link href='https://cdn.maptiler.com/maptiler-sdk-js/v4.1.0/maptiler-sdk.css' rel='stylesheet' />

Include the following code in your JavaScript file (Example: app.js).


 import * as maptilersdk from '@maptiler/sdk';

 maptilersdk.config.apiKey = 'YOUR_MAPTILER_API_KEY_HERE';
 const map = new maptilersdk.Map({
   container: 'map', // container's id or the HTML element to render the map
   style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.STREETS,
      
   center: [-97.7485, 30.2711], // starting position [lng, lat]
   zoom: 11.7, // starting zoom
      
 });

Replace YOUR_MAPTILER_API_KEY_HERE with your own API key. Make sure to secure the key before you publish it.
The next is up to you. You can center your map wherever you desire (modifying the starting position) and set an appropriate zoom level (modifying the starting zoom) to match your users’ needs. Additionally, you can change the map’s look (by updating the source URL); choose from a range of visually appealing map styles from our extensive MapTiler standard maps, or create your own to truly differentiate your application.

Get the query string of the map URL.


 const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);

Create the map layer where we will display the search results.


 map.on('load', async () => {
   map.addSource('search-results', {
       type: 'geojson',
       data: {
           "type": "FeatureCollection",
           "features": []
       }
   });
   map.addLayer({
       'id': 'point-result',
       'type': 'circle',
       'source': 'search-results',
       'paint': {
           'circle-radius': 8,
           'circle-color': '#B42222',
           'circle-opacity': 0.5
       },
       'filter': ['==', '$type', 'Point']
   });
 });

Check if the search parameter called q exists. If it exists, call the forward geocoding function with the value of the parameter q.
```
 if (urlParams.get('q')) {
   const results = await maptilersdk.geocoding.forward(urlParams.get('q'));
 }
```

Show the results on the map and zoom in on the first result.


 if (urlParams.get('q')) {
   const results = await searchPlace(urlParams.get('q'), key);
   map.getSource('search-results').setData(results);
   if (results.features[0]) {
     map.fitBounds(results.features[0].bbox, {maxZoom: 19})
   }
 }

Basic JavaScript setup

Copy the following code, paste it into your favorite text editor, and save it as a .html file.


 <!DOCTYPE html>
 <html lang="en">
 <head>
   <meta charset="UTF-8">
   <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
   <title>Search a placename</title>
   <script src="https://cdn.maptiler.com/maptiler-sdk-js/v4.1.0/maptiler-sdk.umd.min.js"></script>
   <link href="https://cdn.maptiler.com/maptiler-sdk-js/v4.1.0/maptiler-sdk.css" rel="stylesheet" />
   <style>
     body { margin: 0; padding: 0; }
     #map { position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; width: 100%; }
   </style>
 </head>
 <body>
   <div id="map"></div>
   <script>
       maptilersdk.config.apiKey = 'YOUR_MAPTILER_API_KEY_HERE';      
       const map = new maptilersdk.Map({
         container: 'map', // container's id or the HTML element to render the map
         style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.STREETS,
            
         center: [-97.7485, 30.2711], // starting position [lng, lat]
         zoom: 11.7, // starting zoom
            
       });
   </script>
 </body>
 </html>

Replace YOUR_MAPTILER_API_KEY_HERE with your own API key. Make sure to secure the key before you publish it.
The next is up to you. You can center your map wherever you desire (modifying the starting position) and set an appropriate zoom level (modifying the starting zoom) to match your users’ needs. Additionally, you can change the map’s look (by updating the source URL); choose from a range of visually appealing map styles from our extensive MapTiler standard maps, or create your own to truly differentiate your application.

Get the query string of the map URL.


 const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);

Create the map layer where we will display the search results.


 map.on('load', async () => {
   map.addSource('search-results', {
       type: 'geojson',
       data: {
           "type": "FeatureCollection",
           "features": []
       }
   });
   map.addLayer({
       'id': 'point-result',
       'type': 'circle',
       'source': 'search-results',
       'paint': {
           'circle-radius': 8,
           'circle-color': '#B42222',
           'circle-opacity': 0.5
       },
       'filter': ['==', '$type', 'Point']
   });
 });

Check if the search parameter called q exists. If it exists, call the forward geocoding function with the value of the parameter q.
```
 if (urlParams.get('q')) {
   const results = await maptilersdk.geocoding.forward(urlParams.get('q'));
 }
```

Show the results on the map and zoom in on the first result.


 if (urlParams.get('q')) {
   const results = await searchPlace(urlParams.get('q'), key);
   map.getSource('search-results').setData(results);
   if (results.features[0]) {
     map.fitBounds(results.features[0].bbox, {maxZoom: 19})
   }
 }

Complete source code

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>Search a placename</title>
  <script src="https://cdn.maptiler.com/maptiler-sdk-js/v4.1.0/maptiler-sdk.umd.min.js"></script>
  <link href="https://cdn.maptiler.com/maptiler-sdk-js/v4.1.0/maptiler-sdk.css" rel="stylesheet" />
  <style>
    body {
      margin: 0;
      padding: 0;
    }
    #map {
      position: absolute;
      top: 0;
      bottom: 0;
      width: 100%;
    }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div id="map"></div>
  <script>
      const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
      maptilersdk.config.apiKey = 'YOUR_MAPTILER_API_KEY_HERE';
      const map = new maptilersdk.Map({
        container: 'map', // container's id or the HTML element to render the map
        style: maptilersdk.MapStyle.STREETS,
        center: [-97.7485, 30.2711], // starting position [lng, lat]
        zoom: 11.7, // starting zoom
      });
      map.on('load', async () => {
        map.addSource('search-results', {
            type: 'geojson',
            data: {
                "type": "FeatureCollection",
                "features": []
            }
        });
        map.addLayer({
            'id': 'point-result',
            'type': 'circle',
            'source': 'search-results',
            'paint': {
                'circle-radius': 8,
                'circle-color': '#B42222',
                'circle-opacity': 0.5
            },
            'filter': ['==', '$type', 'Point']
        });
        if (urlParams.get('q')) {
          const results = await maptilersdk.geocoding.forward(urlParams.get('q'));
          map.getSource('search-results').setData(results);
          if (results.features[0]) {
            map.fitBounds(results.features[0].bbox, {maxZoom: 19})
          }
        }
      });
  </script>
</body>
</html>