How to get to Norway.

Bing is cool! (at least the map part)

I loaded up Visual Studio and fixed a developer key at www.bingmapsportal.com and then I spent an hour hacking with the Bing web services for routes.

I wanted to create an easy function to get directions from coordinate A to coordinate B and I wanted it to be asynchronous. Oh, yeah, I didn't care much about performance or any other details, just wanted results. After all a hack is a hack.

So. This is how I did it. Step by step.

1. Get a key to bing maps.

2. Create a service reference to http://dev.virtualearth.net/webservices/v1/routeservice/routeservice.svc?wsdl

3. Created a route class with the following code:

using System;

using System.Collections.Generic;

using System.Linq;

using System.Text;

using MapTools.BingRouteReference;

namespace MapTools

{

public class Routes

{

public delegate void RouteCompletedHandler(object sender, RouteFinishedEventArgs e);

public event RouteCompletedHandler RouteCompleted;

public void Calculate(Location start, Location end)

{

BingRouteReference.RouteServiceClient routeService = new

                                            BingRouteReference.RouteServiceClient();

RouteRequest routeRequest = new RouteRequest();

routeRequest.Credentials = new Credentials();

routeRequest.Credentials.ApplicationId = "[put your map key here!]";

routeRequest.Waypoints = new Waypoint[2];

routeRequest.Waypoints[0] = new Waypoint();

routeRequest.Waypoints[1] = new Waypoint();

routeRequest.Waypoints[0].Location = start;

routeRequest.Waypoints[1].Location = end;

routeService.CalculateRouteCompleted += new 

                                         EventHandler<CalculateRouteCompletedEventArgs>      

                                         (routeService_CalculateRouteCompleted);

routeService.CalculateRouteAsync(routeRequest);

}

void routeService_CalculateRouteCompleted(object sender,  

                                        CalculateRouteCompletedEventArgs e)

{

StringBuilder stringBuilder = new StringBuilder();

foreach (var item in e.Result.Result.Legs.SelectMany(s=>s.Itinerary) )

{

stringBuilder.AppendLine(item.Text);

}

RouteFinishedEventArgs eventArgs = new RouteFinishedEventArgs()

                                     {RouteDescription = stringBuilder.ToString()};

RouteCompleted(this, eventArgs);

}

}

public class RouteFinishedEventArgs

{

public string RouteDescription { get; set; }

}

}

4. Created a client (winform is still quicker for trying out hacks):

Routes routes = new Routes();

public FormTester()

{

InitializeComponent();

routes.RouteCompleted += new 

                                Routes.RouteCompletedHandler(routes_RouteCompleted);

}

private void buttonExecute_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)

{

                        //Stockholm to Oslo

routes.Calculate(

                                new MapTools.BingRouteReference.Location() 

                                { Latitude = 59.32944, Longitude = 18.06861 },

                                new MapTools.BingRouteReference.Location() 

                                { Latitude = 59.94944, Longitude = 10.75639 });

}

void routes_RouteCompleted(object sender, RouteFinishedEventArgs e)

{

textBoxResults.Text = e.RouteDescription;

}

5. Sat back and enjoyed the directions:

<VirtualEarth:Action>Depart</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Gustav Adolfs Torg</VirtualEarth:RoadName> toward <VirtualEarth:Toward>Malmtorgsgatan</VirtualEarth:Toward>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Bear</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>right</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Norrbro</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Turn</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>left</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Slottskajen</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Bear</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>right</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Skeppsbron</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Road name changes</VirtualEarth:Action> to <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Södermalmstorg</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Road name changes</VirtualEarth:Action> to <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Västra Slussgatan</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Road name changes</VirtualEarth:Action> to <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Hornsgatan</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Bear</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>left</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Långholmsgatan</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Road name changes</VirtualEarth:Action> to <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Liljeholmsbron</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Road name changes</VirtualEarth:Action> to <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Södertäljevägen</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

At exit <VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>Södertäljevägen</VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>, <VirtualEarth:Action>take</VirtualEarth:Action> ramp <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>left</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> for <VirtualEarth:RoadName>E20 / E4</VirtualEarth:RoadName> toward <VirtualEarth:Sign>Helsingborg / Göteborg</VirtualEarth:Sign>

At exit <VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>Trafikplats Saltskog östra</VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>, <VirtualEarth:Action>take</VirtualEarth:Action> ramp <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>right</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> for <VirtualEarth:RoadName>E20</VirtualEarth:RoadName> toward <VirtualEarth:Sign>Strängnäs / Södertälje C / Göteborg</VirtualEarth:Sign>

<VirtualEarth:Action>At roundabout</VirtualEarth:Action>, <VirtualEarth:Action>take</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>1st</VirtualEarth:ExitNumber> exit

At exit <VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>Trafikplats Gräsnäs</VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>, <VirtualEarth:Action>take</VirtualEarth:Action> ramp <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>right</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> for <VirtualEarth:RoadName>E18 / 249 / E20</VirtualEarth:RoadName> toward <VirtualEarth:Sign>Örebro / Göteborg / Lindesberg / Oslo</VirtualEarth:Sign>

At exit <VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>110A</VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>, <VirtualEarth:Action>take</VirtualEarth:Action> ramp <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>right</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> for <VirtualEarth:RoadName>E18</VirtualEarth:RoadName> toward <VirtualEarth:Sign>Örebro flygplats / Karlskoga / Oslo</VirtualEarth:Sign>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Pass through 2 roundabouts</VirtualEarth:Action>, remaining on <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Örebrovägen</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>At roundabout</VirtualEarth:Action>, <VirtualEarth:Action>take</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>2nd</VirtualEarth:ExitNumber> exit onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>E18 / E45</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Keep</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>straight</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>E18 / Orrhagen</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Pass through 4 roundabouts</VirtualEarth:Action>, remaining on <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Trøgstadveien</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

At exit <VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>Vinterbrokrysset</VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>, <VirtualEarth:Action>take</VirtualEarth:Action> ramp <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>left</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> for <VirtualEarth:RoadName>E6</VirtualEarth:RoadName> toward <VirtualEarth:Sign>Oslo</VirtualEarth:Sign>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Keep</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>straight</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>E6</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Road name changes</VirtualEarth:Action> to <VirtualEarth:RoadName>150 / Hjalmar Brantings Vei / Ring 3</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Take</VirtualEarth:Action> ramp <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>right</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> toward <VirtualEarth:Sign>Tåsen / Maridalen</VirtualEarth:Sign>

<VirtualEarth:Action>At roundabout</VirtualEarth:Action>, <VirtualEarth:Action>take</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>2nd</VirtualEarth:ExitNumber> exit onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Rolf Wickstrøms Vei</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>At roundabout</VirtualEarth:Action>, <VirtualEarth:Action>take</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:ExitNumber>1st</VirtualEarth:ExitNumber> exit onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Maridalsveien</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Turn</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>right</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Blåsbortveien</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Turn</VirtualEarth:Action> <VirtualEarth:TurnDir>left</VirtualEarth:TurnDir> onto <VirtualEarth:RoadName>Ustvedts Vei</VirtualEarth:RoadName>

<VirtualEarth:Action>Arrive</VirtualEarth:Action> at <VirtualEarth:WaypointName>Ustvedts Vei</VirtualEarth:WaypointName>

So now you know how to get to Norway...

PS. Just let me know if you want the full code.