Any plans to support KMM for use as shared code with the new Kotlin Maps SDK?

Question

Hi, I was wondering if there are any plans to support the use of this new Kotlin Maps SDK 200.x series for Kotlin Multiplatform (KMM) shared code?  Is this something that might be possible in the future?  From the outside perspective it seems like this might be possible since the SDK is now written in Kotlin, but maybe there are major dependencies that cannot easily be changed to Kotlin.

I just tried utilizing it as shared code and wouldn't allow me, presumably because the SDK, including all dependencies, are not 100% Kotlin code.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,

OrelvisLago · Answer

Hello @GuntherHeppner 
I leave here the answers to what you told me.

Q/ In what way do you think Kotlin Multiplatform is more efficient than
other cross-platform technologies like .Net Maui or Flutter? (Esri has an SDK offering for .Net Maui and support for Flutter is underway)

A/ When I talk about efficiency I mean that since we are obtaining multiplatform technologies, the integration/configuration of GIS using a single multiplatform library saves us much more time and not having to maintain a configuration for each technology that we support. Taking into account the massive dismissal of the Flutter team by Google and its commitment to cross-platform Kotlin, I think it would be good to prioritize it over Flutter.

Q/ What platforms are you targeting, i.e. Android, iOS, desktop, web?

A/ Currently we are only supporting Android and iOS, we have Desktop mapped later, web we are not sure yet.

Q/ What limitations do you currently encounter when adopting Kotlin Multiplatform?

A/ The limitation is that we need to implement code in Swift to be able to integrate the map, if we had it cross-platform we would only be using 100% Kotlin.

Q/ Do you need/consider Compose Multiplatform in addition to Kotlin Multiplatform or does cross-platform support for a business logic layer (non-UI layer) satisfy your requirements?

A/ I don't know if I fully understood the question but compose multiplatform would be enough. The development on their part shouldn't be too complex because they already have the ios and kotlin sdk, it would just be to integrate them into a cross-platform kotlin/compose lib and they could have it productive in a few weeks.

ThomasAa · Answer

Hi @GuntherHeppner,

This is our use case:

Our goal was to bring our existing Android apps, built using the ArcGIS Kotlin SDK, to desktop platforms. We successfully transitioned to Kotlin Multiplatform with Compose, enabling our applications to run on Windows, Mac, and Linux using ArcGIS Java SDK.

However, we face several challenges:

* The ArcGIS Java SDK, essential for our desktop implementation, is nearing deprecation without a viable replacement.
* This SDK relies on JavaFX, which doesn't seamlessly integrate with JetBrains Compose, limiting our ability to add custom UI elements on top of maps.
* Maintaining two separate map SDKs is resource-intensive. And neither SDK is inherently designed for a declarative UI framework like Compose.

A Kotlin Multiplatform Compose Maps SDK would be the perfect solution to address all of these issues.

Thanks,
 Thomas

GuntherHeppner · Answer

Hi @OrelvisLago ,
Thank you for letting us know about your interest in a Kotlin Multiplatform Maps SDK. We still don't have concrete plans for development. We are closely watching this space and we are assessing its feasibility for a Maps SDK when we have scope, but it's not our main focus right now.
For us, it would be helpful to better understand real user requirements in order to prioritise. If you could provide us with more info on any of the following, that would be very helpful:- In what ways do you see Kotlin Multiplatform being more efficient than other cross-platform technologies such as .Net Maui or Flutter? (Esri has an SDK offering for .Net Maui and support for Flutter is underway)- What platforms are you targeting, i.e. Android, iOS, desktop, web?- What limitations do you currently encounter in adopting Kotlin Multiplatform?- Do you require/consider Compose Multiplatform in addition to Kotlin Multiplatform or does mutliplatform support for a business logic layer (non-UI layer) satisfy your requirements?- Any other thoughts on the benefits of a Kotlin Multiplatform Maps SDK with regards to integrating ArcGIS features into your applications.
You can provide any details along those lines as an idea here:https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-maps-sdks-native-ideas/idb-p/arcgis-runtime-sdks-ideas
Thank you, Gunther