Viewport places plugin

The Viewport Places plugin shows search results for the visible map area, and searches again each time the map moves. It connects the SDK’s search to the Places module, one module per search you add.

Use cases

• Choose which POI categories show on your map, from which zoom and with which marker type.
• Search this area, with results limited to the viewport and refreshed when the user pans or zooms.
• Stack several searches, such as base-map POIs under a brand’s results.

How it works

• On every moveend, each added search runs a discoverPlaces fuzzy search biased to the viewport’s bounding box, and shows its first page in its own PlacesModule.
  • A newer move cancels the search still in flight, so a slow response never overwrites a newer one.
• Each search has its own search options (query, POI categories, and limit, 100 by default) and its own Places module configuration (marker type, clustering, colour…).
• Outside its minZoom to maxZoom range, a search clears its places and sends no request.

API reference:

ViewportPlaces

Installation

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npm install @tomtom-org/maps-sdk maplibre-gl @tomtom-org/maps-sdk-plugin-viewport-places

@tomtom-org/maps-sdk is a peer dependency. Set up a TomTomMap as in Project setup, then add a search:

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import { ViewportPlaces } from '@tomtom-org/maps-sdk-plugin-viewport-places';
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const viewportPlaces = new ViewportPlaces(map);
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await viewportPlaces.addPOICategories({
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  id: 'restaurants',
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  categories: ['RESTAURANT'],
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  minZoom: 10
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});

The restaurants places now follow the visible map area from zoom 10.

The viewport places example above stacks two category searches under a brand search.

Usage examples

Add base-map POI categories (styled like the base map)

addPOICategories searches the given POI categories and draws them with the base-map marker type, like the style’s own POIs:

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await viewportPlaces.addPOICategories({
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  id: 'base-pois',
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  categories: ['PARKING_GARAGE', 'CHARGING_LOCATION'],
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  minZoom: 10,
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  maxZoom: 17
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});

Add a branded search place module (custom marker type)

add takes a placesModuleConfig, whose marker type defaults to base-map, and any fuzzy search options except geoBias, cursor and signal, which the plugin sets itself:

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const brandPlaces = await viewportPlaces.add({
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  id: 'brand-search',
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  searchOptions: { query: 'Lidl', filters: { poiCategories: ['SUPERMARKET'] }, limit: 20 },
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  minZoom: 8,
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  placesModuleConfig: { markerType: 'pin' }
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});
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brandPlaces.events.places.on('click', (place) => console.log(place.properties.poi?.name));

• add and addPOICategories resolve with the search’s PlacesModule, for its events and everything else the module offers.
• Give an id to update or remove the search later. Otherwise, the plugin generates one.

Update an existing place module

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await viewportPlaces.update({
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  id: 'brand-search',
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  searchOptions: { query: 'Aldi', limit: 30 },
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  placesModuleConfig: { markerType: 'base-map' }
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});

• The new searchOptions merge into the current ones, and filters merges member by member. placesModuleConfig merges one level deep.
• The search runs again immediately.

Remove a place module

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viewportPlaces.remove('brand-search');
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viewportPlaces.removeAll();

• Removing a search stops it and clears its places.
• remove and update both throw for an unknown ID.

Related guides and examples

• Search - The fuzzy search each added search runs
• Places module - The module each search draws its results with
• Place styling - Marker types, clustering and colour for placesModuleConfig
• Viewport places example - Category and brand searches stacked over the map