How to work with locators and locator styles

Summary
A locator is an object that you can use to convert textual descriptions of locations into geographic features. It defines the inputs, outputs, logic, and one or more reference datasets that are used to find locations. The most common locator is an address locator that you can use to geocode addresses.
A locator style is a template for creating a locator. Each locator style class supports the interfaces required to specify the reference data and geocoding options for a Locator object.

Using ILocatorWorkspace

Use the ILocatorWorkspace interface to manage the locators and locator styles in a locator workspace. You can use this interface to retrieve locator and locator styles from the locator workspace, as well as create, modify, and delete locators contained in the workspace.
  • Retrieve locators—Use GetLocator to retrieve a locator by name from a locator workspace. The Locators property returns an enumeration of the locators in the workspace. The LocatorNames property returns an enumeration of locator names representing the locators in the locator workspace.
  • Retrieve LocatorStyles—Use GetLocatorStyle to retrieve locator styles by name from a locator workspace. The Locators property returns an enumeration of the locators in a workspace. The LocatorNames property returns an enumeration of locator names representing the locators in the locator workspace.
  • Add a locator to a workspace—Use AddLocator to add a locator to the locator workspace.
  • Create a locator—To create a locator, a developer retrieves the LocatorStyle on which the new locator will be based from a LocatorWorkspace, specifies all of the properties on the style as required to define the new locator, and stores the modified LocatorStyle in the LocatorWorkspace using the AddLocator method on the ILocatorWorkspace interface. For more information, see How to create an address locator.
  • Delete a locator or locator style from a workspace—Use DeleteLocator to remove a locator or locator style from the workspace.
  • Rebuild a locator—Use RebuildLocator to rebuild an address locator, particularly if the reference data was modified.
  • Locator categories—Some of the methods require you to pass a locator category as a parameter. Address locators and address locator styles used with ArcGIS have a category of "Address".ILocatorWorkspace.





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