How to host an ArcGIS Engine MapControl in a WPF application

In this topic

• Using the WindowsFormsHost control
  • Creating the WPF application
  • Adding project references
  • Dragging and dropping WindowsFormsHost
  • Modifying XAML attributes
  • Adding Windows loaded event
  • Initializing ArcGIS Engine licenses
  • Binding to a specific product
  • Creating the AxMapControl
  • Setting AxMapControl properties
  • Wiring up the events of AxMapControl
  • Loading the map
  • Running the project

Using the WindowsFormHost control

Creating the WPF application

1. Start Visual Studio.
2. Create a WPF application project and name it MapHostedInWPF.

Adding project references

• ESRI.ArcGIS.AxControls - Contains the AxMapControl.
• ESRI.ArcGIS.System - Contains the AoInitialiseClass class (used to set up the ArcGIS Engine license).
• ESRI.ArcGIS.Version - Contains runtime manager functionality to bind a specific ArcGIS installation on the machine.

Dragging and dropping WindowsFormsHost

Modifying XAML attributes

Adding Windows loaded event

1. Type Loaded= in the markup code. A context menu showing <New Event Handler> appears.
2. Press the Tab key to automatically insert the Window_Loaded text string, which provides a Window_Loaded stub in the code behind file. See the following screen shot:

<Window
  x:Class="MapHostedInWPF.MainWindow"
  xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
  xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
  Title="MapControl hosted in WPF"
  Loaded="Window_Loaded"
  Height="331"
  Width="378"
  xmlns:my="clr-namespace:System.Windows.Forms.Integration;assembly=WindowsFormsIntegration">
  <Grid>
    <my:WindowsFormsHost Margin="19,19,17,28" Name="mapHost"/>
  </Grid>
</Window>

<Window
  x:Class="MainWindow"
  xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
  xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
  Title="MapControl hosted in WPF"
  Height="331"
  Width="378"
  Loaded="Window_Loaded"
  xmlns:my="clr-namespace:System.Windows.Forms.Integration;assembly=WindowsFormsIntegration">
  <Grid>
    <my:WindowsFormsHost Margin="19,19,17,28" Name="mapHost"/>
  </Grid>
</Window>

Initializing ArcGIS Engine licenses

1. Click to expand the App.xaml (C#) or Application.xaml (VB .NET) node in the Solution Explorer.
2. Double-click App.xaml.cs or Application.xaml.vb to open the code file for the application.
3. Replace the file's content with the following code example to initialize ArcGIS Engine when the application starts:

using System.Windows;
using ESRI.ArcGIS.esriSystem;

namespace MapHostedInWPF
{
    public partial class App: Application
    {
        protected override void OnStartup(StartupEventArgs e)
        {
            base.OnStartup(e);
            InitializeEngineLicense();
        }

        private void InitializeEngineLicense()
        {
            AoInitialize aoi=new AoInitializeClass();

            //More license choices can be included here.
            esriLicenseProductCode productCode =
                esriLicenseProductCode.esriLicenseProductCodeEngine;
            if (aoi.IsProductCodeAvailable(productCode) ==
                esriLicenseStatus.esriLicenseAvailable)
            {
                aoi.Initialize(productCode);
            }
        }
    }
}

Imports ESRI.ArcGIS.esriSystem

Class Application
    
    Protected Overrides Sub OnStartup(ByVal e As System.Windows.StartupEventArgs)
    MyBase.OnStartup(e)
    InitializeEngineLicense()
End Sub

Private Sub InitializeEngineLicense()
    Dim aoi As AoInitialize=New AoInitializeClass()
    
    'More license choices can be included here.
    Dim productCode As esriLicenseProductCode=esriLicenseProductCode.esriLicenseProductCodeEngine
    If aoi.IsProductCodeAvailable(productCode)=esriLicenseStatus.esriLicenseAvailable Then
        aoi.Initialize(productCode)
    End If
End Sub

End Class

Binding to a specific ArcGIS product

ESRI.ArcGIS.RuntimeManager.Bind(ESRI.ArcGIS.ProductCode.Engine);

ESRI.ArcGIS.RuntimeManager.Bind(ESRI.ArcGIS.ProductCode.Engine)

Creating the AxMapControl

1. Click to expand the MainWindow.xaml node in the Solution Explorer.
2. Double-click MainWindow.xaml.cs or MainWindow.xaml.vb to open the code file for the window.
3. Replace the file's content with the following code example. AxMapControl is created programmatically and set to the Child property of the mapHost element at the Windows constructor.

using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Drawing;
using ESRI.ArcGIS.esriSystem;
using ESRI.ArcGIS.Controls;

namespace MapHostedInWPF
{
    public partial class MainWindow: Window
    {
        AxMapControl mapControl;

        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            CreateMapControl();
        }
        // Create an AxMapControl and host it in the WindowsFormsHost element.
        private void CreateMapControl()
        {
            mapControl=new AxMapControl();
            mapHost.Child=mapControl;
        }
    }
}

Imports System.Windows
Imports System.Windows.Forms
Imports System.Drawing
Imports ESRI.ArcGIS.Controls
Imports ESRI.ArcGIS.esriSystem

Class MainWindow
    Private mapControl As AxMapControl

    Public Sub New()
        InitializeComponent()
        CreateMapControl()
    End Sub
    
    Private Sub CreateMapControl()
        mapControl=New AxMapControl()
        mapHost.Child=mapControl
    End Sub
    
End Class

Setting AxMapControl properties

private void SetMapProperties()
{
    //Set the properties of AxMapControl.
    mapControl.Dock=DockStyle.None;
    mapControl.BackColor=Color.FromArgb(233, 233, 233);
}

Private Sub SetMapProperties()
    'Set the properties of AxMapControl.
    mapControl.Dock=DockStyle.None
    mapControl.BackColor=Color.FromArgb(233, 233, 233)
End Sub

Wiring up the events of AxMapControl

private void WireMapEvents()
{
    mapControl.OnMouseMove += new IMapControlEvents2_Ax_OnMouseMoveEventHandler
        (mapControl_OnMouseMove);
}

private void mapControl_OnMouseMove(object sender,
    IMapControlEvents2_OnMouseMoveEvent e)
{
    System.Console.WriteLine(e.mapX.ToString());
}

Private Sub WireMapEvents()
    AddHandler mapControl.OnMouseMove, AddressOf mapControl_OnMouseMove
End Sub

Private Sub mapControl_OnMouseMove(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As IMapControlEvents2_OnMouseMoveEvent)
    System.Console.WriteLine(e.mapX.ToString())
End Sub

Loading the map

private void Window_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    SetMapProperties();
    WireMapEvents();

    // Specify your .mxd file here.
    mapControl.LoadMxFile(
        "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\ArcGIS\\DeveloperKit10.2\\Samples\\data\\GulfOfStLawrence\\Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.mxd");
}

Private Sub Window_Loaded(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.RoutedEventArgs)
    SetMapProperties()
    WireMapEvents()
    
    ' Specify your .mxd file here.
    mapControl.LoadMxFile("C:\Program Files (x86)\ArcGIS\DeveloperKit10.2\Samples\data\GulfOfStLawrence\Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.mxd")
End Sub

Running the project

1. Press F5 to run the application and load the specified map.
2. Move the mouse pointer around the map to verify how the OnMouseMove event responds.
3. The developed sample application should look like the following screen shot.

See Also: