How to use the Bing Maps task for Windows Phone 8

[ This article is for Windows Phone 8 developers. If you’re developing for Windows 10, see the latest documentation. ]

The Bing Maps task launches the Bing Maps application. You can provide a search string that is used to find and mark locations on the map. You can optionally specify a center point for the map that appears. If you do not specify the center, the user’s current location is used as the center. You can also specify the zoom level to use initially when the map appears.

By using Launchers, you help provide a consistent user experience throughout the Windows Phone platform. For more information, see Launchers and Choosers for Windows Phone 8.

Important Note:
The Bing Maps application will not be launched if the device is in a location where it is not supported. Instead, a dialog will be displayed to the user indicating that Bing Maps is unavailable in their location.

To use the Bing Maps task

1. Add a reference to the System.Device assembly to your project.

2. Add the following statements to your code.

   using Microsoft.Phone.Tasks;
   using System.Device.Location;
   

   Imports Microsoft.Phone.Tasks
   Imports System.Device.Location
   

3. Add the following code to your application wherever you need it, such as in a button click event. To test this procedure, you can put the code in the page constructor. This is the code to launch the task.

   BingMapsTask bingMapsTask = new BingMapsTask();
   
   //Omit the Center property to use the user's current location.
   //bingMapsTask.Center = new GeoCoordinate(47.6204, -122.3493);
   
   bingMapsTask.SearchTerm = "coffee";
   bingMapsTask.ZoomLevel = 2;
   
   bingMapsTask.Show();
   

   Dim bingMapsTask as BingMapsTask = new BingMapsTask()
   
   'Omit the Center property to use the user's current location.
   'bingMapsTask.Center = new GeoCoordinate(47.6204, -122.3493);
   
   bingMapsTask.SearchTerm = "coffee"
   bingMapsTask.ZoomLevel = 2
   
   bingMapsTask.Show()
   

See Also

Reference

BingMapsTask

Center

ZoomLevel

GeoCoordinate

Other Resources

How to use the Bing Maps directions task for Windows Phone 8