Google Places API (for node)

Node client to run the basic google places API requests (using axios). Published on NPM.

• Place Search
• Place Details
• Place Photos

Installing

$ npm install dcts-google-places-api

Examples

Initialzation

const apiKey = "INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY"; // define API key
const GooglePlacesApi = require('dcts-google-places-api');
const googleapi = new GooglePlacesApi(apiKey); // initialize

Place Search

const searchQuery = "Pizza New York"; // example search

// with promises
googleapi.runPlaceSearch(searchQuery).then(placeId => {
  console.log(placeId); // returns placeId (as string) or null
});

// with async await
(async () => {
  let placeId = await googleapi.runPlaceSearch(searchQuery);
  console.log(placeId);
})();;

Place Details

Get place details by place_id.

const placeId = "ChIJHegKoJUfyUwRjMxaCcviZDA"; // placeId of "Pizza Chicken New York"

// with promises
googleapi.runPlaceDetails(placeId).then(placeDetails => {
  console.log(`place found: ${placeDetails.name}`);
})

// with async await
(async () => {
  let placeDetails = await googleapi.runPlaceDetails(placeId);
  console.log(`place found: ${placeDetails.name}`);
})();

Get place details by cid. This is a deprecated endpoint and not documented in the official google api documentation, but it still works. See also this answer on stackoverflow

const cid = "10056734717913051463"; // cid of "Brooklyn Boulders Chicago"

// with promises
googleapi.runPlaceDetailsCid(cid).then(placeDetails => {
  console.log(`place found: ${placeDetails.name} (${placeDetails.cid})`);
});

// with async await
(async () => {
  let placeDetails = await googleapi.runPlaceDetailsCid(cid);
  console.log(`place found: ${placeDetails.name} (${placeDetails.cid})`);
})();

Place Photos

⚠️ Be Aware: this function returns only the photoUrl, not the image itself.

const photoReference = 'CmRaAAAAqYV1efHXXLX3UB1msekeprgOUD362n4-8lxwYI3aSFANLw51oE1_KeNziEgnnbr5WQzJtQo9SbNnZFRfymg594T9h7yRWnLQL8w1n_ekN6BbyJzg1k0hadSJ4N0i63TmEhA3NIzf_JWUEZcW3VgXJ5FqGhRq7ij6D2Vl8DOSF2yHY1iuTYuAKA';

// with promises
googleapi.runPlacePhotos(photoReference).then(photoUrl => {
  console.log(`photo url: ${photoUrl}`);
});

// with async await
(async () => {
  let photoUrl = await googleapi.runPlacePhotos(photoReference);
  console.log(`photo url: ${photoUrl}`);
})();

Full Example

1. Search for a place by textquery
2. get place details from that place
3. fetch all photo urls from that place

const textSearch = "Nolita Pizza New York";

// with promises
googleapi.runPlaceSearch(textSearch).then(placeId => {
  console.log(`place id found: ${placeId}`);
  return googleapi.runPlaceDetails(placeId);
}).then(placeDetails => {
  console.log(`place details fetched for ${placeDetails.name} (${placeDetails.place_id})`);
  const promises = [];
  placeDetails.photos.map(photo => {
    promises.push(googleapi.runPlacePhotos(photo.photo_reference));
  });
  return Promise.all(promises);
}).then(placePhotoUrls => {
  console.log(`${placePhotoUrls.length} photo urls fetched:`);
  console.log(placePhotoUrls);
});

// with async await
(async () => {
  let placeId = await googleapi.runPlaceSearch(textSearch)
  console.log(`place id found: ${placeId}`);

  let placeDetails = await googleapi.runPlaceDetails(placeId);
  console.log(`place details fetched for ${placeDetails.name} (${placeDetails.place_id})`);

  const placePhotoUrls = [];
  for (const photo of placeDetails.photos) {
    placePhotoUrls.push(await googleapi.runPlacePhotos(photo.photo_reference));
  }
  console.log(`${placePhotoUrls.length} photo urls fetched:`);
  console.log(placePhotoUrls);
})();

Run Tests (written with AVA js)

npm run test

ToDo's

• [ ] run npm run test to see missing tests.
• [ ] escape queries with encodeURI() or encodeURIComponent -> write tests for them first.
• [ ] why some request work on google maps webinterface but not with the API, like this one: Bartleby’s Ice Cream Cakes -> no results from the API, but finds it on webinterface. I think it could be something with the top appostroph.

Credits

Written by dcts for personal use only. Check my portfolio website. Or go play tetris.