how to add markers with OpenLayers 3

I'm trying to add makers on a OpenLayers 3 map.

The only example I have found is this one in the OpenLayers example list.

But the example uses ol.Style.Icon instead of something like OpenLayers.Marker in OpenLayers 2.

First Question

The only difference would be that you have to set the image Url but is it the only way to add a marker?

Also OpenLayers 3 doesn't seem to come with marker images so it would make sense if there's no other way than ol.Style.Icon

Second Question

It would be really nice if someone could give me an example of a function to add markers or icons after the map is loaded.

From what I understand in the example, they create a layer for the icon

var iconFeature = new ol.Feature({
  geometry: new ol.geom.Point(ol.proj.transform([-72.0704, 46.678], 'EPSG:4326', 'EPSG:3857')),
  name: 'Null Island',
  population: 4000,
  rainfall: 500
});


var iconStyle = new ol.style.Style({
  image: new ol.style.Icon(/** @type {olx.style.IconOptions} */ ({
    anchor: [0.5, 46],
    anchorXUnits: 'fraction',
    anchorYUnits: 'pixels',
    opacity: 0.75,
    src: 'data/icon.png'
  }))
});

iconFeature.setStyle(iconStyle);

var vectorSource = new ol.source.Vector({
  features: [iconFeature]
});

var vectorLayer = new ol.layer.Vector({
  source: vectorSource
});

Then they set the icon layer when they initialize the map

var map = new ol.Map({
  layers: [new ol.layer.Tile({ source: new ol.source.OSM() }), vectorLayer],
  target: document.getElementById('map'),
  view: new ol.View2D({
    center: [0, 0],
    zoom: 3
  })
});

If I want to add many markers, do I have to create 1 layer for each marker?

How could I add many markers to a layer? I can't figure out how this part would look like

var vectorSource = new ol.source.Vector({
  features: [iconFeature]
});

var vectorLayer = new ol.layer.Vector({
  source: vectorSource
});

Thank you

Q1. Markers are considered deprecated in OpenLayers 2, though this isn't very obvious from the documentation. Instead, you should use an OpenLayers.Feature.Vector with an externalGraphic set to some image source in its style. This notion has been carried over to OpenLayers 3, so there is no marker class and it is done as in the example you cited.

Q2. The ol.source.Vector takes an array of features, note the line, features: [iconFeature], so you would create an array of icon features and add features to that, eg:

var iconFeatures=[];

var iconFeature = new ol.Feature({
  geometry: new ol.geom.Point(ol.proj.transform([-72.0704, 46.678], 'EPSG:4326',     
  'EPSG:3857')),
  name: 'Null Island',
  population: 4000,
  rainfall: 500
});

var iconFeature1 = new ol.Feature({
  geometry: new ol.geom.Point(ol.proj.transform([-73.1234, 45.678], 'EPSG:4326',     
  'EPSG:3857')),
  name: 'Null Island Two',
  population: 4001,
  rainfall: 501
});

iconFeatures.push(iconFeature);
iconFeatures.push(iconFeature1);

var vectorSource = new ol.source.Vector({
  features: iconFeatures //add an array of features
});

var iconStyle = new ol.style.Style({
  image: new ol.style.Icon(/** @type {olx.style.IconOptions} */ ({
    anchor: [0.5, 46],
    anchorXUnits: 'fraction',
    anchorYUnits: 'pixels',
    opacity: 0.75,
    src: 'data/icon.png'
  }))
});


var vectorLayer = new ol.layer.Vector({
  source: vectorSource,
  style: iconStyle
});

Obviously, this could be more elegantly handled by putting all of the ol.Feature creation inside a loop based on some data source, but I hope this demonstrates the approach. Note, also, that you can apply a style to the ol.layer.Vector so that it will be applied to all features being added to the layer, rather than having to set the style on individual features, assuming you want them to be the same, obviously.

EDIT: That answer doesn't seem to work. Here is an updated http://jsfiddle.net/6RS2z/356/">fiddle</a> that works by adding the features (icons) to the empty vector source in a loop, using vectorSource.addFeature and then adds the whole lot to the layer vector afterwards. I will wait and see if this works for you, before updating my original answer.

there's a good tutorial at: http://openlayersbook.github.io

not tested but may helpful

var features = [];

//iterate through array...
for( var i = 0 ; i < data.length ; i++){
    var item = data[i];                                     //get item
    var type = item.type;                                   //get type
    var longitude = item.longitude;                         //coordinates
    var latitude = item.latitude;
    /*....
    * now get your specific icon...('..../ic_customMarker.png')
    * by e.g. switch case...
    */
    var iconPath = getIconPath(type);
    
    //create Feature... with coordinates
    var iconFeature = new ol.Feature({
        geometry: new ol.geom.Point(ol.proj.transform([longitude, latitude], 'EPSG:4326',     
        'EPSG:3857'))
    });
    
    //create style for your feature...
    var iconStyle = new ol.style.Style({
        image: new ol.style.Icon(/** @type {olx.style.IconOptions} */ ({
        anchor: [0.5, 46],
        anchorXUnits: 'fraction',
        anchorYUnits: 'pixels',
        opacity: 0.75,
        src: iconPath
        }))
    });
    
    iconFeature.setStyle(iconStyle);
    features.push(iconFeature);
    //next item...
}

/*
* create vector source
* you could set the style for all features in your vectoreSource as well
*/
var vectorSource = new ol.source.Vector({
    features: features      //add an array of features
    //,style: iconStyle     //to set the style for all your features...
});

var vectorLayer = new ol.layer.Vector({
    source: vectorSource
});
map.addLayer(vectorLayer);

var exampleLoc = ol.proj.transform(
    [131.044922, -25.363882], 'EPSG:4326', 'EPSG:3857');

var map = new ol.Map({
  target: 'map',
  renderer: 'canvas',
  view: new ol.View2D({
    projection: 'EPSG:3857',
    zoom: 3,
    center: exampleLoc
  }),
  layers: [
    new ol.layer.Tile({source: new ol.source.MapQuest({layer: 'osm'})})
  ]
});

map.addOverlay(new ol.Overlay({
  position: exampleLoc,
  element: $('<img src="resources/img/marker-blue.png">')
      .css({marginTop: '-200%', marginLeft: '-50%', cursor: 'pointer'})
      .tooltip({title: 'Hello, world!', trigger: 'click'})
}));

map.on('postcompose', function(evt) {
  evt.vectorContext.setFillStrokeStyle(
      new ol.style.Fill({color: 'rgba(255, 0, 0, .1)'}),
      new ol.style.Stroke({color: 'rgba(255, 0, 0, .8)', width: 3}));
  evt.vectorContext.drawCircleGeometry(
      new ol.geom.Circle(exampleLoc, 400000));
});

var exampleKml = new ol.layer.Vector({
  source: new ol.source.KML({
    projection: 'EPSG:3857',
    url: 'data/example.kml'
  })
});
map.addLayer(exampleKml);

We just finished updating our website NUFOSMATIC from ol2 to ol6. Both the ol2 and ol3 code is on the site. This includes Matt Walker's ol-layerswitcher https://github.com/walkermatt replacing the missing ol2 layerswitcher. We actually updated three map applications; HEATMAP replaces the Patrick Wied (http://www.patrick-wied.at) ol2 heatmap with the native ol6 heatmap.

Only took 6 days. Wonder why we waited this long... oh, yeah, we have day jobs...