Today, I’m sharing a simple yet highly useful piece of code.
This application will search for businesses using the keywords entered by the user and list information such as the business name, address, and phone number. For example, you can find pizza restaurants in Istanbul by entering a query like “pizza Istanbul”.
Below is a PHP code that uses the Google Maps API to search for businesses based on specific keywords and list the business names, phone numbers, and addresses. You can develop this code further as you wish. Share your projects developed using this code with us in the comments. First, you need to obtain an API key from the Google Cloud Console.
What Can We Do?
Using the foundation of this example application, you can develop more extensive projects. Here are some project ideas based on this example:
- Local Directory: Create a local directory application that lists and filters local businesses by type and location. Users can see results based on the type of business they are looking for and view the locations on a map.
- Event Finder: Develop an application that allows users to find events happening in a specific location. This application can list events based on keywords entered by the user and display information such as the event name, address, and phone number.
- Business Review Platform: Create a review platform where users can leave comments and ratings for businesses. Using Google Maps API for business information, users can easily find and review businesses.
- Tour Planner: Develop a tour planner application that allows users to create travel plans and discover points of interest in cities they visit. Using Google Maps API, users can plan their routes and get information like the name, address, and phone number of places they want to visit.
Listing Business Information Using Google Maps API
function searchPlaces($query, $apiKey) {
$url = "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/place/textsearch/json?query=" . urlencode($query) . "&key=" . $apiKey;
$response = file_get_contents($url);
return json_decode($response, true);
}
function displayResults($results) {
echo "<h1>İşletme Listesi</h1>";
echo "<ul>";
foreach ($results['results'] as $result) {
echo "<li>";
echo "<h2>" . $result['name'] . "</h2>";
echo "<p>Adres: " . $result['formatted_address'] . "</p>";
if (isset($result['formatted_phone_number'])) {
echo "<p>Telefon: " . $result['formatted_phone_number'] . "</p>";
}
echo "</li>";
}
echo "</ul>";
}
$apiKey = 'YOUR_API_KEY'; // Enter the API key you got from Google Cloud Console
$query = 'pizza+istanbul'; // Enter the keyword and location you want to search for
$results = searchPlaces($query, $apiKey);
displayResults($results);
This example searches for businesses using the specified keywords with Google Maps API and displays the results as an HTML list. It lists the business name, address, and phone number information.
Remember that this example is subject to Google Maps API usage limitations, and there may be restrictions based on the quota of your API key.
Conclusion:
Google Maps API provides a powerful and flexible interface for developing applications that list business information and help users discover local businesses. Such applications can help users make decisions in their daily lives, plan their travels, and contribute to economic growth by increasing the visibility of local businesses.
Here are some tips for successfully using this application:
- Robust Filtering Features: Allow users to filter business information based on specific criteria, making the application easier and more effective to use. Filtering features can include business type, opening hours, location, price range, and more.
- User-Friendly Interface: Ensure your application has a user-friendly interface. Organize the pages listing business information neatly and legibly to help users easily find the information they are looking for.
- Mobile Compatibility: Users will want to use such applications on mobile devices as well. Ensure your application is compatible with mobile devices to further enhance the user experience.
- Up-to-Date Information: It is important to keep business information current and accurate. Google Maps API usually provides up-to-date information, but you can also use additional sources to verify and update the data periodically.
- Privacy and Terms of Use Compliance: Pay attention to privacy and terms of use when using Google Maps API and collecting business information. Respect the privacy rights of businesses and users and avoid misusing such information.
In this article, we learned how to develop a PHP application that lists business information using Google Maps API and how to create different projects based on this application. This application is a powerful and flexible tool that adds value to users and local businesses.
Selahattin ÇEKİÇ / SC Medya Danışmanlık