Methods

Google places for address function

###Processed Results Gmaps4rails.places_for_address(address, key, keyword = nil, radius = 7500, lang="en", raw = false) retrieves Google Places records.

Please note: Since Google Places only works as radius search around given geo coordinates, you have to pass a geocodeable 'address' to this method which gets geocoded first. After that, a Places search with radius 'radius' is perfomed.

Also Google Places requires an API key (parameter 'key'). This just doesn't work without it.

Geocode function

###Processed Results Gmaps4rails.geocode(address) retrieves an Array of Hash of potential coordinates.

Each hash is made up: latitude, longitude, matched_adress and `bounds retrieved by Google.

Here is an example:

Gmaps4rails.geocode("Caroline")
=> [
    {:lat=>-9.9599095, :lng=>-150.2052861, :matched_address=>"Millennium Island, French Polynesia", :bounds=>{"northeast"=>{"lng"=>-150.1958942, "lat"=>-9.9033296}, "southwest"=>{"lng"=>-150.2351189, "lat"=>-10.0108617}}},
    {:lat=>44.72083, :lng=>-88.89139, :matched_address=>"Caroline, WI 54928, USA", :bounds=>nil}, 
    {:lat=>42.37833, :lng=>-76.29583, :matched_address=>"Caroline, NY 14817, USA", :bounds=>nil} 
    #many other results...
   ]

###Raw results from Google

Gmaps4rails.geocode(address, true)

###Exceptions It could raise two kinds of exception:

1. GeocodeStatus Basically, Google can't find the address provided: raise Gmaps4rails::GeocodeStatus, "The adress you passed seems invalid, status was: #{parse["status"]}. Request was: #{request}"

2. GeocodeNetStatus No Http Success.

   raise Gmaps4rails::GeocodeNetStatus, "The request sent to google was invalid (not http success): #{request}.
   Response was: #{resp}"
   

to_gmaps4rails

There are 3 implementations of this method:

Model instance & Array

It creates the json to use to display your marker(s).

It now accepts a block as a parameter so that you can add whatever you want in the json (if you desire to add custom behaviors and information, all data will be gathered then).

Here is an example:

User.all.to_gmaps4rails do |user|
  "\"Data1\": \"#{user.data1}\", \"data2\": \"{user.data2}\""
end

Hash

After a Hash, it creates the javascript for a view. So use it within <script>.

The Hash format should look like the one you see in https://github.com/apneadiving/Google-Maps-for-Rails/wiki/Display-Everything%21.

Destination function

Details here: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/directions/#RequestParameters

Gmaps4rails.destination(start_end, options={}, output="pretty")

• start_end is a Hash: { "from" => "", "to" => "" }

• options can contain the following data:

  • mode: "DRIVING", "WALKING" or "BICYCLING", default is "DRIVING"

  • waypoints: Array of strings containing your waypoints ["here", "there"], default is empty

  • avoid: Array which could contain at most ["tolls", "highways"], default is empty

  • units: String "METRIC" or "IMPERIAL", default is "METRIC"

  • region: String

  • language: String, default is "en"

• output determines the way you want the result:

  • pretty: renders the result from Google with the polylines separated in a ready for use variable

  • clean: renders the result from Google without the encoded polylines

  • raw: renders the raw result from Google

Destination results

Result is an Array of legs (according to Google: "Each element in the legs array specifies a single leg of the journey from the origin to the destination in the calculated route.").

One leg contains several steps: "A step is the most atomic unit of a direction's route, containing a single step describing a specific, single instruction on the journey."

 [
  #leg1
  {
   "duration"  => { "text" => string, "value" => float },
   "distance"  => { "text" => string, "value" => float },
   "steps"     => Array of Hashes,
   "polylines" => json_containing_encoded_polylines        #depending on the value of 'output' you set
  },
  #leg2
  {
   "duration"  => { "text" => string, "value" => float },
   "distance"  => { "text" => string, "value" => float },
   "steps"     => Array of Hashes,
   "polylines" => json_containing_encoded_polylines
  }
  ...
 ]

Example:

Gmaps4rails.destination(
  {"from" => "Toulon, france", "to" => "marseille, france"}, 
  {
    "language"  => "fr", 
    "waypoints" => ["Cassis,france"],
    "mode"      => "DRIVING",
    "avoid"     => ["tolls", "highways"],
    "language"  => "fr"
  }, 
  "pretty"
  )

Errors

It could raise two kinds of exception:

1. DirectionStatus Basically, Google can't find any path from the data you provided: raise Gmaps4rails::GeocodeStatus, "The query you passed seems invalid, status was: #{parse["status"]}. Request was: #{request}"

2. DirectionNetStatus No Http Success.

   raise Gmaps4rails::DirectionNetStatus, "The request sent to google was invalid (not http success): #{request}.
   Response was: #{resp}"