Google maps API V3 - Can't geocode AutocompleteService predictions

Question

I'm using the google.maps.places.AutocompleteService to get suggestions for a places search, but I can't geocode some of the predictions.

An example of this: When I search for ' storms river mouth ', one of the predictions I get back is ' Storms River Mouth Rest Camp, South Africa ', but this address cannot be geocoded to get the lattude/longitude, eg: http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json?address=Storms%20River%20Mouth%20Rest%20Camp,%20South%20Africa&sensor=true

Is there any way to get lattitude/longitude values for the autocomplete predictions?

Alternatively, I don't understand why google autocomplete is returning predictions that I cannot geocode.

Here is a basic example of the logic and code i'm working with:

var geocoder = new google.maps.Geocoder();
var service = new google.maps.places.AutocompleteService(null, {
  types: ['geocode'] 
});

service.getQueryPredictions({ input: query }, function(predictions, status) {
  // Show the predictions in the UI
  showInAutoComplete(predictions);
};

// When the user selects an address from the autcomplete list
function onSelectAddress(address) {
  geocoder.geocode({ address: address }, function(results, status) {
   if (status !== google.maps.GeocoderStatus.OK) {
      // This shouldn't never happen, but it does
      window.alert('Location was not found.');
    }
    // Now I can get the location of the address from the results
    // eg: results[0].geometry.location
  });
}

[edit] - View a working example here: http://demos.badsyntax.co/places-search-bootstrap/example.html

Answer 1

Use getPlacePredictions() instead of getQueryPredictions() . This will return a reference for the place, which you can use to retrieve details by using placesService.getDetails() . The details will contain the geometry for the place.

Note: placesService is a google.maps.places.PlacesService-object.

Answer 2

Predictions returned by AutocompleteService has a PlaceId property. You can pass PlaceId instead of address to the geocoder according to documentation https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/geocoding .

var service = new google.maps.places.AutocompleteService();
var request = { input: 'storms river mouth' };
service.getPlacePredictions(request, function (predictions, status) {
    if(status=='OK'){
        geocoder.geocode({ 
            'placeId': predictions[0].place_id
        }, 
        function(responses, status) {
            if (status == 'OK') {
                var lat = responses[0].geometry.location.lat();
                var lng = responses[0].geometry.location.lng();
                console.log(lat, lng);
            }
        });
    }
});

Answer 3

Try this:

function onSelectAddress(address, callback) {
    var geocoder = new google.maps.Geocoder();
    geocoder.geocode({'address': address}, function(results, status) {
        if (status == google.maps.GeocoderStatus.OK) {
            callback(results[0].geometry.location);
        } else {
            alert("Can't find address: " + status);
            callback(null);
        }
    });
}

Then, the call and the callback:

onSelectAddress('your address here', function(location){
//Do something with location
if (location)
     alert(location);
});

Sorry for my english. I got a question for you: Can you show me the method showInAutoComplete() ??? I'm showing the predictions on a list of href, but I don't know how save the 'clicked' address value.

Answer 4

Here is the code I have written that is inspired from @Dr.Molle

    function initializePlaces(q) {
        googleAutocompleteService = new google.maps.places.AutocompleteService();            
        if(q){
            googleAutocompleteService.getPlacePredictions({
                input: q
            }, callbackPlaces);
        }else { //no value entered loop }
    }

    function callbackPlaces(predictions, status) {
        if (status != google.maps.places.PlacesServiceStatus.OK) {
            alert(status);
            return;
        }

        for (var i = 0; i < predictions.length; i++) {
            googlePlacesService = new google.maps.places.PlacesService(document.getElementById("q"));
            googlePlacesService.getDetails({
                reference: predictions[i].reference
            }, function(details, status){
                if(details){
                    console.log(details.geometry.location.toString());
                }
            });
            console.log(predictions[i].description);
        }
    };

    google.maps.event.addDomListener(window, 'load', initializePlaces);

    $(document).on('keyup', 'input#q', function(e){
        initializePlaces($(this).val());
    });

Issue I see is a new PlacesService object on every key press that might be an overkill - I don't know the work around although.

Posting it here in-case someone is looking for it.

Answer 5

If you need to return all results at once in proper order, use this:

var service = new google.maps.places.AutocompleteService();
service.getPlacePredictions({
    input: '*** YOUR QUERY ***'
}, function(predictions, status) {
    var data = [];

    if (status != google.maps.places.PlacesServiceStatus.OK) {
        console.error(status);
        processResults(data);
        return;
    }

    var s = new google.maps.places.PlacesService(document.createElement('span'));
    var l = predictions.length;
    for (var i = 0, prediction; prediction = predictions[i]; i++) {
        (function(i) {
            s.getDetails(
                {
                    reference: prediction.reference
                },
                function (details, status) {
                    if (status == google.maps.places.PlacesServiceStatus.OK) {
                        data[i] = details;
                    } else {
                        data[i] = null;
                    }
                    if (data.length == l) {
                        processResults(data);
                    }
                }
            );
        })(i);
    } });

function processResults(data) {
    console.log(data);
}

Answer 6

Maybe this could could help you.

 var autocomplete = new google.maps.places.Autocomplete(this.input);
 //this.input is the node the AutocompleteService bindTo
 autocomplete.bindTo('bounds', this.map);
 //this.map is the map which has been instantiated

 google.maps.event.addListener(autocomplete, 'place_changed', function() {
     var place = autocomplete.getPlace();
     //then get lattude and longitude
     console.log(place.geometry.location.lat());
     console.log(place.geometry.location.lng());
 }