Question

Here’s a jsFiddle that shows what I’m trying to do: http://jsfiddle.net/P3c7c

I’m using the Google Places AutoComplete widget to obtain lat/long coordinates, which I then wish to use in a subsequent search function. It seemed that the proper way to implement this, considering the need to add an event listener to an element, was to use a directive, and to attach the listener using the directive’s linking function. However, inside of this listener, I need it to set the location property of the SearchForm controller, which is its parent. And I have not figured out how to make that connection. Here’s the relevant chunk of code:

    /* Controllers */
    function SearchForm($scope){
        $scope.location = ''; // <-- this is the prop I wish to update from within the directive

        $scope.doSearch = function(){
            if($scope.location === ''){
                alert('Directive did not update the location property in parent controller.');
            } else {
                alert('Yay. Location: ' + $scope.location);
            }
        };
    }

    /* Directives */
    angular.module('OtdDirectives', []).
        directive('googlePlaces', function(){
            return {
                restrict:'E',
                replace:true,
                transclude:true,
                scope: {location:'=location'}, // <--prob something wrong here? i tried @/& too, no luck
                template: '<input id="google_places_ac" name="google_places_ac" type="text" class="input-block-level"/>',
                link: function($scope, elm, attrs, ctrl){
                    var autocomplete = new google.maps.places.Autocomplete($("#google_places_ac")[0], {});
                    google.maps.event.addListener(autocomplete, 'place_changed', function() {
                        var place = autocomplete.getPlace();
                        // THIS IS THE STRING I WANT TO SAVE TO THE PARENT CONTROLLER
                        var location = place.geometry.location.lat() + ',' + place.geometry.location.lng();
                        // THIS IS NOT DOING WHAT I EXPECT IT TO DO:
                        $scope.location = location;
                    });
                }
            }
        });

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Two minor corrections and it should work:

<google-places location="location"></google-places>

and when you set location inside your directive you also need to do $scope.$apply()

$scope.$apply(function() {
    $scope.location = location;
});

You have to do $apply() because the event happens outside of angular digest loop, so you have to let angular know that something has changed inside the scope and it needs to “digest” it’s bi-directional bindings and other internal async stuff.

Also, I don’t think you need transclude:true.

http://jsfiddle.net/P3c7c/1/