Geocoder method does not return values

Question

Geocoder method does not return values when calling it from a button click. I need the results to be stored in global variables "source_lat" and "source_long". Seems like my button click ends before geocoder could return values.

 function GeocoderStart(str) {
           geocoder = new google.maps.Geocoder();
               geocoder_request = { 'address': str };
               geocoder.geocode(geocoder_request, function (results, status) {
                   if (status == google.maps.GeocoderStatus.OK) {
                       var country = extractFromAdress(results[0].address_components, "country");
                       if ((country != "India") & (country != "")) {
                           //alert("Error", "The address you entered refers to <b>" + results[0].formatted_address + "</b>. Please select only addresses in India using the autocomplete lookup.");                        
                           alert("Please select a valid address");
                           return false;
                       } else {
                           source_lat = results[0].geometry.location.lat();
                           source_long = results[0].geometry.location.lng();
                       }
                   } else {
                       alert("Error", "Unable to lookup address for the following reason: " + status);
                       return false;
                   }                  
               });

}

//Extract from address function

 function extractFromAdress(components, type) {  // taken from http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8313876/more-efficient-way-to-extract-address-components
            for (var i = 0; i < components.length; i++)
                for (var j = 0; j < components[i].types.length; j++)
                    if (components[i].types[j] == type) return components[i].long_name;
            return "";
        }

What DO you get? An alert of _Please select a valid address_ or the other one? — putvande, Jan 06 '14 at 13:14
But you cannot return value form async method. You have to code logic once you get value, inside request callback method. Here using any global variable seems just wrong — A. Wolff, Jan 06 '14 at 13:15
Any errors at all? And how do you know you are not getting the values you want? — putvande, Jan 06 '14 at 13:16
@putvande Am trying to use the values to display it in a label on my button click. So i dont get any values there. — Suresh Savage, Jan 06 '14 at 13:21
@A.Wolff I dont return anything from this code. Am just trying to assign it to a global variable. — Suresh Savage, Jan 06 '14 at 13:22
But as other mentioned before, the Geocoder is asynchronous so when you click the button, you won't get the result immediately. You need to wait for the Geocoder to finish. — putvande, Jan 06 '14 at 13:22
But then, how do you use this global variables, obviously before the request is completed — A. Wolff, Jan 06 '14 at 13:25
Could you try to insert an alert after the global variables are set alerting the content of the global variables? — eNepper, Jan 06 '14 at 13:36
possible duplicate of [Function returning undefined in Geocoder](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7967397/function-returning-undefined-in-geocoder) — geocodezip, Jan 06 '14 at 13:43

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 06 '14 at 13:35

heres how I achieve geocode on a recent project - maybe it'll help shed light on the issue you're facing:

$.getJSON("http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/geocode/json?address=1600%20Pensyvania%20Ave%20Washington%20DC&sensor=false",
dataType = 'json',
function (data) {

    if (data['results']) {

         var country = data['results'][0]['address_components'][0]['long_name'];
         if ((country != "India") & (country != "")) {

            console.log("sorry, wrong country:)");

        } else {

            console.log("lat: " + data['results'][0]['geometry']['location']['lat'] + ",  lng: " + data['results'][0]['geometry']['location']['lng']);

        }
    }

});

Geocoder method does not return values

1 Answers1