YA Google Maps React Library

A lightweight React hook-based library for a simple Google Maps API usage

As this article explains well, there is no official React library from Google for Google Maps, but there is a JS API Google Maps.

Adopting a library that allows using components like <Map /> and its children <Pinpoint /> <Circle /> etc... helps us by the point of view of code readability, but with some drawbacks:

• You won't have full control of the API, or if you need it you'll probably find yourself into several workarounds;
• You heavily rely on the library;
• You add overhead;
• You can't use community help efficiently.

So, the goal of this library is helping us to load the API via a hook and have the full control of Google Maps API, even when we use JSX components for an easier development.

This library does exactly that job: it loads google Maps API asynchronously, and it returns the google object. Period.

Quickstart

First, install the library:

npm install --save ya-google-maps-react

Automatically Lazy-loading Google API

The library includes a helper Hook that returns the Google maps API.

The useGoogleApi hook accepts:

• key: you must define it;
• libraries: an array of libraries that you need to load. It defaults to places.

See src/index.dev.js for a full example:

import useGoogleAPI from './index';

// ...

const MyComponent = (): React.Node => {
  const googleApi = useGoogleAPI('MY-API-KEY-HERE');
  const mapRef = React.useRef(null);  

  // ...
  
  React.useEffect(() => {
    if (googleApi.google === undefined) return;

    setMapInstance(
      new googleApi.google.maps.Map(mapRef.current, {
        center: { lat: -34.397, lng: 150.644 },
        zoom: 8,
      }),
    );
  }, [googleApi]);

  // ...
  if (googleApi.error)
    return <div>An error occurred while loading the map.</div>;
}

Future evolution

• Some complementary components, in order to allow a fast development for simple cases, but with full control on the object.

Issues?

If you have some issues, please make an issue on the issues tab and try to include an example.

Contributing

git clone https://github.com/bertuz/ya-google-maps-react.git
cd ya-google-maps-react
npm install
make watch

License

MIT