MKMapView Class Reference

Inherits from
UIView : UIResponder : NSObject
Conforms to
NSCoding
NSCoding (UIView)
UIAppearance (UIView)
UIAppearanceContainer (UIView)
NSObject (NSObject)
Framework
/System/Library/Frameworks/MapKit.framework
Availability
Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Companion guide
Location Awareness Programming Guide
Declared in
MKMapView.h
MKTypes.h
Related sample code

Overview

An MKMapView object provides an embeddable map interface, similar to the one provided by the Maps application. You use this class as-is to display map information and to manipulate the map contents from your application. You can center the map on a given coordinate, specify the size of the area you want to display, and annotate the map with custom information.

When you initialize a map view, you should specify the initial region for that map to display. You do this by setting the region property of the map. A region is defined by a center point and a horizontal and vertical distance, referred to as the span. The span defines how much of the map at the given point should be visible and is also how you set the zoom level. Specifying a large span results in the user seeing a wide geographical area and corresponds to a low zoom level. Specifying a small span results in the user seeing a more narrow geographical area and corresponds to a higher zoom level.

In addition to setting the span programmatically, the MKMapView class supports many standard interactions for changing the position and zoom level of the map. In particular, map views support flick and pinch gestures for scrolling around the map and zooming in and out. Support for these gestures is enabled by default but can also be disabled using the scrollEnabled and zoomEnabled properties.

In iOS 4.0 and later, you can also use projected map coordinates instead of regions to specify some values. When you project the curved surface of the globe onto a flat surface, you get a two-dimensional version of a map where longitude lines appear to be parallel. Locations and distances on this map are specified using the MKMapPoint, MKMapSize, and MKMapRect data types. You can use these data types to specify the map’s visible region and when specifying the location of overlays.

Although you should not subclass the MKMapView class itself, you can get information about the map view’s behavior by providing a delegate object. The map view calls the methods of your custom delegate to let it know about changes in the map status and to coordinate the display of custom annotations, which are described in more detail in “Annotating the Map.” The delegate object can be any object in your application as long as it conforms to the MKMapViewDelegate protocol. For more information about implementing the delegate object, see MKMapViewDelegate Protocol Reference.

Annotating the Map

The MKMapView class supports the ability to annotate the map with custom information. Because a map may have potentially large numbers of annotations, map views differentiate between the annotation objects used to manage the annotation data and the view objects for presenting that data on the map.

An annotation object is any object that conforms to the MKAnnotation protocol. Annotation objects are typically implemented using existing classes in your application’s data model. This allows you to manipulate the annotation data directly but still make it available to the map view. Each annotation object contains information about the annotation’s location on the map along with descriptive information that can be displayed in a callout.

The presentation of annotation objects on the screen is handled by an annotation view, which is an instance of the MKAnnotationView class. An annotation view is responsible for presenting the annotation data in a way that makes sense. For example, the Maps application uses a pin icon to denote specific points of interest on a map. (The Map Kit framework offers the MKPinAnnotationView class for similar annotations in your own applications.) You could also create annotation views that cover larger portions of the map.

Because annotation views are needed only when they are onscreen, the MKMapView class provides a mechanism for queueing annotation views that are not in use. Annotation views with a reuse identifier can be detached and queued internally by the map view when they move offscreen. This feature improves memory use by keeping only a small number of annotation views in memory at once and by recycling the views you do have. It also improves scrolling performance by alleviating the need to create new views while the map is scrolling.

When configuring your map interface, you should add all of your annotation objects right away. The map view uses the coordinate data in each annotation object to determine when the corresponding annotation view needs to appear onscreen. When an annotation moves onscreen, the map view asks its delegate to create a corresponding annotation view. If your application has different types of annotations, it can define different annotation view classes to represent each type.

Adding Overlays to the Map

In iOS 4.0 and later, you can use overlays to display content over a wide portion of the map. An overlay is any object that conforms to the MKOverlay protocol. An overlay object is a data object that contains the points needed to specify the shape and size of the overlay and its location on the map. Overlays can represent shapes such as circles, rectangles, multi-segment lines, and simple or complex polygons. You can also define your own custom overlays to represent other shapes.

The presentation of an overlay onscreen is handled by an overlay view, which is an instance of the MKOverlayView class. The job of an overlay view is to draw the shape representing the overlay on top of the map content. For example, an overlay that represents a bus route might have an overlay view that draws the path of the route along with icons showing the stops along that route. The Map Kit framework defines overlay views for the standard types of overlay objects and you can define additional overlay views as needed.

When configuring your map interface, you can add overlay objects at any time. The map view uses the data in each overlay object to determine when the corresponding overlay view needs to appear onscreen. When an overlay moves onscreen, the map view asks its delegate to create a corresponding overlay view.

Tasks

Accessing Map Properties

Accessing the Delegate

Manipulating the Visible Portion of the Map

Accessing the Device’s Current Location

Annotating the Map

Managing Annotation Selections

Adding and Removing Overlays

Converting Map Coordinates

Adjusting Map Regions and Rectangles

Tracking the User Location

Properties

annotations

The complete list of annotations associated with the receiver. (read-only)

@property(nonatomic, readonly) NSArray *annotations
Discussion

The objects in this array must adopt the MKAnnotation protocol. If no annotations are associated with the map view, the value of this property is nil.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Related Sample Code
Declared In
MKMapView.h

annotationVisibleRect

The visible rectangle where annotation views are currently being displayed. (read-only)

@property(nonatomic, readonly) CGRect annotationVisibleRect
Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

centerCoordinate

The map coordinate at the center of the map view.

@property(nonatomic) CLLocationCoordinate2D centerCoordinate
Discussion

Changing the value in this property centers the map on the new coordinate without changing the current zoom level. It also updates the values in the region property to reflect the new center coordinate and the new span values needed to maintain the current zoom level.

Changing the value of this property updates the map view immediately. If you want to animate the change, use the setCenterCoordinate:animated: method instead.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Related Sample Code
Declared In
MKMapView.h

delegate

The receiver’s delegate.

@property(nonatomic, assign) id<MKMapViewDelegate> delegate
Discussion

A map view sends messages to its delegate regarding the loading of map data and changes in the portion of the map being displayed. The delegate also manages the annotation views used to highlight points of interest on the map.

The delegate should implement the methods of the MKMapViewDelegate protocol.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

mapType

The type of data displayed by the map view.

@property(nonatomic) MKMapType mapType
Discussion

Changing the value in this property may cause the receiver to begin loading new map content. For example, changing from MKMapTypeStandard to MKMapTypeSatellite might cause it to begin loading the satellite imagery needed for the map. If new data is needed, however, it is loaded asynchronously and appropriate messages are sent to the receiver’s delegate indicating the status of the operation.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Related Sample Code
Declared In
MKMapView.h

overlays

The overlay objects currently associated with the map view. (read-only)

@property(nonatomic, readonly) NSArray *overlays
Discussion

The objects in this array must adopt the MKOverlay protocol. If no overlays are associated with the map view, the value of this property is an empty array.

If the regions defined by two overlays intersect one another, the order of the objects in this array determines the z-order of the corresponding overlay views that are displayed in the map. Overlay objects at the beginning of the array are placed behind those that come later in the array. Thus, the view for an overlay at index 0 is displayed behind the view for the overlay at index 1.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

region

The area currently displayed by the map view.

@property(nonatomic) MKCoordinateRegion region
Discussion

The region encompasses both the latitude and longitude point on which the map is centered and the span of coordinates to display. The span values provide an implicit zoom value for the map. The larger the displayed area, the lower the amount of zoom. Similarly, the smaller the displayed area, the greater the amount of zoom.

Changing only the center coordinate of the region can still cause the span to change implicitly. The span might change because the distances represented by a span change at different latitudes and longitudes and the map view may need to adjust the span to account for the new location. If you want to change the center coordinate without changing the zoom level, use the centerCoordinate instead.

Changing the value of this property updates the map view immediately. When setting this property, the map may adjust the new region value so that it fits the visible area of the map precisely. This is normal and is done to ensure that the value in this property always reflects the visible portion of the map. However, it does mean that if you get the value of this property right after setting it, the returned value may not match the value you set. (You can use the regionThatFits: method to determine the region that will actually be set by the map.)

If you want to animate the change in region, use the setRegion:animated: method instead.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

scrollEnabled

A Boolean value that determines whether the user may scroll around the map.

@property(nonatomic, getter=isScrollEnabled) BOOL scrollEnabled
Discussion

This property controls only user interactions with the map. If you set the value of this property to NO, you may still change the map location programmatically by changing the value in the region property.

The default value of this property is YES.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

selectedAnnotations

The annotations that are currently selected.

@property(nonatomic, copy) NSArray *selectedAnnotations
Discussion

Assigning a new array to this property selects only the first annotation in the array.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

showsUserLocation

A Boolean value indicating whether the map may display the user location.

@property(nonatomic) BOOL showsUserLocation
Discussion

This property does not indicate whether the user’s position is actually visible on the map, only whether the map view is allowed to display it. To determine whether the user’s position is visible, use the userLocationVisible property. The default value of this property is NO.

Setting this property to YES causes the map view to use the Core Location framework to find the current location. As long as this property is YES, the map view continues to track the user’s location and update it periodically.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

userLocation

The annotation object representing the user’s current location. (read-only)

@property(nonatomic, readonly) MKUserLocation *userLocation
Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

userLocationVisible

A Boolean value indicating whether the device’s current location is visible in the map view. (read-only)

@property(nonatomic, readonly, getter=isUserLocationVisible) BOOL userLocationVisible
Discussion

This property uses the horizontal accuracy of the current location to determine whether the user’s location is visible. Thus, this property is YES if the specific coordinate is offscreen but the rectangle surrounding that coordinate (and defined by the horizontal accuracy value) is partially onscreen.

If the user’s location cannot be determined, this property contains the value NO.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

userTrackingMode

The mode used to track the user location.

@property(nonatomic) MKUserTrackingMode userTrackingMode
Discussion

Possible values are described in “MKUserTrackingMode.”

Setting the tracking mode to MKUserTrackingModeFollow or MKUserTrackingModeFollowWithHeading causes the map view to center the map on that location and begin tracking the user’s location. If the map is zoomed out, the map view automatically zooms in on the user’s location, effectively changing the current visible region.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 5.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

visibleMapRect

The area currently displayed by the map view.

@property(nonatomic) MKMapRect visibleMapRect
Discussion

This property represents the same basic information as the region property but specified as a map rectangle instead of a region.

Changing the value of this property updates the map view immediately. If you want to animate the change, use the setVisibleMapRect:animated: method instead.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
Related Sample Code
Declared In
MKMapView.h

zoomEnabled

A Boolean value that determines whether the user may use pinch gestures to zoom in and out of the map.

@property(nonatomic, getter=isZoomEnabled) BOOL zoomEnabled
Discussion

This property controls only user interactions with the map. If you set the value of this property to NO, you may still change the zoom level programmatically by changing the value in the region property.

The default value of this property is YES.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

Instance Methods

addAnnotation:

Adds the specified annotation to the map view.

- (void)addAnnotation:(id < MKAnnotation >)annotation
Parameters
annotation

The annotation object to add to the receiver. This object must conform to the MKAnnotation protocol. The map view retains the specified object.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Related Sample Code
Declared In
MKMapView.h

addAnnotations:

Adds an array of annotation objects to the map view.

- (void)addAnnotations:(NSArray *)annotations
Parameters
annotations

An array of annotation objects. Each object in the array must conform to the MKAnnotation protocol. The map view retains the individual annotation objects.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

addOverlay:

Adds a single overlay object to the map.

- (void)addOverlay:(id < MKOverlay >)overlay
Parameters
overlay

The overlay object to add. This object must conform to the MKOverlay protocol.

Discussion

The specified overlay is added to the end of the list of overlay objects. Adding an overlay causes the map view to begin monitoring the area represented by that overlay. As soon as the bounding rectangle of the overlay intersects the visible portion of the map, the map view adds a corresponding overlay view to the map. The overlay view is provided by the mapView:viewForOverlay: method of the map view’s delegate object.

To remove an overlay from a map, you must remove the overlay object using the removeOverlay: method.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Related Sample Code
Declared In
MKMapView.h

addOverlays:

Adds an array of overlay objects to the map.

- (void)addOverlays:(NSArray *)overlays
Parameters
overlays

An array of objects, each of which must conform to the MKOverlay protocol.

Discussion

The specified objects are added to the end of the list of overlay objects. Adding an overlay causes the map view to begin monitoring the area represented by that overlay. As soon as the bounding rectangle of the overlay intersects the visible portion of the map, the map view adds a corresponding overlay view to the map. The overlay view is provided by the mapView:viewForOverlay: method of the map view’s delegate object.

To remove an overlay from a map, you must remove the overlay object using the removeOverlay: method.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

annotationsInMapRect:

Returns the annotation objects located in the specified map rectangle.

- (NSSet *)annotationsInMapRect:(MKMapRect)mapRect
Parameters
mapRect

The portion of the map that you want to search for annotations.

Return Value

The set of annotation objects located in mapRect.

Discussion

This method offers a fast way to retrieve the annotation objects in a particular portion of the map. This method is much faster than doing a linear search of the objects in the annotations property yourself.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.2 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

convertCoordinate:toPointToView:

Converts a map coordinate to a point in the specified view.

- (CGPoint)convertCoordinate:(CLLocationCoordinate2D)coordinate toPointToView:(UIView *)view
Parameters
coordinate

The map coordinate for which you want to find the corresponding point.

view

The view in whose coordinate system you want to locate the specified map coordinate. If this parameter is nil, the returned point is specified in the window’s coordinate system. If view is not nil, it must belong to the same window as the map view.

Return Value

The point (in the appropriate view or window coordinate system) corresponding to the specified latitude and longitude value.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

convertPoint:toCoordinateFromView:

Converts a point in the specified view’s coordinate system to a map coordinate.

- (CLLocationCoordinate2D)convertPoint:(CGPoint)point toCoordinateFromView:(UIView *)view
Parameters
point

The point you want to convert.

view

The view that serves as the reference coordinate system for the point parameter.

Return Value

The map coordinate at the specified point.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

convertRect:toRegionFromView:

Converts a rectangle in the specified view’s coordinate system to a map region.

- (MKCoordinateRegion)convertRect:(CGRect)rect toRegionFromView:(UIView *)view
Parameters
rect

The rectangle you want to convert.

view

The view that serves as the reference coordinate system for the rect parameter.

Return Value

The map region corresponding to the specified view rectangle.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

convertRegion:toRectToView:

Converts a map region to a rectangle in the specified view.

- (CGRect)convertRegion:(MKCoordinateRegion)region toRectToView:(UIView *)view
Parameters
region

The map region for which you want to find the corresponding view rectangle.

view

The view in whose coordinate system you want to locate the specified map region. If this parameter is nil, the returned rectangle is specified in the window’s coordinate system. If view is not nil, it must belong to the same window as the map view.

Return Value

The rectangle corresponding to the specified map region.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

dequeueReusableAnnotationViewWithIdentifier:

Returns a reusable annotation view located by its identifier.

- (MKAnnotationView *)dequeueReusableAnnotationViewWithIdentifier:(NSString *)identifier
Parameters
identifier

A string identifying the annotation view to be reused. This string is the same one you specify when initializing the annotation view using the initWithAnnotation:reuseIdentifier: method.

Return Value

An annotation view with the specified identifier, or nil if no such object exists in the reuse queue.

Discussion

For performance reasons, you should generally reuse MKAnnotationView objects in your map views. As annotation views move offscreen, the map view moves them to an internally managed reuse queue. As new annotations move onscreen, and your code is prompted to provide a corresponding annotation view, you should always attempt to dequeue an existing view before creating a new one. Dequeueing saves time and memory during performance-critical operations such as scrolling.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

deselectAnnotation:animated:

Deselects the specified annotation and hides its callout view.

- (void)deselectAnnotation:(id < MKAnnotation >)annotation animated:(BOOL)animated
Parameters
annotation

The annotation object to deselect.

animated

If YES, the callout view is animated offscreen.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

exchangeOverlayAtIndex:withOverlayAtIndex:

Exchanges the position of two overlay objects.

- (void)exchangeOverlayAtIndex:(NSUInteger)index1 withOverlayAtIndex:(NSUInteger)index2
Parameters
index1

The index of the first object in the overlays array.

index2

The index of the second object in the overlays array.

Discussion

If either overlay object has an associated view, the position of that view is updated as well. Thus, exchanging views also affects the z-order of overlay views as they appear on the map view.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

insertOverlay:aboveOverlay:

Inserts one overlay object on top of another.

- (void)insertOverlay:(id < MKOverlay >)overlay aboveOverlay:(id < MKOverlay >)sibling
Parameters
overlay

The overlay object to insert.

sibling

An existing object in the overlays array. This object must exist in the array and must not be nil.

Discussion

This method adds the object in overlay to the map view and positions it relative to the specified sibling object in the overlays array. This position causes the view associated with overlay to be displayed on top of the view associated with sibling.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

insertOverlay:atIndex:

Inserts an overlay object into the list associated with the map.

- (void)insertOverlay:(id < MKOverlay >)overlay atIndex:(NSUInteger)index
Parameters
overlay

The overlay object to insert.

index

The index at which to insert the overlay object. If this value is greater than the number of objects in the overlays property, this method appends the object to the end of the array.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

insertOverlay:belowOverlay:

Inserts one overlay object below another.

- (void)insertOverlay:(id < MKOverlay >)overlay belowOverlay:(id < MKOverlay >)sibling
Parameters
overlay

The overlay object to insert.

sibling

An existing object in the overlays array. This object must exist in the array and must not be nil.

Discussion

This method adds the object in overlay to the map view and positions it relative to the specified sibling object in the overlays array. This position causes the view associated with overlay to be displayed behind the view associated with sibling.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

mapRectThatFits:

Adjusts the aspect ratio of the specified map rectangle to ensure that it fits in the map view’s frame.

- (MKMapRect)mapRectThatFits:(MKMapRect)mapRect
Parameters
mapRect

The initial map rectangle whose width and height you want to adjust.

Return Value

A map rectangle that is still centered on the same point of the map but whose width and height are adjusted to fit in the map view’s frame.

Discussion

You can use this method to normalize map rectangle values before displaying the corresponding area. This method returns a new map rectangle that both contains the specified rectangle and fits neatly inside the map view’s frame.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

mapRectThatFits:edgePadding:

Adjusts the aspect ratio of the specified map rectangle, incorporating the specified inset values.

- (MKMapRect)mapRectThatFits:(MKMapRect)mapRect edgePadding:(UIEdgeInsets)insets
Parameters
mapRect

The initial map rectangle whose width and height you want to adjust.

insets

The distance (measured in screen points) by which to inset the returned rectangle from the actual boundaries of the map view’s frame.

Return Value

A map rectangle that is still centered on the same point of the map but whose width and height are adjusted to fit in the map view’s frame minus the inset values.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

regionThatFits:

Adjusts the aspect ratio of the specified region to ensure that it fits in the map view’s frame.

- (MKCoordinateRegion)regionThatFits:(MKCoordinateRegion)region
Parameters
region

The initial region whose span you want to adjust.

Return Value

A region that is still centered on the same point of the map but whose span values are adjusted to fit in the map view’s frame.

Discussion

You can use this method to normalize the region values before displaying them in the map. This method returns a new region that both contains the specified region and fits neatly inside the map view’s frame.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

removeAnnotation:

Removes the specified annotation object from the map view.

- (void)removeAnnotation:(id < MKAnnotation >)annotation
Parameters
annotation

The annotation object to remove. This object must conform to the MKAnnotation protocol.

Discussion

If the annotation is currently associated with an annotation view, and that view has a reuse identifier, this method removes the annotation view and queues it internally for later reuse. You can retrieve queued annotation views (and associate them with new annotations) using the dequeueReusableAnnotationViewWithIdentifier: method.

Removing an annotation object disassociates it from the map view entirely, preventing it from being displayed on the map. Thus, you would typically call this method only when you want to hide or delete a given annotation.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

removeAnnotations:

Removes an array of annotation objects from the map view.

- (void)removeAnnotations:(NSArray *)annotations
Parameters
annotations

The array of annotations to remove. Objects in the array must conform to the MKAnnotation protocol.

Discussion

If any annotation object in the array has an associated annotation view, and if that view has a reuse identifier, this method removes the annotation view and queues it internally for later reuse. You can retrieve queued annotation views (and associate them with new annotations) using the dequeueReusableAnnotationViewWithIdentifier: method.

Removing annotation objects disassociates them from the map view entirely, preventing them from being displayed on the map. Thus, you would typically call this method only when you want to hide or delete the specified annotations.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

removeOverlay:

Removes a single overlay object from the map.

- (void)removeOverlay:(id < MKOverlay >)overlay
Parameters
overlay

The overlay object to remove.

Discussion

Removing an overlay object removes the corresponding overlay view, if one is currently displayed. If the specified object is not currently associated with the map view, this method does nothing.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Related Sample Code
Declared In
MKMapView.h

removeOverlays:

Removes one or more overlay objects from the map.

- (void)removeOverlays:(NSArray *)overlays
Parameters
overlays

An array of objects, each of which conforms to the MKOverlay protocol.

Discussion

Removing an overlay object removes the corresponding overlay view, if one is currently displayed. If one or more of the overlay objects are not currently associated with the map view, this method removes the objects that are associated with the map and ignores the rest.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

selectAnnotation:animated:

Selects the specified annotation and displays a callout view for it.

- (void)selectAnnotation:(id < MKAnnotation >)annotation animated:(BOOL)animated
Parameters
annotation

The annotation object to select.

animated

If YES, the callout view is animated into position.

Discussion

If the specified annotation is not onscreen, and therefore does not have an associated annotation view, this method has no effect.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

setCenterCoordinate:animated:

Changes the center coordinate of the map and optionally animates the change.

- (void)setCenterCoordinate:(CLLocationCoordinate2D)coordinate animated:(BOOL)animated
Parameters
coordinate

The new center coordinate for the map.

animated

Specify YES if you want the map view to scroll to the new location or NO if you want the map to display the new location immediately.

Discussion

Changing the center coordinate centers the map on the new coordinate without changing the current zoom level. It also updates the values in the region property to reflect the new center coordinate and the new span values needed to maintain the current zoom level.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

setRegion:animated:

Changes the currently visible region and optionally animates the change.

- (void)setRegion:(MKCoordinateRegion)region animated:(BOOL)animated
Parameters
region

The new region to display in the map view.

animated

Specify YES if you want the map view to animate the transition to the new region or NO if you want the map to center on the specified region immediately.

Discussion

Changing just the center coordinate of the region can still cause the span values to change implicitly. The span values might change because that the distances represented by a span change at different latitudes and longitudes and the map view may need to adjust the span to account for the new location. If you want to change the center coordinate without changing the zoom level, use the setCenterCoordinate:animated: instead.

When setting a new region, the map may adjust the value in the region parameter so that it fits the visible area of the map precisely. This adjustment is normal and is done to ensure that the value in the region property always reflects the visible portion of the map. However, it does mean that if you get the value of that property right after calling this method, the returned value may not match the value you set. (You can use the regionThatFits: method to determine the region that will actually be set by the map.)

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

setUserTrackingMode:animated:

Sets the mode used to track the user location with optional animation.

- (void)setUserTrackingMode:(MKUserTrackingMode)mode animated:(BOOL)animated
Parameters
mode

The mode used to track the user location. Possible values are described in “MKUserTrackingMode.”

animated

If YES, the change from the current mode to the new mode is animated; otherwise, it is not. This parameter affects only tracking mode changes. Changes to the user location or heading are always animated.

Discussion

Setting the tracking mode to MKUserTrackingModeFollow or MKUserTrackingModeFollowWithHeading causes the map view to center the map on that location and begin tracking the user’s location. If the map is zoomed out, the map view automatically zooms in on the user’s location, effectively changing the current visible region.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 5.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

setVisibleMapRect:animated:

Changes the currently visible portion of the map and optionally animates the change.

- (void)setVisibleMapRect:(MKMapRect)mapRect animated:(BOOL)animate
Parameters
mapRect

The map rectangle to make visible in the map view.

animate

Specify YES if you want the map view to animate the transition to the new map rectangle or NO if you want the map to center on the specified rectangle immediately.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

setVisibleMapRect:edgePadding:animated:

Changes the currently visible portion of the map, allowing you to specify additional space around the edges.

- (void)setVisibleMapRect:(MKMapRect)mapRect edgePadding:(UIEdgeInsets)insets animated:(BOOL)animate
Parameters
mapRect

The map rectangle to make visible in the map view.

insets

The amount of additional space (measured in screen points) to make visible around the specified rectangle.

animate

Specify YES if you want the map view to animate the transition to the new map rectangle or NO if you want the map to center on the specified rectangle immediately.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
See Also
Declared In
MKMapView.h

viewForAnnotation:

Returns the annotation view associated with the specified annotation object, if any.

- (MKAnnotationView *)viewForAnnotation:(id < MKAnnotation >)annotation
Parameters
annotation

The annotation object whose view you want.

Return Value

The annotation view or nil if the view has not yet been created. This method may also return nil if the annotation is not in the visible map region and therefore does not have an associated annotation view.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 3.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

viewForOverlay:

Returns the view associated with the overlay object if any.

- (MKOverlayView *)viewForOverlay:(id < MKOverlay >)overlay
Parameters
overlay

The overlay object whose view you want.

Return Value

The view associated with the overlay object or nil if the overlay is not onscreen.

Availability
  • Available in iOS 4.0 and later.
Declared In
MKMapView.h

Constants

MKMapType

The type of map to display.

enum {
   MKMapTypeStandard,
   MKMapTypeSatellite,
   MKMapTypeHybrid
};
typedef NSUInteger MKMapType;
Constants
MKMapTypeStandard

Displays a street map that shows the position of all roads and some road names.

Available in iOS 3.0 and later.

Declared in MKTypes.h.

MKMapTypeSatellite

Displays satellite imagery of the area.

Available in iOS 3.0 and later.

Declared in MKTypes.h.

MKMapTypeHybrid

Displays a satellite image of the area with road and road name information layered on top.

Available in iOS 3.0 and later.

Declared in MKTypes.h.

MKUserTrackingMode

The mode used to track the user location on the map.

enum {
   MKUserTrackingModeNone = 0,
   MKUserTrackingModeFollow,
   MKUserTrackingModeFollowWithHeading,
};
typedef NSInteger MKUserTrackingMode;
Constants
MKUserTrackingModeNone

The map does not follow the user location.

Available in iOS 5.0 and later.

Declared in MKMapView.h.

MKUserTrackingModeFollow

The map follows the user location.

Available in iOS 5.0 and later.

Declared in MKMapView.h.

MKUserTrackingModeFollowWithHeading

The map follows the user location and rotates when the heading changes.

Available in iOS 5.0 and later.

Declared in MKMapView.h.



© 2011 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Last updated: 2011-10-12)

Did this document help you? Yes It's good, but... Not helpful...