Geofence Class

Definition

Namespace:: Windows.Devices.Geolocation.Geofencing

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Edit

Contains the functionality to define a geofence (a geographical area of interest) to monitor.

public ref class Geofence sealed

/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.Activatable(Windows.Devices.Geolocation.Geofencing.IGeofenceFactory, 65536, Windows.Foundation.UniversalApiContract)]
/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.ContractVersion(Windows.Foundation.UniversalApiContract, 65536)]
/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingBehavior(Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingType.Agile)]
class Geofence final

/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.ContractVersion(Windows.Foundation.UniversalApiContract, 65536)]
/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingBehavior(Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingType.Agile)]
/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.Activatable(Windows.Devices.Geolocation.Geofencing.IGeofenceFactory, 65536, "Windows.Foundation.UniversalApiContract")]
class Geofence final

[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.Activatable(typeof(Windows.Devices.Geolocation.Geofencing.IGeofenceFactory), 65536, typeof(Windows.Foundation.UniversalApiContract))]
[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.ContractVersion(typeof(Windows.Foundation.UniversalApiContract), 65536)]
[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingBehavior(Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingType.Agile)]
public sealed class Geofence

[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.ContractVersion(typeof(Windows.Foundation.UniversalApiContract), 65536)]
[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingBehavior(Windows.Foundation.Metadata.MarshalingType.Agile)]
[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.Activatable(typeof(Windows.Devices.Geolocation.Geofencing.IGeofenceFactory), 65536, "Windows.Foundation.UniversalApiContract")]
public sealed class Geofence

function Geofence(id, geoshape, monitoredStates, singleUse, dwellTime, startTime, duration)

Public NotInheritable Class Geofence

Inheritance: Object Platform::Object IInspectable Geofence

Attributes: ActivatableAttribute ContractVersionAttribute MarshalingBehaviorAttribute

Windows requirements

Requirements	Description
Device family	Windows 10 (introduced in 10.0.10240.0)
API contract	Windows.Foundation.UniversalApiContract (introduced in v1.0)
App capabilities	location

Examples

This example demonstrates creating and registering basic geofences:

using Windows.Devices.Geolocation;
using Windows.Devices.Geolocation.Geofencing;

private Geofence CreateGeofence(string id, double latitude, double longitude, double radiusMeters)
{
    var position = new BasicGeoposition
    {
        Latitude = latitude,
        Longitude = longitude
    };

    var geocircle = new Geocircle(position, radiusMeters);
    var monitoredStates = GeofenceState.Entered | GeofenceState.Exited;

    return new Geofence(id, geocircle, monitoredStates, false);
}

private async Task<bool> RegisterGeofenceAsync(Geofence geofence)
{
    var accessStatus = await Geolocator.RequestAccessAsync();
    if (accessStatus != GeolocationAccessStatus.Allowed)
    {
        return false;
    }

    try
    {
        var monitor = GeofenceMonitor.Current;
        monitor.Geofences.Add(geofence);
        return true;
    }
    catch (Exception)
    {
        // App-specific: handle registration failure
        return false;
    }
}

For comprehensive examples including validation, lifecycle management, background monitoring, and advanced patterns, see the Geolocation sample.

Remarks

Creating geofences

Geofences define geographic areas to monitor for device entry and exit events. Each geofence requires:

Unique identifier: Used to distinguish between multiple geofences
Geographic shape: Currently supports circular areas (Geocircle)
Monitoring states: Combination of GeofenceState values (Entered, Exited, Removed)

Key properties

Id: Unique identifier for the geofence (up to 64 characters)
Geoshape: Geographic boundary definition
MonitoredStates: Which state changes to track
StartTime: When monitoring should begin
Duration: How long to monitor (0 for indefinite)
DwellTime: Minimum time to remain in area before triggering
SingleUse: Whether to remove after first trigger

Lifecycle management

Once created, geofences are registered with GeofenceMonitor.Geofences and persist until:

Manually removed from the collection
Automatically removed due to expiration (Duration elapsed)
Automatically removed after single use (if SingleUse is true)

Important

Geofences with duplicate Id values cannot be registered simultaneously. Remove existing geofences before adding replacements with the same identifier.

Note

The system monitors registered geofences continuously, even when the app is suspended. Use background tasks to handle geofence events when the app is not running.

Note

During remote desktop sessions, geofence events may use the remote session's reported location if a geolocation provider override is active. Manage overrides with the GeolocationProvider API.

Constructors

Name	Description
Geofence(String, IGeoshape, MonitoredGeofenceStates, Boolean, TimeSpan, DateTime, TimeSpan)	Initializes a new Geofence object given the id, the shape of the geofence, the states to monitor the geofence for, the singleUse flag, the dwellTime for the geofence, the time to start monitoring the geofence, and the duration of the geofence.
Geofence(String, IGeoshape, MonitoredGeofenceStates, Boolean, TimeSpan)	Initializes a new Geofence object given the id, the shape of the geofence, the states to monitor the geofence for, the singleUse flag, and the dwellTime for the geofence.
Geofence(String, IGeoshape, MonitoredGeofenceStates, Boolean)	Initializes a new Geofence object given the id, the shape of the geofence, the states to monitor the geofence for, and the singleUse flag.
Geofence(String, IGeoshape)	Initializes a new Geofence object given the id and the shape of the geofence.

Properties

Name	Description
Duration	Gets the time window, beginning after the StartTime, during which the Geofence is monitored.
DwellTime	The minimum time that a position has to be inside or outside of the Geofence in order for the notification to be triggered.
Geoshape	The shape of the geofence region.
Id	The id of the Geofence.
MonitoredStates	Indicates the states that the Geofence is being monitored for.
SingleUse	Indicates whether the Geofence should be triggered once or multiple times.
StartTime	The time to start monitoring the Geofence.

Applies to

Feedback

Was this page helpful?

Share via