Conversion from Bing Maps to Azure Maps

Hello Ronald Chandler,

It sounds like you're looking to migrate your application from Bing Maps to Azure Maps since Bing Maps is no longer functional for your needs. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you with the transition in your Visual Basic application:

1. Get Started with Azure Maps: First, you’ll need to create an Azure Maps account in the Azure portal if you haven't done so already. You can find instructions on how to create your Azure Maps account here.
2. Use the Appropriate SDK: Azure Maps provides an SDK that you can use to implement mapping capabilities similar to Bing Maps. You'll want to take a look at the Azure Maps Web SDK, which you can integrate directly into your application.
3. Code Adjustments for Map Initialization:
   • Update your existing map code to reflect the differences in SDK initialization. For Azure Maps, make sure you're waiting for the ready event before interacting with the map, which is critical.
   • In Azure Maps, coordinates are formatted as [longitude, latitude], so you may need to adjust any coordinate references in your existing code from using [latitude, longitude].
4. Geocoding and Mapping Services: For services like geocoding, you can replace the Bing Maps functionalities with Azure Maps equivalents. For instance:
   • Bing Maps Reverse Geocoding → Azure Maps Reverse Geocoding
   • Bing Maps Forward Geocoding → Azure Maps Forward Geocoding
   You can refer to the migrate from Bing Maps overview for more detailed mappings between services.
5. Error Handling: In case you face any issues during migration, consult the Azure Maps error documentation here for troubleshooting assistance.
6. Testing: Once you've made the necessary changes, thoroughly test the application to ensure everything is functioning as expected.

Hope this helps you transition smoothly from Bing Maps to Azure Maps!
Thank you!

Here is the code. It throws an exception (unauthorized) on the "response." line. The problem seems to be the azure maps subscription key. This is my first attempt at using Azure maps. Te code:

Private Async Sub AzureMaps_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles AzureMaps.Click

    'Dim subscriptionKey As String = "YOUR_AZURE_MAPS_SUBSCRIPTION_KEY" ' Replace with your actual key

    Dim subscriptionKey As String = "545732"

    Dim query As String = "Seattle" ' Example search query

    Dim requestUrl As String = $"https://atlas.microsoft.com/search/fuzzy/json?api-version=1.0&query={query}&subscription-key={subscriptionKey}"

    Using client As New HttpClient()

        Try

            Dim response As HttpResponseMessage = Await client.GetAsync(requestUrl)

            response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode() ' Throw an exception if not successful

            Dim responseBody As String = Await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync()

            ' Deserialize the JSON response (requires Newtonsoft.Json)

            ' Dim searchResult As YourSearchResultClass = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(Of YourSearchResultClass)(responseBody)

            ' For demonstration, just display the raw JSON

            MessageBox.Show(responseBody, "Azure Maps Search Result")

        Catch ex As HttpRequestException

            MessageBox.Show(requestUrl)

            MessageBox.Show($"Request Error: {ex.Message}", "Error")

        Catch ex As Exception

            MessageBox.Show($"An error occurred: {ex.Message}", "Error")

        End Try

    End Using

End Sub

I apparently do not have an Azure maps subscription key (causes the exception). I have a single-use Azure code however. I do not know what "YourSearchResultClass" is either. Please help.

Hi Ronald Chandler

It seems that you have found the answers from Rbrunditt bit overwhelming compared to query.

I have commented the context of each code block in below code blocks.

But you can start referring our C-sharp document to understand and replicate it better

' This is an asynchronous event handler for the AzureMaps button click
Private Async Sub AzureMaps_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles AzureMaps.Click

    ' Replace this with your actual Azure Maps subscription key
    Dim subscriptionKey As String = "545732"

    ' The location you want to search for using Azure Maps
    Dim query As String = "Seattle"

    ' Construct the request URL for Azure Maps fuzzy search API
    ' Note: "&" is HTML-encoded ampersand; in actual code, use "&"
    Dim requestUrl As String = $"https://atlas.microsoft.com/search/fuzzy/json?api-version=1.0&query={query}&subscription-key={subscriptionKey}"

    ' Create a new instance of HttpClient to send the HTTP request
    Using client As New HttpClient()

        Try
            ' Send the GET request asynchronously
            Dim response As HttpResponseMessage = Await client.GetAsync(requestUrl)

            ' Ensure the response indicates success (throws exception if not)
            response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode()

            ' Read the response content as a string
            Dim responseBody As String = Await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync()

            ' Display the raw JSON response in a message box
            MessageBox.Show(responseBody, "Azure Maps Search Result")

            ' Optional: You could deserialize the JSON into a class using Newtonsoft.Json
            ' Dim searchResult As YourSearchResultClass = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(Of YourSearchResultClass)(responseBody)

        Catch ex As HttpRequestException
            ' If there's an HTTP-specific error, show the request URL and error message
            MessageBox.Show(requestUrl)
            MessageBox.Show($"Request Error: {ex.Message}", "Error")

        Catch ex As Exception
            ' Catch any other general exceptions and show the error message
            MessageBox.Show($"An error occurred: {ex.Message}", "Error")

        End Try

    End Using

End Sub

You can also take help of Github copilot for Migration from Bing maps to Azure Maps

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-maps/migrate-help-using-copilot

Please let us know if it helps

Thank you