> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/radarlabs/radar-sdk-ios/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Search

> Search for places, geofences, and chains near a location with customizable filters

Radar's search APIs allow you to find places, geofences, and business locations near a given point with powerful filtering capabilities.

## Search Places

Search for places near a location, sorted by distance. You can filter by chains, categories, groups, and countries.

### Basic Place Search

Search for places within a radius using the device's current location:

<CodeGroup>
  ```swift Swift theme={null}
  Radar.searchPlaces(
      radius: 1000,
      chains: nil,
      categories: ["restaurant"],
      groups: nil,
      countryCodes: nil,
      limit: 10
  ) { status, location, places in
      if status == .success {
          places?.forEach { place in
              print("Place: \(place.name)")
              print("Categories: \(place.categories.joined(separator: ", "))")
          }
      }
  }
  ```

  ```objective-c Objective-C theme={null}
  [Radar searchPlacesWithRadius:1000
                         chains:nil
                     categories:@[@"restaurant"]
                         groups:nil
                   countryCodes:nil
                          limit:10
              completionHandler:^(RadarStatus status, CLLocation * _Nullable location, NSArray<RadarPlace *> * _Nullable places) {
      if (status == RadarStatusSuccess) {
          for (RadarPlace *place in places) {
              NSLog(@"Place: %@", place.name);
              NSLog(@"Categories: %@", [place.categories componentsJoinedByString:@", "]);
          }
      }
  }];
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Search by Chain

Find specific restaurant or retail chains near a location:

<CodeGroup>
  ```swift Swift theme={null}
  Radar.searchPlaces(
      radius: 5000,
      chains: ["mcdonalds", "starbucks"],
      categories: nil,
      groups: nil,
      countryCodes: ["US"],
      limit: 20
  ) { status, location, places in
      if status == .success {
          places?.forEach { place in
              print("Chain: \(place.chain?.name ?? "Unknown")")
              print("Address: \(place.address?.formattedAddress ?? "")")
          }
      }
  }
  ```

  ```objective-c Objective-C theme={null}
  [Radar searchPlacesWithRadius:5000
                         chains:@[@"mcdonalds", @"starbucks"]
                     categories:nil
                         groups:nil
                   countryCodes:@[@"US"]
                          limit:20
              completionHandler:^(RadarStatus status, CLLocation * _Nullable location, NSArray<RadarPlace *> * _Nullable places) {
      if (status == RadarStatusSuccess) {
          for (RadarPlace *place in places) {
              NSLog(@"Chain: %@", place.chain.name);
              NSLog(@"Address: %@", place.address.formattedAddress);
          }
      }
  }];
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Info>
  See the [complete list of supported chains](https://radar.com/documentation/places/chains) in the Radar documentation.
</Info>

### Search with Chain Metadata

Filter chains by custom metadata attributes:

<CodeGroup>
  ```swift Swift theme={null}
  Radar.searchPlaces(
      radius: 1000,
      chains: ["mcdonalds"],
      chainMetadata: ["orderActive": "true"],
      categories: nil,
      groups: nil,
      countryCodes: ["US"],
      limit: 10
  ) { status, location, places in
      if status == .success {
          places?.forEach { place in
              print("Place: \(place.name)")
              if let metadata = place.chain?.metadata {
                  print("Metadata: \(metadata)")
              }
          }
      }
  }
  ```

  ```objective-c Objective-C theme={null}
  [Radar searchPlacesWithRadius:1000
                         chains:@[@"mcdonalds"]
                  chainMetadata:@{@"orderActive": @"true"}
                     categories:nil
                         groups:nil
                   countryCodes:@[@"US"]
                          limit:10
              completionHandler:^(RadarStatus status, CLLocation * _Nullable location, NSArray<RadarPlace *> * _Nullable places) {
      if (status == RadarStatusSuccess) {
          for (RadarPlace *place in places) {
              NSLog(@"Place: %@", place.name);
              if (place.chain.metadata) {
                  NSLog(@"Metadata: %@", place.chain.metadata);
              }
          }
      }
  }];
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Note>
  Chain metadata must be configured in the [Radar dashboard settings](https://radar.com/dashboard/settings).
</Note>

### Search Near a Specific Location

Search for places near coordinates other than the device's current location:

<CodeGroup>
  ```swift Swift theme={null}
  let searchLocation = CLLocation(latitude: 40.7128, longitude: -74.0060)

  Radar.searchPlaces(
      near: searchLocation,
      radius: 2000,
      chains: nil,
      categories: ["cafe", "restaurant"],
      groups: nil,
      countryCodes: ["US"],
      limit: 15
  ) { status, location, places in
      if status == .success {
          places?.forEach { place in
              print("\(place.name): \(place.categories.joined(separator: ", "))")
          }
      }
  }
  ```

  ```objective-c Objective-C theme={null}
  CLLocation *searchLocation = [[CLLocation alloc] initWithLatitude:40.7128 longitude:-74.0060];

  [Radar searchPlacesNear:searchLocation
                   radius:2000
                   chains:nil
               categories:@[@"cafe", @"restaurant"]
                   groups:nil
             countryCodes:@[@"US"]
                    limit:15
        completionHandler:^(RadarStatus status, CLLocation * _Nullable location, NSArray<RadarPlace *> * _Nullable places) {
      if (status == RadarStatusSuccess) {
          for (RadarPlace *place in places) {
              NSLog(@"%@: %@", place.name, [place.categories componentsJoinedByString:@", "]);
          }
      }
  }];
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Search Parameters

<Steps>
  <Step title="Radius">
    Search radius in meters. Must be between 100 and 10,000 meters.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Chains">
    Array of chain slugs to filter. Cannot be combined with categories or groups.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Categories">
    Array of place categories to filter. Cannot be combined with chains or groups.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Groups">
    Array of place groups to filter. Cannot be combined with chains or categories.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Country Codes">
    Array of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes to filter results.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Limit">
    Maximum number of results to return. Must be between 1 and 100.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  You can only specify one of chains, categories, or groups per search request.
</Warning>

## Search Geofences

Search for geofences near a location, sorted by distance. This is useful for finding nearby custom regions.

### Basic Geofence Search

Search for all geofences near the device's current location:

<CodeGroup>
  ```swift Swift theme={null}
  Radar.searchGeofences { status, location, geofences in
      if status == .success {
          geofences?.forEach { geofence in
              print("Geofence: \(geofence.__description)")
              print("Tag: \(geofence.tag ?? "None")")
              print("External ID: \(geofence.externalId ?? "None")")
          }
      }
  }
  ```

  ```objective-c Objective-C theme={null}
  [Radar searchGeofences:^(RadarStatus status, CLLocation * _Nullable location, NSArray<RadarGeofence *> * _Nullable geofences) {
      if (status == RadarStatusSuccess) {
          for (RadarGeofence *geofence in geofences) {
              NSLog(@"Geofence: %@", geofence.__description);
              NSLog(@"Tag: %@", geofence.tag);
              NSLog(@"External ID: %@", geofence.externalId);
          }
      }
  }];
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Advanced Geofence Search

Search with filters for tags, metadata, radius, and result limits:

<CodeGroup>
  ```swift Swift theme={null}
  let searchLocation = CLLocation(latitude: 40.7128, longitude: -74.0060)

  Radar.searchGeofences(
      near: searchLocation,
      radius: 1000,
      tags: ["store", "venue"],
      metadata: ["type": "retail"],
      limit: 50,
      includeGeometry: false
  ) { status, location, geofences in
      if status == .success {
          print("Found \(geofences?.count ?? 0) geofences")
          geofences?.forEach { geofence in
              print("Geofence: \(geofence.__description)")
              if let metadata = geofence.metadata {
                  print("Metadata: \(metadata)")
              }
          }
      }
  }
  ```

  ```objective-c Objective-C theme={null}
  CLLocation *searchLocation = [[CLLocation alloc] initWithLatitude:40.7128 longitude:-74.0060];

  [Radar searchGeofencesNear:searchLocation
                      radius:1000
                        tags:@[@"store", @"venue"]
                    metadata:@{@"type": @"retail"}
                       limit:50
             includeGeometry:NO
           completionHandler:^(RadarStatus status, CLLocation * _Nullable location, NSArray<RadarGeofence *> * _Nullable geofences) {
      if (status == RadarStatusSuccess) {
          NSLog(@"Found %lu geofences", (unsigned long)geofences.count);
          for (RadarGeofence *geofence in geofences) {
              NSLog(@"Geofence: %@", geofence.__description);
              if (geofence.metadata) {
                  NSLog(@"Metadata: %@", geofence.metadata);
              }
          }
      }
  }];
  ```
</CodeGroup>

### Geofence Search Parameters

| Parameter         | Type             | Description                                                  |
| ----------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `near`            | `CLLocation?`    | Search location (nil uses current location)                  |
| `radius`          | `Int`            | Search radius in meters (100-10000, or -1 for unlimited)     |
| `tags`            | `[String]?`      | Array of tags to filter                                      |
| `metadata`        | `[String: Any]?` | Dictionary of metadata to filter                             |
| `limit`           | `Int`            | Maximum results (1-1000, default 100)                        |
| `includeGeometry` | `Bool`           | Include geometry in response (set to false for >100 results) |

<Tip>
  Set `includeGeometry` to `false` if you only need geofence metadata and not the actual boundaries. This improves performance and allows returning more than 100 results.
</Tip>

## Place Categories

Radar supports hundreds of place categories across different verticals:

<Accordion title="Common Categories">
  **Food & Drink**

  * `restaurant`, `cafe`, `bar`, `fast-food`, `bakery`, `brewery`

  **Retail**

  * `clothing-store`, `grocery-store`, `pharmacy`, `convenience-store`

  **Services**

  * `bank`, `atm`, `gas-station`, `car-wash`, `post-office`

  **Health & Fitness**

  * `gym`, `hospital`, `doctor`, `dentist`, `spa`

  **Entertainment**

  * `movie-theater`, `museum`, `park`, `stadium`, `casino`

  **Transportation**

  * `airport`, `train-station`, `bus-station`, `parking`

  [View all categories →](https://radar.com/documentation/places/categories)
</Accordion>

## Working with Search Results

### RadarPlace Properties

The `RadarPlace` object contains comprehensive information about each place:

```swift theme={null}
Radar.searchPlaces(...) { status, location, places in
    if let place = places?.first {
        // Basic info
        print("ID: \(place._id)")
        print("Name: \(place.name)")
        print("Categories: \(place.categories)")
        
        // Chain information
        if let chain = place.chain {
            print("Chain: \(chain.name)")
            print("Chain slug: \(chain.slug)")
            print("Chain metadata: \(chain.metadata ?? [:])")
        }
        
        // Location
        print("Coordinate: \(place.location.coordinate)")
        
        // Address
        if let address = place.address {
            print("Address: \(address.formattedAddress ?? "")")
        }
        
        // Group and metadata
        if let group = place.group {
            print("Group: \(group)")
        }
        if let metadata = place.metadata {
            print("Metadata: \(metadata)")
        }
    }
}
```

### Checking Place Properties

`RadarPlace` provides convenience methods for checking chains and categories:

```swift theme={null}
if let place = places?.first {
    // Check if place is part of a specific chain
    if place.isChain("starbucks") {
        print("This is a Starbucks location")
    }
    
    // Check if place has a specific category
    if place.hasCategory("restaurant") {
        print("This is a restaurant")
    }
}
```

## Use Cases

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Store Locator" icon="store">
    Build a store locator to help users find nearby retail locations.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Restaurant Finder" icon="utensils">
    Create a restaurant discovery feature with category filters.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Delivery Zones" icon="truck">
    Search geofences to determine if a location is within a delivery zone.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Competitor Analysis" icon="chart-line">
    Find competitor locations near your stores using chain search.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Performance Tips

<Steps>
  <Step title="Optimize Search Radius">
    Use the smallest radius necessary for your use case. Smaller radii return results faster.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Limit Results">
    Request only the number of results you need. Fewer results improve performance.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use Specific Filters">
    Filter by country, category, or chain to reduce result sets and improve relevance.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Disable Geometry">
    For geofence searches, set `includeGeometry: false` if you don't need the shapes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Learn More

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Places API" icon="location-dot" href="https://radar.com/documentation/api#search-places">
    Explore the complete places search API reference
  </Card>

  <Card title="Geofences API" icon="draw-circle" href="https://radar.com/documentation/api#search-geofences">
    Learn about geofence search capabilities
  </Card>

  <Card title="Context" icon="map-location-dot" href="/location/context">
    Get comprehensive location context
  </Card>

  <Card title="Geocoding" icon="location-crosshairs" href="/location/geocoding">
    Convert between addresses and coordinates
  </Card>
</CardGroup>