CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javascriptgoogle-mapsgoogle-maps-api-3
Stu
Stu

Reputation: 61

Place search request giving inconsistent results using bounds

As per this link: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/javascript/places.html#place_search_requests

The method can take either

-a point and a radius or

-a rectangle boundary

using the point + radius gives me correct results, however the max radius is only 50 km and I need my search to be up to 1000 km, so I tried using bounds. When my bounds are small I get the same correct results as the point + radius, however when I increase the bounds I get no results at all.

The code below will give correct results, however if you replace the var sw and var ne with the commented out coordinates, it no longer works.

ie. kitchener is found within the boundary between ayr and guelph, but not in the boundary between detroit and ottawa. Which doesn't make any sense if you look at the map.

<script type="text/javascript">
  var map;
  var infowindow;

  function initialize() {
    var Cambridge = new google.maps.LatLng(43.346528, -80.417962);
    var sw = new google.maps.LatLng(43.292501,-80.543175);  // 41.914541,-83.282318  
    var ne = new google.maps.LatLng(43.605057,-80.156250);  // 45.580391,-76.283051
    var zoneBounds = new google.maps.LatLngBounds(sw,ne);

    map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), {
      mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP,
      center: Cambridge,
      zoom: 10
    });

    var request = {
      bounds: zoneBounds,
      //location: Cambridge,        //using location and
      //radius: 500000,             //radius works
      name: ['Kitchener, ON']


    };
    infowindow = new google.maps.InfoWindow();
    var service = new google.maps.places.PlacesService(map);
    service.search(request, callback);
  }

  function callback(results, status) {
    if (status == google.maps.places.PlacesServiceStatus.OK) {
      for (var i = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
        createMarker(results[i]);
      }
    }
  }

  function createMarker(place) {
    var placeLoc = place.geometry.location;
    var marker = new google.maps.Marker({
      map: map,
      position: place.geometry.location
    });

    google.maps.event.addListener(marker, 'click', function() {
      infowindow.setContent(place.name);
      infowindow.open(map, this);
    });
  }
  google.maps.event.addDomListener(window, 'load', initialize);
</script>

I'm supposed to be able to use PlacesServiceStatus to find the status of the request, i assume this would give me insight into the problem but I have no idea how to retrieve the status codes

Any help with this would be much appreciated

Thanks!

edit: ok, I added alert(status); and the status says it's "ZERO_RESULTS"

Upvotes: 1

Views: 1162

Answers (1)

atreeon
atreeon

Reputation: 24087

In the callback method you could do something like

function callback(results, status) {
    window.alert(results.length);

that will tell you how many results you have, you could loop round them something like this...

        for (var i = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
            window.alert(results[i].formatted_address);
        }

I've tried this myself and yes, if the bounds are greater than 50km then the results are pretty useless. I could guess at an answer; if the bounds are very large then it may involve too much of a hit on the Google servers. However, I don't like that answer so if someone knows better; help us out!

Another alternative is to use the Places Autocomplete - https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/places#places_autocomplete

You could use the geolocation but I doubt that will provide the responses you're looking for, for example if you geocode 'enfield' it will show you all the enfields in the world, if you geocode 'enf' it will show you a finish airport!

Upvotes: 1

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