Clicking markers on Google Static Maps - google-maps

I have an application that downloads static images off Google maps, with markers placed where I want them (Placed by passing arguments into the Google Static Maps URL). However, I also need to be able to click the markers. I figured I could convert the x and y coordinate is the click to lon/lat, and then figure out that way which marker was clicked, but I haven't found that too easy.
I know the dimensions of the map in pixels, the zoom level, and the centre point of the map in pixels and lon/lat, so I followed this blog post. Unfortunately this didn't work.
Does anyone know how I could do this, or know another way I could figure out if a marker has been clicked? I'm forced to use the Static maps unfortunately, so I can't do any of it with the JavaScript API

See:
http://home.provide.net/~bratliff/largetiles/
or
http://home.provide.net/~bratliff/harbor/
It is not exactly what you are doing but it does demonstrate Mercator projection conversions & cross-browser mouse events.

Related

Google Maps v3 block map interaction

I am trying to make a Polyline editor, just like the one from Google Drawings Library. (for specific reasons, i can't use that one)
It works on the same principle. Start with a point, then for each click add new points and make the polyline.
On the editor from Google Drawings Library, while you are editing a polyline, you're mouse can't interact with other items from the map.
Inspecting with firebug, i see that they have an overlay of 20000000 z-index inside the map.
Is there any way of creating the same overlay for my map using default Google Maps functions?
It's a custom overlay inside the overlayMouseTarget-pane with the same size as the map and a draw-method that updates the position of the overlay. You may do the same.

How to scroll map based on Google maps APIs

I want to make Custom Map based on Google maps APIs I am using this code to get the Bitmap image
http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?zoom=18&maptype=hybrid&size=560x480&markers=loc:26.177001,32.736675&sensor=false
Now I want to scroll the map, How can I do that. in other words I want algorithm to link between coordinates and gotten image size and map zoom
Thanks a lot
You are using Static google maps api. That's mean you will get just a print of the map as an image. This is really useful when you want to show just a place in the map without download the javascript lib.
If you want use the map zoom, scrool and other things you have to use the javascript google maps api

Google map API v3 markers overlapping

I am making an application with google maps.
When markers are overlapping only the last one is displayed even if the icons are different..
I do not want it to cluster in that case, rather it should show both maybe by changing the coordinates just a but??
Any solutions??
I think this is a pretty elegant solution, called Spiderfying the markers.
https://github.com/jawj/OverlappingMarkerSpiderfier
I'm thinking of using it.
What I do now is use JavaScript to make a fancy popup that hides and shows divs on one marker location (created problematically in PHP, but you could do it on JS too). It has the side benefit of allowing less markers on the map.
Click a black numbered marker on this map to see it in action.
http://www.yourmapper.com/map/111/crime-reports/crime-in-metro-louisville-ky-since-jan-2003.htm
Another option is to use Google Maps API 3 Utility Library, it has a Marker Clusterer.

Max url length with Google Maps static image

I need to create a static image of google map with several markers, and each marker has a custom icon.
In the Api DOC there is the note: Static Map URLs are restricted to 2048 characters in size. In practice, you will probably not have need for URLs longer than this, unless you produce complicated maps with a high number of markers and paths.
The url is very long.... There is the position for each marker and the URL for the custom icon for each one.
I've already tried with POST request ma it is not supported.
There is another way to create a static map image without max length limitation?
A possible way might be this, but i don't know if is it possible: I've create my custom map using the function in GMaps, and i have added all the markers i need.
There is a way to access in static way to this particular map? so in the url i have to give only the center of the map and other parameters (zoom, ...), but all the markers are already positioned.
Or... another idea... Can i submit the URL of a KML with all markers positioned instead each single marker position+icon url?
FYI, Google recently updated the limit to 8192.
Have you tried using a URL shortener for the icon urls? I believe the static map API will respect services that make URLs shorter... might save you a few characters.
You might wanna check out toopola´s API to help working with Google Static Maps, I am about to make my own attempt.
Another idea
find map area that contains all the markers
divide the map area into rectangular pieces (4 pieces for example)
create image url for each part, but include in url only markers and icons visible on map
show images
Мethod of division depends on the markers position.
Yes, you can definitely do this with the Javascript API.
I have built a few applications using that API. It can be a little tricky to get your head around, but it is pretty good. For what you want to do, it would not be too difficult. If the user has to be able to interact with the map and add pins and such, it starts to get a little more complicated because you have to capture clicks and such.
Does the map its self need to be available as a URL, or does it just need to be embedded on some page and that URL can be used?
The Javascript API will work best if you can embed the map into an existing webpage.

How can I have a smooth animated move between 2 Google Maps locations?

When clicking from one marker to another in Google Maps, the map screen animates the move smoothly if both markers are within them initial map view but jumps if one of the markers is off screen.
I'm trying to set up a map which has several locations within the main map area but has one which is 'off screen'. I have a signpost icon to the more distant location within the initial map area which I want to smoothly scroll to the off screen location when clicked (so as to give a better sense of it's relative location). I can't find anything in the Maps API which would let me do this however.
I could zoom out, move and then zoom in again but this looks a bit jarring. Am I missing something in the API, or does anyone have any suggestions?
Unfortunately, I don't think this is possible (without a change from Google). From the v3 API reference for panTo:
Changes the center of the map to the given LatLng. If the change is less than both the width and height of the map, the transition will be smoothly animated.
which implies that if that change is not less than the dimensions of the map, the transition won't be smoothly animated. The other pan methods are similar.
You could try moving in multiple steps but that's a bit of a hack and I suspect the result will be poor.
Sorry that's not very helpful (I have the same problem).
For me this method works, but i'm using Google Maps API v2.
LatLng latLng = new LatLng(lat,lng);
map.animateCamera(CameraUpdateFactory.newLatLngZoom(latLng, ZOOM_FACTOR));
This animates the camera from current position to the new one.
If you are using Gmaps API V2, then you can implement smooth animated move very easily by using panBy() method. You have to use fromLatLngToContainerPixel() method to find the amount of pixels to pan by.
Here is the bit of code:
var newLoc = map.fromLatLngToContainerPixel(new GLatLng(lat, lng));
map.panBy(new GSize( newLoc.x, newLoc.y ));
However, what I am trying to do is to achieve the same thing in maps API V3, but sadly fromLatLngToContainerPixel() method does not work anymore the way it did :(