# convenience.get_mapunit_by_areasymbol { #soildb.convenience.get_mapunit_by_areasymbol }

```python
convenience.get_mapunit_by_areasymbol(areasymbol, columns=None, client=None)
```

Get map unit data by survey area symbol (legend).

Args:
    areasymbol: Survey area symbol (e.g., 'IA015') to retrieve map units for
    columns: List of columns to return. If None, returns basic map unit columns
    client: Optional SDA client instance. If not provided, a temporary client is created and closed automatically.

Returns:
    SDAResponse containing map unit data for the specified survey area

Examples:
    # Async usage without explicit client (automatic)
    response = await get_mapunit_by_areasymbol("IA015")

    # Sync usage (automatic client management)
    response = get_mapunit_by_areasymbol.sync("IA015")

    # With explicit client
    async with SDAClient() as client:
        response = await get_mapunit_by_areasymbol("IA015", client=client)