Google Maps Added to Forum

[shardex]

<a href="http://www.shardex.com/forumdisplay.php?f=22" target="_blank">http://www.shardex.com/forumdisplay.php?f=22</a>

I have been following the Google Maps API threads over at Google Groups for a while now and have added my own vBulletin/Google Maps integration hack.

So far I have hacked the following:

1. Created a style with the Google Maps API
2. Added a javascript check to see if latitude and longitude coordinates exist for the given thread, if so then the map is drawn, if not, then the page loads cleanly without the map.
3. Added two input fields in the post editor that allow the user to enter lat/lng coordinates. These default to '0' until populated.
4. I have added a starting point address field for the user to add an address in their control Panel. This repopulates the driving directions text box on the map so the user can simply click on 'get directions' to get the Google maps directions to the specified location without having to input an address every time. Obviously they must be logged in take advantage of this.

I have recently loaded 3.5 RC2 and so the following hacks are not available to normal registered users:

1. Can not add and save your own starting point address at the moment.
2. Can not add the lat/lng coordinates for the post.

You will still be able to see the possibilities on integrating the Google Maps API. You may notice some funky text handling on the longer sentences in the map. This is a Google API bug and hopefully will be fixed soon.

Anyway, hopefully someone will find this useful and expand on the concept.

[flaregun]

This is really nice, I'd like to see it implemented with the users zip code/location to see where the members are from.

[shardex]

Yea, that is a good idea and I am actually working on something similar. I have downloaded the zipcode coordinates from the Tiger census data at:
http://www.census.gov/tiger/tm s/gazetteer/zcta5.txt
Also the geocoders here:
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/bickel/DDDMMSS-decimal.html
and here: http://www.geocoder.us are helpful to latitude and longitude points.

With this information, I can actually outline the entire zip code property lines in Google maps using their polyline function.

I got the ideas from all the brilliant developers at http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Maps-API

[silurius]

Fantastic idea! Are you planning to release anything?