KML: Put the icon in the placemark rather than Style

Question

I'm making a KML file with several placemarks, with several different icons. Is there a way to put the icon URL in the placemark, rather than having to have lots of different styles, most only used once?

The normal syntax I use is:

  <Document>
    <Style id="Point">
      <IconStyle>
        <Icon>
          <href>http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/kml/pushpin/blue-pushpin.png</href>
        </Icon>
      </IconStyle>
    </Style>

    <Placemark>
      <styleUrl>#Point</styleUrl>
      <name>1</name>
      <Point>
        <coordinates>-1.1234567,52.123456,0</coordinates>
      </Point>
    </Placemark>
  </Document>

And I've tried:

  <Document>
    <Placemark>
      <IconStyle>
        <Icon>
          <href>http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/kml/pushpin/blue-pushpin.png</href>
        </Icon>
      </IconStyle>
      <name>1</name>
      <Point>
        <coordinates>-1.8123456,52.523456,0</coordinates>
      </Point>
    </Placemark>
  </Document>

But it doesn't work.

Answer 1

That isn't valid KML. Per the documentation a Placemark can contain

• <styleUrl>...</styleUrl><!-- anyURI -->

or

• <StyleSelector>.../StyleSelector>

A valid <StyleSelector> would be <Style>:

<Style id="ID">
<!-- extends StyleSelector -->

<!-- specific to Style -->
  <IconStyle>...</IconStyle>
</Style>

Which contains the <IconStyle>.

So your KML should be:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2" xmlns:gx="http://www.google.com/kml/ext/2.2">
  <Document>
    <Placemark>
      <Style>
        <IconStyle>
          <Icon>
            <href>http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/kml/pushpin/blue-pushpin.png</href>
          </Icon>
        </IconStyle>
      </Style>
      <name>1</name>
      <Point>
        <coordinates>-1.8123456,52.523456,0</coordinates>
      </Point>
    </Placemark>
  </Document>
</kml>