Adding Custom Map Annotations

Oftentimes you'll want to display your custom data on the map managed by AWFWeatherMap, such as custom annotations and/or overlays. However, since your AWFWeatherMap instance must remain the map view's delegate to retain the built-in weather layer functionality, you cannot change the map view's delegate.

Fortunately, all delegate methods associated with your chosen mapping strategy (e.g. Apple Maps/MapKit, Google Maps or Mapbox) will get forwarded to the delegate you assign on AWFWeatherMap's mapViewDelegate property. This allows you to use the map view managed by your AWFWeatherMap instance as you typically would when interacting with the native map view instance directly outside of our SDK.

To add custom annotations to your AWFWeatherMap instance, just set the mapViewDelegate property and add your annotations by accessing the map strategy and implementing the necessary map delegate methods as required by your chosen mapping library (e.g. MKMapViewDelegate when using the default of Apple Maps):

ObjectiveC

Swift

import UIKit
import AerisWeatherKit
import AerisMapKit

class CustomAnnotation: NSObject, MKAnnotation {
    var coordinate: CLLocationCoordinate2D
    
    init(coordinate coord: CLLocationCoordinate2D) {
        self.coordinate = coord
    }
}

class CustomMapViewController: AWFWeatherMapViewController {

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        
        // our controller will receive MKMapViewDelegate events
        weatherMap.mapViewDelegate = self

        // add custom annotation
        let annotation = CustomAnnotation(coordinate: CLLocationCoordinate2D(latitude: 47.5, longitude: -122.5))
        weatherMap.strategy.addAnnotation(annotation)
    }
}

extension CustomMapViewController: MKMapViewDelegate {
    
    func mapView(_ mapView: MKMapView, viewFor annotation: MKAnnotation) -> MKAnnotationView? {
        var annotationView: MKAnnotationView?
        
        // handle our custom annotation view by checking the instance type
        if let annotation = annotation as? CustomAnnotation {
            annotationView = MKPinAnnotationView(annotation: annotation, reuseIdentifier: "CustomAnnotationView")
        } else if let strategy = weatherMap.strategy as? AWFAppleMapStrategy {
            // fall back to the built-in AWFWeatherMap functionality for the annotation
            annotationView = strategy.defaultAnnotationView(forAnnotation: annotation)
        }
        
        return annotationView
    }
}

#pragma mark - CustomAnnotation

@interface CustomAnnotation : NSObject<MKAnnotation>

@property (nonatomic, assign) CLLocationCoordinate2D coordinate;

- (instancetype)initWithCoordinate:(CLLocationCoordinate2D)coord;

@end

@implementation CustomAnnotation

@synthesize coordinate;

- (instancetype)initWithCoordinate:(CLLocationCoordinate2D)coord {
    self = [super init];
    if (self) {
        self.coordinate = coord;
    }
    return self;
}

@end

#pragma mark - CustomMapViewController

@interface CustomMapViewController : AWFWeatherMapViewController <MKMapViewDelegate>
@end

@implementation CustomMapViewController

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    
    // our controller will receive MKMapViewDelegate events
    self.weatherMap.mapViewDelegate = self;
    
    // add custom annotation
    CustomAnnotation *annotation = [CustomAnnotation alloc] initWithCoordinate:CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(47.5, -121.5)];
    [(MKMapView *)self.weatherMap.mapView addAnnotation:annotation];
}

#pragma mark - MKMapViewDelegate

- (MKAnnotationView *)mapView:(MKMapView *)mapView viewForAnnotation:(id<MKAnnotation>)annotation {
    MKAnnotationView *annotationView = nil;
    
    // handle our custom annotation view by checking the instance type
    if ([annotation isKindOfClass:[CustomAnnotation class]]) {
        annotationView = [[MKPinAnnotationView alloc] initWithAnnotation:annotation reuseIdentifier:@"CustomAnnotationView"];
    } else {
        // fall back to the built-in AWFWeatherMap functionality for the annotation
        annotationView = [self.weatherMap.strategy defaultAnnotationViewForAnnotation:annotation];
    }
    
    return annotationView;
}

@end

Last modified: May 21, 2020

iOS SDK

Adding Custom Map Annotations