Google Maps API
This is deprecated, because of the release of google maps api version 3, but i leave it here for reference reasons.
I want to share some insights about the google maps api which i gained over the last few days. I guess, i just write a small how-to to get your own google maps featured directions.
First of all, to use all the magic of google maps, you have to get a google maps api key by signing up and entering the top level domain of your homepage on which you want to show the map. There is quite a good documentation of the api and some nice examples but in my case, knowing next to nothing about java script, these didn’t quite help me doing what i wanted to do. So i surfed around the world wide web and got the final code together with snippets from here and there. I hope, someone will find this short explanation aka how to useful.
Step one: insert this into the head section of your html-file:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?file=api%20&v=2&key=XXX"></script>
XXX being your developer key
<div id="gmap-name" style="width: 400px; height: 400px; float: left;">
<noscript><b>JavaScript must be enabled in order for you to use Google Maps.</b>
However, it seems JavaScript is either disabled or not supported by your browser.
To view Google Maps, enable JavaScript by changing your browser options, and then
try again.
</noscript></div>
you should always have some explanation in the noscript area – even better would be a static version, i.e. a jpg, of the map.
<!-- google maps api --> <script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[ // Check to see if this browser can run the Google API if (GBrowserIsCompatible()) { var gmarkers = []; var htmls = []; var to_htmls = []; var from_htmls = []; var i=0; // A function to create the marker and set up the event window function createMarker(point,name,html) { var marker = new GMarker(point); // The info window version with the "to here" form open to_htmls[i] = html + '<br>Route berechnen: <b>Hierher<\/b> - <a href="javascript:fromhere(' + i + ')">Von hier<\/a>' + '<br>Startadresse:<form action="http://maps.google.com/maps" method="get" target="_blank">' + '<input type="text" SIZE=23 MAXLENGTH=50 name="saddr" id="saddr" value="" /> ' + '<INPUT value="Los" TYPE="SUBMIT">' + '<input type="hidden" name="daddr" value="' + point.lat() + ',' + point.lng() + // "(" + name + ")" + '" />'; // The info window version with the "to here" form open from_htmls[i] = html + '<br>Route berechnen: <a href="javascript:tohere(' + i + ')">Hierher<\/a> - <b>Von hier<\/b>' + '<br>Zieladresse:<form action="http://maps.google.com/maps" method="get"" target="_blank">' + '<input type="text" SIZE=23 MAXLENGTH=50 name="daddr" id="daddr" value="" /> ' + '<INPUT value="Los" TYPE="SUBMIT">' + '<input type="hidden" name="saddr" value="' + point.lat() + ',' + point.lng() + // "(" + name + ")" + '" />'; // The inactive version of the direction info html = html + '<br>Route berechnen: <a href="javascript:tohere('+i+')">Hierher<\/a> - <a href="javascript:fromhere('+i+')">Von hier<\/a>'; map.addOverlay(marker); marker.openInfoWindowHtml(html);
GEvent.addListener(marker, "click", function() { marker.openInfoWindowHtml(html); }); gmarkers[i] = marker; htmls[i] = html; i++; return marker; } // functions that open the directions forms function tohere(i) { gmarkers[i].openInfoWindowHtml(to_htmls[i]); } function fromhere(i) { gmarkers[i].openInfoWindowHtml(from_htmls[i]); } // Display the map, with some controls and set the initial location var map = new GMap2(document.getElementById("gmap-name")); map.addControl(new GSmallMapControl()); map.addControl(new GMapTypeControl()); map.setCenter(new GLatLng(12.3456,12.3456), zoom-level);
change your coordinates accordingly
// Set up three markers with info windows
var point = new GLatLng(12.3456,12.3456);
set to the same coordinates as above
var marker = createMarker(point,'markername','balloon-html-code')
map.addOverlay(marker);
}
// display a warning if the browser was not compatible
else {
alert("Sorry, the Google Maps API is not compatible with this browser");
}
// ]]></script>
</div>
For gmap-name get a unique name for each div, where your map(s) should be displayed, zoom-level is the initial zoom level the map shows (going from 1 to 18 iirc), markername is just a name for your marker, balloon-html-code is the whole html that should be displayed in the ballon without the route stuff.
I hope this is not too badly coded – use at your own risk ;)… if anyone has any optimizations, please post a comment!