[Mapzen Search](https://mapzen.com/projects/search) is a modern, geographic search service based entirely on open-source tools and open data. Use this functionality to enhance any app that has a geographic context, such as ones that help in delivering goods, locating hotels or venues, or providing local weather forecasts.
Through a process known as [geocoding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocoding), Mapzen Search allows you to enter an address or the name of a landmark or business, and the service translates the result into geographic coordinates for mapping. Mapzen Search is built on [Pelias](https://github.com/pelias), an open-source geocoding project.
In this walkthrough, you will learn how to make a map with a search box that allows you to enter addresses and place names and locate them on a map. To complete the tutorial, you should have some familiarity with HTML and JavaScript, although all the source code is provided. You also need a Mapzen Search [API key](https://mapzen.com/developers), which requires a [GitHub account](https://help.github.com/articles/signing-up-for-a-new-github-account/) for authorization. You can use any text editor and operating system, but must keep an Internet connection while you are working.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a map with a search box that allows you to enter addresses and place names and locate them on a map. To complete the tutorial, it is helpful to have some familiarity with HTML and JavaScript, although all the source code is provided. You also need a Mapzen Search [API key](https://mapzen.com/developers), which requires a [GitHub account](https://help.github.com/articles/signing-up-for-a-new-github-account/) for authorization. You can use any text editor and operating system, but must keep an Internet connection while you are working.
## Sign up for a Mapzen Search API key
@ -21,7 +19,7 @@ You are ready to start building your map. You will need to use a text editor to
Suggested text editor applications include [Atom - OS X, Windows, Linux](https://atom.io/); [Notepad++ - Windows](https://notepad-plus-plus.org/); [TextWrangler - OS X](http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/); and [Sublime - OS X, Windows, Linux; free trial](http://www.sublimetext.com/). While you can use the apps installed with your operating system, such as Notepad or TextEdit, they do not provide the helpful indentations, code coloring and autocomplete, or text alignment options found in the other editors. For TextEdit, you must go to the Format menu and click Make Plain Text to use the plain-text version of the file. Do not use an app that applies rich formatting, such as Word or Wordpad.
The end of this walkthrough has a finished version of the HTML that you can use to check your work or review if you need to troubleshoot an error.
_The end of this walkthrough has a finished version of the HTML that you can use to check your work or review if you need to troubleshoot an error._
1. Start your text editor with a blank document and copy and paste the following HTML. (Note: If the text editor you are using requires you to name and save a document at the time when it is first created, call the file `index.html`.)
@ -65,22 +63,22 @@ Your HTML should look like this:
## Add references to CSS and JavaScript files
The Leaflet JavaScript library provides tools for building an interactive map for web and mobile devices. Leaflet is extensible, and developers have built additional tools for Leaflet maps, including the Mapzen Search geocoder plug-in.
The [Leaflet](http://leafletjs.com/) JavaScript library provides tools for building an interactive map for web and mobile devices. Leaflet is extensible, and developers have built additional tools for Leaflet maps, including the Mapzen Search geocoder plug-in.
A cascading style sheet (CSS) is used to style a webpage, including layout and fonts, and JavaScript adds functionality to the page. In your `index.html` file, you need to list the CSS and JavaScript files required for building a page with Leaflet and the geocoder plug-in.
1. In `index.html`, at the bottom of the `<head>` section, add references to the Leaflet CSS and JavaScript files. You are linking to these from a remote website, rather than from a file on your machine.
2. In the `<head>` section, directly after the lines you added for Leaflet, add references to the geocoder's CSS and JavaScript files. These are also being linked to on a website.
3. Save your edits and refresh the browser. The webpage should still appear empty because you have not added any code to interact with these references.
@ -93,10 +91,10 @@ After adding these, your index.html file should look something like this.
@ -109,7 +107,7 @@ Note that you are linking to a website that is serving the geocoder's CSS and Ja
To display a Leaflet map on a page, you need a `<div>` element, which is a container on the page that groups elements, with an ID value. If you want to know more about initializing a Leaflet map, see the [Leaflet getting started documentation](http://leafletjs.com/examples/quick-start.html).
1. At the bottom of the `<head>` section, after the references you added in the earlier steps, add a `<style>` tag and the following attributes to set the size of the map on your webpage.
1. At the bottom of the `<head>` section, after the references you added in the earlier steps, add a `<style>` tag and the following attributes to set the size of the map on your webpage. A Leaflet map will not display unless you include a width.
```html
<style>
@ -138,7 +136,7 @@ To display a Leaflet map on a page, you need a `<div>` element, which is a conta
`L.xxxxx` is a convention used with the Leaflet API. The `setView([37.804146, -122.275045], 16)` part sets the center of the map, in decimal degrees, and the zoom level. The map is centered in Oakland, California, with a zoom level that allows you to see the streets and features of the city. Zoom levels are like map scales or resolutions, where a smaller value shows a larger area in less detail, and a larger zoom level value depicts smaller area in great detail.
4. Within the same `<script>` tag, start a new line and set the data source for the map. This line adds the default OpenStreetMap tiles and an attribution.
4. Up to this point, you only have a page with a gray `<div>` element and zoom buttons. To add a map, you need to include a layer. Within the same `<script>` tag, start a new line and set the data source for the map. This line adds the default OpenStreetMap tile layer and an attribution.
@ -182,6 +180,8 @@ Your index.html should look something like this:
At this point, you have a map! You should see a map with OpenStreetMap tiles, zoom controls, and a Leaflet attribution in the bottom corner.
To recap how you created this, you added references to the Leaflet JS and CSS files, a map `<div>` with a declared width, and assigned values to `L.map` and `L.tileLayer`.
## Add the Search box
@ -233,9 +233,9 @@ If you want to [customize the geocoder plug-in behavior](https://github.com/peli
Mapzen Search uses a [variety of open data sources](https://mapzen.com/documentation/search/data-sources/), including OpenStreetMap. Part of the power of open data is that anyone can change the source data and improve the quality for everyone. If you are unable to find a location, the place could be missing or incorrect in the source datasets. Mapzen is also building a comprehensive, open database of places known as [Who's on First](https://github.com/whosonfirst/whosonfirst-data) that can be publicly edited, and is working on integrating it into the geocoder.
## Walkthrough summary
## Tutorial summary
In this walkthrough, you learned the basics of adding the Mapzen Search geocoding engine to a Leaflet map. If you want to learn more about Mapzen Search, review the [documentation](index.md).
You learned the basics of adding the Mapzen Search geocoding engine to a Leaflet map. If you want to learn more about Mapzen Search, review the [documentation](index.md).
Because the geocoder is still under development and considered experimental, if you are getting unexpected search results, please add an issue to the [Pelias GitHub repository](https://github.com/pelias/pelias/issues). The developers can investigate and decide if the problem is caused by software or data, and work to fix it either way.
@ -251,10 +251,10 @@ You can refer to this HTML if you want to review your work or troubleshoot an er
rmglennon
8 years ago