Xamarin.Forms - Geocoding Get Full Address(Placemark) Using Xamarin.Essentials

In this blog, you will learn how to get full address using Latitude and Longitude Using Xamarin.Essentials in Xamarin forms. 

Introduction

Xamarin.Forms code runs on multiple platforms - each of which has its own filesystem. This means that reading and writing files is most easily done using the native file APIs on each platform. Alternatively, embedded resources are a simpler solution to distribute data files with an app.

Xamarin.Essentials 

Xamarin.Essentials plugin provides 20+ cross-platform APIs for  mobile application development. Xamarin.Essentials API works with all Xamarin.Forms, Xamarin.Android, Xamarin.iOS, or UWP application that can be accessed from shared code. When we are developing Xamarin with Android, iOS and UWP apps but now Xamarin.Essentials overcome the problem, developers can access every native platform API using C#. This plugin provides many APIs so initially, there is no need of more plugins for Xamarin. Xamarin.Essentials plugin impacts your app's minimum size.


Platform Support

Xamarin.Essentials supports platforms and operating systems

Platform  Version
Android         4.4 (API 19) or earlier
iOS                10.0 or higher
UWP        10.0.16299.0 or earlier

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2017(Windows or Mac)

Setting up a Xamarin.Forms Project

Start by creating a new Xamarin.Forms project.  you’ll learn more by going through the steps yourself.
Choose the Xamarin.Forms App Project type under Cross-platform/App in the New Project dialog.

Name your app, select “Use Portable Class Library” for shared code, and target both Android and iOS.

You probably want your project and solution to use the same name as your app. Put it in your preferred folder for projects and click Create.

You now have a basic Xamarin.Forms app. Click the play button to try it out.

Setting up the User Interface

Go to MainPage.Xaml and write the following code.

MainPage.xaml

	<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
	<ContentPage xmlns="http://xamarin.com/schemas/2014/forms"
	xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
	xmlns:local="clr-namespace:XamarinEssentials"
	x:Class="XamarinEssentials.MainPage">
	<StackLayout>
	<StackLayout HorizontalOptions="Center" VerticalOptions="Start">
	<Image Margin="0,50,0,0" x:Name="imgBanner" Source="banner.png" ></Image>
	<Image Margin="0,0,0,10" x:Name="imgXamarinEssential" Source="xamarinessential.png" ></Image>
	<Label Margin="0,0,0,10" Text="Geocoding" FontAttributes="Bold" FontSize="Large" TextColor="#CA6F1E" HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" ></Label>
	<Entry x:Name="txtAddress" Placeholder="Search Location..."></Entry>
	<Button x:Name="btnLocation" Text="Get Location" Clicked="btnLocation_Clicked"/>
	<Label HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" x:Name="lblAdminArea"></Label>
	<Label HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" x:Name="lblCountryName"></Label>
	<Label HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" x:Name="lblCountryCode"></Label>
	<Label HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" x:Name="lblLocality"></Label>
	<Label HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" x:Name="lblSubAdminArea"></Label>
	<Label HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" x:Name="lblSublocality"></Label>
	<Label HorizontalTextAlignment="Center" x:Name="lblPostalcode"></Label>
	</StackLayout>
	</StackLayout>
	</ContentPage>

view raw MainPage.xaml hosted with ❤ by GitHub

Click the play button to try it out.

Add Xamarin Essentials

In this step, add Xamarin.Essentials to your project. You can install Xamarin.Essentials via NuGet, or you can browse the source code on GitHub.

Go to Solution Explorer and select your solution. Right-click and select "Manage NuGet Packages for Solution". Search "Xamarin.Essentials" and add Package. Remember to install it for each project (PCL, Android, iO, and UWP).

Xamarin.Essentials requires platform-specific setup

Android

The following steps are necessary for Android.

1. Xamarin.Essentials supports a minimum Android version of 4.4
2. Target Android version for compiling must be 8.1, API level 27.

In the Android project's MainActivity that is launched Xamarin.Essentials must be initialized in the OnCreate method.

MainActivity.cs

Xamarin.Essentials.Platform.Init(this, bundle);

view raw MainActivity.cs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

Xamarin.Essentials must receive any OnRequestPermissionsResult. write the following code for runtime permission.

MainActivity.cs

	public override void OnRequestPermissionsResult(int requestCode, string[] permissions, [GeneratedEnum] Android.Content.PM.Permission[] grantResults)
	{
	Xamarin.Essentials.Platform.OnRequestPermissionsResult(requestCode, permissions, grantResults);
	base.OnRequestPermissionsResult(requestCode, permissions, grantResults);
	}

view raw MainActivity.cs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

iOS

No additional setup required.

UWP

No additional setup required.

Permissions - Android

AndroidManifest.xml

	<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" />
	<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
	<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.location" android:required="false" />
	<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.location.gps" android:required="false" />
	<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.location.network" android:required="false" />

view raw AndroidManifest.xml hosted with ❤ by GitHub

Permissions - iOS

• Privacy - Location When In Use Usage Description

In this step, write the following code for get full address using Latitude and Longitude using Geocoding in Xamarin.Essentials.

MainPage.xaml.cs

	using Xamarin.Forms;
	using Xamarin.Essentials;
	namespace XamarinEssentials
	{
	public partial class MainPage : ContentPage
	{
	public MainPage()
	{
	InitializeComponent();
	}
	protected override void OnAppearing()
	{
	base.OnAppearing();
	}
	async void btnLocation_Clicked(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
	{
	try
	{
	string address = txtAddress.Text;
	if(!string.IsNullOrEmpty(address))
	{
	var locations = await Geocoding.GetLocationsAsync(address);
	var location = locations?.FirstOrDefault();
	if (location != null)
	{
	var placemarks = await Geocoding.GetPlacemarksAsync(location.Latitude, location.Longitude);
	var placemark = placemarks?.FirstOrDefault();
	if (placemark != null)
	{
	lblAdminArea.Text = "Admin Area: " + placemark.AdminArea;
	lblCountryName.Text = "Country Name:" + placemark.CountryName;
	lblCountryCode.Text = "Country Code:" + placemark.CountryCode;
	lblLocality.Text = "Locality:" + placemark.Locality;
	lblSubAdminArea.Text = "SubAdmin Area:" + placemark.SubAdminArea;
	lblSublocality.Text = "SubLocality:" + placemark.SubLocality;
	lblPostalcode.Text = "PostalCode:" + placemark.PostalCode;
	}
	}
	}
	}
	catch (FeatureNotSupportedException fnsEx)
	{
	await DisplayAlert("Faild", fnsEx.Message, "OK");
	}
	catch (PermissionException pEx)
	{
	await DisplayAlert("Faild", pEx.Message, "OK");
	}
	catch (Exception ex)
	{
	await DisplayAlert("Faild", ex.Message, "OK");
	}
	}
	}
	}

view raw MainPage.xaml.cs hosted with ❤ by GitHub

Click the play button to try it out.

I hope you have understood how to get full address using Latitude and Longitude Using Xamarin Essentials in Xamarin.Forms.

Thanks for reading. Please share comments and feedback.