Send a Location
In this code snippet you learn how to send a location to WhatsApp using the Messages API. This uses Vonage's Custom object feature. Further information on the specific message format can be found in the WhatsApp developers Location message documentation.
Example
Find the description for all variables used in each code snippet below:
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID | The Vonage Application ID. |
VONAGE_APPLICATION_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH | Private key path. |
VONAGE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH | Private key path. |
BASE_URL | For production use the base URL is |
MESSAGES_API_URL | There are two versions of the API, each with their own endpoints. For production the previous Messages API endpoint was |
WHATSAPP_NUMBER | The WhatsApp number that has been allocated to you by Vonage. For sandbox testing the number is 14157386102. |
VONAGE_WHATSAPP_NUMBER | Refer to |
VONAGE_NUMBER | Refer to |
TO_NUMBER | Replace with the number you are sending to. E.g. |
NOTE: Don't use a leading + or 00 when entering a phone number, start with the country code, for example, 447700900000.
Prerequisites
If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.
Run your code
Save this file to your machine and run it:
Prerequisites
If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.
Create a file named send-location.js and add the following code:
const { Vonage } = require('@vonage/server-sdk');
const { Channels } = require('@vonage/messages');
/**
* It is best to send messages using JWT instead of basic auth. If you leave out
* apiKey and apiSecret, the messages SDK will send requests using JWT tokens
*
* @link https://developer.vonage.com/en/messages/technical-details#authentication
*/
const vonage = new Vonage(
{
applicationId: VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID,
privateKey: VONAGE_PRIVATE_KEY,
},
{
...(MESSAGES_API_URL ? {apiHost: MESSAGES_API_URL} : {}),
},
);Write the code
Add the following to send-location.js:
vonage.messages.send({
to: MESSAGES_TO_NUMBER,
from: WHATSAPP_SENDER_ID,
channel: Channels.WHATSAPP,
messageType: 'custom',
custom: {
type: 'location',
location: {
longitude: -122.425332,
latitude: 37.758056,
name: 'Facebook HQ',
address: '1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025',
},
},
})
.then(({ messageUUID }) => console.log(messageUUID))
.catch((error) => console.error(error));Run your code
Save this file to your machine and run it:
Prerequisites
If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.
Add the following to build.gradle:
Create a file named SendWhatsappLocation and add the following code to the main method:
Write the code
Add the following to the main method of the SendWhatsappLocation file:
Run your code
We can use the application plugin for Gradle to simplify the running of our application. Update your build.gradle with the following:
Run the following gradle command to execute your application, replacing com.vonage.quickstart.kt.messages.whatsapp with the package containing SendWhatsappLocation:
Prerequisites
If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.
Add the following to build.gradle:
Create a file named SendWhatsappLocation and add the following code to the main method:
VonageClient client = VonageClient.builder()
.applicationId(VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID)
.privateKeyPath(VONAGE_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH)
.build();Write the code
Add the following to the main method of the SendWhatsappLocation file:
var response = client.getMessagesClient().sendMessage(
WhatsappLocationRequest.builder()
.from(WHATSAPP_SENDER_ID).to(MESSAGES_TO_NUMBER)
.name("Facebook HQ")
.address("1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025")
.longitude(-122.1503115).latitude(37.4843538)
.build()
);
System.out.println("Message sent successfully. ID: "+response.getMessageUuid());Run your code
We can use the application plugin for Gradle to simplify the running of our application. Update your build.gradle with the following:
Run the following gradle command to execute your application, replacing com.vonage.quickstart.messages.whatsapp with the package containing SendWhatsappLocation:
Prerequisites
If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.
Prerequisites
If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.
Create a file named send-location.php and add the following code:
$keypair = new \Vonage\Client\Credentials\Keypair(
file_get_contents(VONAGE_APPLICATION_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH),
VONAGE_APPLICATION_ID
);
$client = new \Vonage\Client($keypair);Write the code
Add the following to send-location.php:
$custom = [
"type" => "location",
"location" => [
"longitude" => -122.425332,
"latitude" => 37.758056,
"name" => "Facebook HQ",
"address" => "1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025",
],
];
$whatsApp = new \Vonage\Messages\Channel\WhatsApp\WhatsAppCustom(
TO_NUMBER,
FROM_NUMBER,
$custom
);
$client->messages()->send($whatsApp);Run your code
Save this file to your machine and run it:
Prerequisites
If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.
Run your code
Save this file to your machine and run it:
Prerequisites
If you do not have an application you can create one. Make sure you also configure your webhooks.
Create a file named send-location.rb and add the following code:
Run your code
Save this file to your machine and run it:
Try it out
When you run the code a WhatsApp location message is sent to the destination number. The location appears as a pin on a map within the WhatsApp message window.