Migrate to Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview)

Migrating from Places SDK for iOS to Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview) should be straightforward and can be done incrementally. Since structs in the Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview) are not compatible with their Objective-C based counterparts, we recommend migrating discrete chunks of functionality based on uses of APIs in GMSPlacesClient.

Add the Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview) to your project

The following steps are required to use Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview):

  1. Enable the Places API (New).

  2. Add the Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview) to your dependencies. You can choose to install GooglePlaces, GooglePlacesSwift, or both.

  3. Initialize the Places client with PlacesClient.

Step-by-step migration example

As an example, suppose an app using the Places SDK for iOS receives autocomplete suggestions based on a text input, then fetches the details of the first place suggestion. Using Places SDK for iOS, the existing code might look something like the following:

// Initialize Places Client.
GMSPlacesClient.provideAPIKey(apiKey)
let client = GMSPlacesClient.shared()

// Fetch Autocomplete Request.
let center = CLLocation(latitude: 37.3913916, longitude: -122.0879074)
let northEast = CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(37.388162, -122.088137)
let southWest = CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(37.395804, -122.077023)

let filter = GMSAutocompleteFilter()
filter.types = [kGMSPlaceTypeRestaurant]
filter.origin = center
filter.locationBias = GMSPlaceRectangularLocationOption(northEast, southWest)

let request = GMSAutocompleteRequest(query: "Sicilian piz")
request.filter = filter

client.fetchAutocompleteSuggestions(from: request) { (results, error) in
  guard let results, error == nil else {
    print("Autocomplete error: \(String(describing: error))")
    return
  }

  // Fetch Place Request.
  guard let placeID = results.first?.placeSuggestion?.placeID else { return }
  let myProperties = [GMSPlaceProperty.name, GMSPlaceProperty.website].map {$0.rawValue}

  let fetchPlaceRequest = GMSFetchPlaceRequest(placeID: placeID, placeProperties: myProperties, sessionToken: nil)

  client.fetchPlace(with: fetchPlaceRequest) { (place: GMSPlace?, error: Error?) in
    guard let place, error == nil else { return }
    print("Place found: \(String(describing: place.name)); \(String(describing: place.website))")
  }
}

Update the Places Client initializer

To modernize the code and take advantage of the new SDK's capabilities, you'll need to replace the GMSPlacesClient with the PlacesClient. Additionally, the parameter names are changed in the new method, so you'll need to update the parameter to from instead of with. Finally, the Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview) uses the upgraded AutocompleteRequest.

Updated code

// Initialize Places Swift Client.
let _ = PlacesClient.provideAPIKey(apiKey)
let placesSwiftClient = PlacesClient.shared

Original code

// Initialize Places Client.
GMSPlacesClient.provideAPIKey(apiKey)
let client = GMSPlacesClient.shared()

Update the autocomplete request

You could begin by updating the autocomplete request flow. The old code uses a callback to request autocomplete suggestions, while the new code employs a switch/await pattern. Callbacks can add complexity to code structure and error handling. The new Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview) supports concurrency, which simplifies asynchronous operations.

// Initialize Places Swift Client.
let _ = PlacesClient.provideAPIKey(apiKey)
let placesSwiftClient = PlacesClient.shared

// Fetch Autocomplete Request.
let center = CLLocation(latitude: 37.3913916, longitude: -122.0879074)
let northEast = CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(37.388162, -122.088137)
let southWest = CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(37.395804, -122.077023)

let bias = RectangularCoordinateRegion(northEast: northEast, southWest: southWest)
let filter = AutocompleteFilter(types: [ .restaurant ], origin: center, coordinateRegionBias: bias)

let autocompleteRequest = AutocompleteRequest(query: "Sicilian piz", filter: filter)
let placeID: String
switch await placesSwiftClient.fetchAutocompleteSuggestions(with: autocompleteRequest) {
case .success(let results):
  switch results.first {
  case .place(let placeSuggestion):
    placeID = placeSuggestion.placeID
  case .none:
    fallthrough
  @unknown default:
    return
  }
case .failure(let placesError):
  print("Autocomplete error: \(placesError)")
  return
}

// Initialize Places Client.
GMSPlacesClient.provideAPIKey(apiKey)
let placesClient = GMSPlacesClient.shared()

// Fetch Place Request.
let myProperties = [GMSPlaceProperty.name, GMSPlaceProperty.website].map {$0.rawValue}

let fetchPlaceRequest = GMSFetchPlaceRequest(placeID: placeID, placeProperties: myProperties, sessionToken: nil)

placesClient.fetchPlace(with: fetchPlaceRequest) { (place: GMSPlace?, error: Error?) in
  guard let place, error == nil else { return }
  print("Place found: \(String(describing: place.name)); \(String(describing: place.website))")
}

Update method and class names

Finally, complete the migration by refactoring the fetchPlace code and removing both the GMSPlacesClient initialization and GMSPlaceProperty declaration. In Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview), the method and classnames have been updated to remove the "GMS" prefix, and must be updated accordingly; e.g., GMSFetchPlaceRequest becomes FetchPlaceRequest.

Type-handling

The new fetchPlace method uses improved type handling. While the old code required passing the property's raw values, the new code doesn't require developers to explicitly fetch raw values here, thereby improving concision and readability.

Concurrency

Additionally, the new method supports concurrency, allowing for replacing the callback in placesClient.fetchPlace with a switch/await pattern in placesSwiftClient.fetchPlace.

// Initialize Places Swift Client.
let _ = PlacesClient.provideAPIKey(apiKey)
let placesSwiftClient = PlacesClient.shared

// Fetch Autocomplete Request.
let center = CLLocation(latitude: 37.3913916, longitude: -122.0879074)
let northEast = CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(37.388162, -122.088137)
let southWest = CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(37.395804, -122.077023)

let bias = RectangularCoordinateRegion(northEast: northEast, southWest: southWest)
let filter = AutocompleteFilter(types: [ .restaurant ], origin: center, coordinateRegionBias: bias)

let autocompleteRequest = AutocompleteRequest(query: "Sicilian piz", filter: filter)
let placeID: String
switch await placesSwiftClient.fetchAutocompleteSuggestions(with: autocompleteRequest) {
case .success(let results):
  switch results.first {
  case .place(let placeSuggestion):
    placeID = placeSuggestion.placeID
  case .none:
    fallthrough
  @unknown default:
    return
  }
case .failure(let placesError):
  print("Autocomplete error: \(placesError)")
  return
}

// Fetch Place Request.
let fetchPlaceRequest = FetchPlaceRequest(placeID: placeID, placeProperties: [.displayName, .websiteURL])
switch await placesSwiftClient.fetchPlace(with: fetchPlaceRequest) {
case .success(let place):
  print("Place found: \(place.displayName): \(String(describing: place.description))")

case .failure(let placesError):
  print("Place not found: \(placeID); \(placesError)")
}

Stay up-to-date

Visit the release notes page for Places Swift SDK for iOS (Preview) to learn about new features and changes.