Question

Here is my function:

<?php
function latLng($str){
    $address = $str;
    // Initialize delay in geocode speed
    $delay = 0;
    $base_url = "http://maps.google.com/maps/geo?output=xml&key=" . $key;

    // Iterate through the rows, geocoding each address
    $geocode_pending = true;
    $request_url = $base_url . "&q=" . urlencode($address);
    $xml = simplexml_load_file($request_url) or die("url not loading");

    $status = $xml->Response->Status->code;
    if (strcmp($status, "200") == 0) {
        // Successful geocode
        $geocode_pending = false;
        $coordinates = $xml->Response->Placemark->Point->coordinates;
        $coordinatesSplit = split(",", $coordinates);
        // Format: Longitude, Latitude, Altitude
        $lat = $coordinatesSplit[1];
        $lng = $coordinatesSplit[0];
    } else if (strcmp($status, "620") == 0) {
        // sent geocodes too fast
        $delay += 100000;
    } else {
        // failure to geocode
        $geocode_pending = false;
        echo "Address " . $address . " failed to geocoded. ";
        echo "Received status " . $status . "\n";
        usleep($delay);
    }
    echo $lat . "<br />";
    echo $lng;
}

echo latLng("Praha City Center, Klimentska 46, Prague, Czech Republic, 11002");
?>

It echos the lat and lng on page perfectly, but I want to return them as variables, so basically I wrap an address in the function and then a $lat and a $lng variable are returned to the page for me to use.

How do I go about doing this?

Thank you

Answer 1

Two options:

1. Return $coordinatesSplit array instead and print its elements when required

2. Make two by-ref parameters to the function:

   function latLng($str, &$lat, &$lng) {
     //.....
      $lat = $coordinatesSplit[1];
      $lng = $coordinatesSplit[0];
     // ....
   }
   

then use them:

     $lat = $lng = null;
     latLng("Praha City Center, Klimentska 46, Prague, Czech Republic, 11002", $lat, $lng);
     echo $lat;
     echo $lng; // or whatever you want to do with them