My name is Alessandro La Rosa, and I'm a freelance software architect for Mobile and Web platforms. I'm living in Rome, Italy.
Feel free to contact me at: info@jappit.com
I finally found some time to finish and publish the first release of a tiny library that allow to easily integrate Google Maps in every J2ME application: MidMaps.
You can read all the details, download the library together with sample code, and read the full JavaDocs here: MidMaps – J2ME Google Maps library.
A new featured article from Ar.tur on Forum Nokia Wiki shows you how to use the static version of Google Maps in your mobile widget by using few lines of JavaScript code.
The same article also shows how to use the Location API from Web Runtime Platform Services to retrieve your current location, and then using this data to get the appropriate map from Google Maps.
You can read the full article here: Static GoogleMaps API in JavaScript.
Go Local is a new Web Runtime widget (already available for the Betavine platform) that helps you to find and manage points of interests (e.g.: museums, pubs, restaurants) that are nearby.
Once you’ve found what you’re looking for, Go Local features allow you to:
Go Local is currently available for devices with 240×320 and 320×240 display resolutions.
You can download Go Local for your WRT-enabled device here: Ovi Store Go Local page.
A new widget for the Betavine platform is now available: It’s called Go Local, and allows you to search for anything that’s nearby (restaurants, museums, pubs, and everything else).
Once you’ve found what you’re looking for, you can:
You can download Go Local here: Betavine Go Local download.
Today’s tutorial is about using Google Maps static images, and GPS data, to display maps in a FlashLite application using KuneriLite.
To use Google Maps services, you should have a Google Maps API key. If you do not have one, you can go here:
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html
and signup for your API key.
KuneriLite is a tookit that extends FlashLite capabilites allowing applications to access native Symbian functionalities, like file writing, or reading GPS data.
To proceed in this tutorial, you must download and install KuneriLite: KuneriLite download page.
In this example, we’ll use FlashLite 2.1, but porting it to other (older or newer) FlashLite versions will be quite straightforward. So, after you’ve created an empty FlashLite movie, follow this simple steps:
On movie root, create a new layer called Actions, and open its ActionScript editor. We’ll start defining some properties:
// Enter your api key here var apiKey = 'API_KEY'; //If you're using non-commercial version of KuneriLite, you'll not need to change this var kuneriPath = 'http://127.0.0.1:1001/Basic/'; |
Now, we’ll define some useful functions that we’ll use in our code:
//We'll call this function when some KuneriLite related errors occur function kuneriError(error:String) { trace("KuneriLite error: " + error); } //This function will do all calls to KuneriLite servers //and call the given handler passing response values as argument function kuneriLoad(url, handler) { var loader:LoadVars = new LoadVars(); loader.onLoad = function() { handler(this); } trace("LOADING: " + url); loader.load(url); } |
Now, let’s code the Button-related logic. When the user presses the startButton we want to:
To get full infos about about KuneriLite GPS plugin, you can check the related Wiki page: http://wiki.kunerilite.net/index.php?title=GPS_plugin
We begin starting the GPS on gpsButton press, using the start klCommand:
startButton.onPress = function() { kuneriLoad(kuneriPath + 'GPS?klCommand=start', gpsStarted); } function gpsStarted(res:LoadVars) { if(res.klError == 0 || res.klError == -11) { trace("GPS started"); kuneriLoad(kuneriPath + 'GPS?klCommand=read', gpsDataRead); } else { kuneriError("Error starting GPS!"); } } |
The gpsStarted() handler will:
This second call to KuneriLite will call gpsDataRead() handler, defined below:
function gpsDataRead(res:LoadVars) { if(res.klError == 0) { if(res.klPosLatitude != undefined) { var lat = res.klPosLatitude; var lng = res.klPosLongitude; trace("POSITION: " + lat + ", " + lng); loadMap(lat, lng); } else { kuneriLoad(kuneriPath + 'GPS?klCommand=read', gpsDataRead); } else { kuneriError("Error retrieving GPS position!"); } } |
This handler, as above, will check if there is any error raised by KuneriLite and, if not, will check if latitude and longitude coordinates are available, by checking response klPosLatitude and klPosLongitude property values. If they’re not available, a new call to read klCommand is done, otherwise the following loadMap() function is called.
function loadMap(lat:Number, lng:Number) { var mapClip:MovieClip = _root.createEmptyMovieClip('mapClip', _root.getNextHighestDepth()); mapClip._x = 0; mapClip._y = 0; var mapWidth = 240; var mapHeight = 280; var loader:MovieClipLoader = new MovieClipLoader(); var mapUrl:String = 'http://maps.google.com/staticmap?center=' + lat + ',' + lng + '&format=jpg&zoom=8&size=' + mapWidth + 'x' + mapHeight + '&key=' + apiKey; loader.loadClip(mapUrl, mapClip); } |
The above function:
Done that, you can actually test your FlashLite movie
To test your application without deploying on real device, you must follow these simple steps:
For more infos about KuneriLite Emulator, you can go here: KuneriLite Emulator Wiki page
To test your app on real device, you must package your SIS application using KuneriLite Wizard, following these steps:
Note: to use GPS you should sign your application, specifying certificate, key and password in KuneriLite Wizard interface. Otherwise, your application will not be able to access GPS functionalities.
For more infos about KuneriLite Wizard, you can go here: KuneriLite Wizard Beginner’s Guide
Great tutorial Alessandro, kudos!
FYI – couldn’t get the ZIP file, gives 404
cheers,
Ugur.-
Thanks Ugur!
I missed a letter in the ZIP name… now It should work 
Pit
Great Tutorial!
Br,
Pasi Manninen.
Hi am trying to get microsoft virtual map into my flash lite. How i can get the virtual map into flash lite?
This tutorial uses Symbian, how about android?
I created a simple GPS tutorial using android.
I’m really honored that another article, published on Forum Nokia Wiki, has been selected as Article of the Month!
As the previous one, this also is related to Google Maps usage in mobile applications, and you can read it here: How to use Google Maps data in mobile applications.
As its name says, It’s an introductory article on how to use Google Maps services, in particular the geocoding and static maps ones, from a mobile application, where standard Google Maps API code is not suitable (since it is thought for web based and Ajax’d apps). Its content does not focus on any particular programming language, but gives base guidelines to use those services using REST.
So… any kind of feedbacks is welcome!
Dileep, 
azura, 
Umesh, and 2 others are discussing. 
Hudarsono, and 4 others are discussing.
yama 10:05 am on April 22, 2010 Permalink
i am using your library.yours is a nice application but the only problem is that it shows path as a straight line instead of road to road view.please help me out with a solution that how should i show such road to road path in my application.Thanking you.
Nicholas Ndegwa 9:41 am on January 1, 2011 Permalink
Hi I like your API it works perfectly on the SUN emulator but does not work on the Nokia emulator nor Nokia device am getting the following error.
map error:1000, java.io.IOException: Error in
Umesh 7:45 am on March 15, 2011 Permalink
can we add important location like hotels,historical monuments, etc to static maps.
azura 4:01 pm on April 13, 2011 Permalink
thnks for share
i will practice it dude
Dileep 10:47 am on October 31, 2011 Permalink
i am used to your library. but It give the
java.lang.InstantiationException: Class not a MIDlet
at com.sun.midp.midlet.MIDletState.createMIDlet(+66)
at com.sun.midp.midlet.Selector.run(+22)
Unable to create MIDlet DisplayMap
How to i solve this problem.. Help me..