Google map widget glitch?

[MarkyW48]

Hello, I'm using Web Designer 11 Premium.

Found out about a problem today. A customer found me through my website (Yay!) and was coming from a bit of a distance away. They were going to use the google map widget I have on my website.

They called me a while later saying they were having a problem finding the one road google map said to take. I said that was not the best way to go and gave them the slightly longer, but much easier directions. They happened to say my street address to be sure they would stop at the right spot.

It was the wrong address. Not too far off, but still wrong. I took a look at my website and it was correct, but when I clicked on the 'Get Directions' link, it had the wrong address.

Here's a couple screen captures showing what it does.

This capture shows the map widget with my correct address (259 E Broad St) in the white box at the top of the map:


But this is the address that comes up when you click to get directions (229 E Broad St):


I don't know why that wrong address shows up when clicking on 'Get Directions' and I don't know how to correct it. If I go to google maps directly through my browser and search for my business and then click to get directions, everything works correctly. So I don't think it's really a google problem. When I set up the map widget, I searched using my business name and set that as the location which shows up correctly as seen in the first screen capture.

The only thing I can think of trying (which I haven't tried yet) is to see if it's possible to put in a google map without going through the Xara widget and see if that works right. Otherwise I may just have to leave out the map.

Thanks for any ideas.

[siran]

I don't think you can do anything about it. That just seems to be an error in Google's data. When you zoom in and drag the position to the buildings to the left or right it correctly displays 257 and 261... Maybe you can report it to Google somehow.

[Christine Farrelly]

The widget creates a placeholder which contains html code, you can see if this has the correct destination and change it if necessary.

[MarkyW48]

Just to be sure I didn't do something wrong the first time I used the widget to create the map, I made a new one. And the same thing still happens.

Here is the html code that's shown in the placeholder tab.



It doesn't make much sense to me. I do see it referencing my business name (which I guess is where it is getting my correct address), but I don't see anything as to why it would change it to the wrong address when clicking on getting directions.

What I'm going to try, if it works, is to put a screen grab image of a google map showing where my business is located and maybe have that link in a new window to the actual google's website map of my location. Getting the directions seems to work correctly when I'm on google's own web page.

There is a link on the bottom of the map to report a problem, although the problem doesn't really fit any of the categories they show. But I'll give it a shot and see if I get any answers.

Strange problem.

[Egg Bramhill]

Does this work?

[MarkyW48]

Does this work?

I downloaded your file and opened it with Web Designer and then copy and pasted the placeholder HTML code you have and put it in the placeholder on my map page. I did look and see there is a slight difference in the code. Then I clicked to preview that page and I checked it with both Internet Explorer and Firefox (not that it should make any difference), but after I click to get "Directions" it still points to the address 229 E Broad St. I even saved my site with your code and then exited Web Designer and then restarted it and tried preveiwing that page again (just in case it needed a fresh boot with the new code), but it still showed the 229 address when getting directions.

Thanks for trying.


I did just now take a look at something. (I'm typing the word DOT for a . because I don't want the message board software making it into a link, I want it to print the whole address)

I went to wwwDOTgoogleDOTcom/maps and then typed in the search bar for WOLFrames Picture Framing and my business came up and I copied what is in the browser address bar which is this: wwwDOTgoogleDOTcom/maps/place/WOLFrames+Picture+Framing+%26+Photo+Restoration/@41.2037306,-76.0012293,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x89c50de6c9a72057:0x3049d 9f077dc7543

Then I clicked to get "directions" and it comes up still showing my business correctly as the destination with a blank starting spot (so I can type in wherever I am to get the directions). I copied what is in the browser address bar for that which is: wwwDOTgoogleDOTcom/maps/dir//WOLFrames+Picture+Framing+%26+Photo+Restoration,+2 59+E+Broad+St,+Nanticoke,+PA+18634/@41.2037094,-76.0690806,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c50de6c9a7 2057:0x3049d9f077dc7543!2m2!1d-75.9990406!2d41.2037306

I see that the first address that just shows where my business is just has the business name in it, BUT the second address that would be to give directions has the business name AND address. But both browser addresses are formatted differently than the placeholder HTML code. This is the code you had in your .xar file <iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3001.827666891523!2d-76.00123464881095!3d41.20373057917978!2m3!1f0!2f0! 3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x89c50de6c9 a72057%3A0x3049d9f077dc7543!2sWOLFrames+Picture+Fr aming+%26+Photo+Restoration!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v14 47483024365" width="600" height="450" frameborder="0" style="border:0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Which has me totally confused.

It might be best to do what I was thinking earlier and just have an image of a google map on my page instead of a map widget and make a link so when it's clicked it goes to the google map page of my business and then people can then just click if they need directions. (although that is another matter in itself -- google doesn't give good directions to my place. I do have easier directions on my page already. I'll have to make sure I make it plain for people to use my directions once they are in the city and just use google maps if they need directions to come to the city.)

Thanks again.

[MarkyW48]

Does this work?

I did write up a somewhat long reply to your post yesterday, but it said it needed to be checked by a moderator, so I guess that will take some time.

But I just wanted to say quickly for now, that it's not working. The code in your placeholder still sends the map directions to 229 E Broad St. (the wrong address)

My longer answer explains more plus I am working on something else, so I'll see how that goes and reply with any news.

Thanks again.

[Egg Bramhill]

Don't know why it reverts to 229 instead of 259. Try this one based on WOL Frames.

[siran]

Please believe me, that is an error in google's data. I have zoomed in manually in a new google maps window. It still shows "229 E Broad St" for that building. The buildings to the left and right are correctly displayed "257 E Broad St" and "261 E Broad St". It has nothing to do with your iframe.

[MarkyW48]

Egg, your idea works somewhat, but I don't really want to show CVS pharmacy on my business website. I did get my work-around idea to work. I put just an image of the google map with my business pinpointed on my page. Then I linked the image to the google map page of my business. From there you can zoom or move the map or get directions if you want and it works correctly. So, good enough for now.

Siran, I did check what you are saying and you are absolutely right. I went to a plain google map, not searching for my business. I zoomed on E Broad St and clicked on various grey rectangles that are the buildings and my building shows up as 229. The interesting thing is that there are 2 buildings that are listed as 257 and I know both are wrong. And across the street, there are 3 buildings listed as 282. And then, even more interesting, one building if you click right at the front of the grey rectangle is listed as 216 E Broad and if you click inside the rectangle it's listed as 125 S Walnut, even though it is 6 houses in from the corner of Broad and Walnut. Google's address information is seriously messed up.

What I don't understand, though, is why when you click to go to "larger map" on my map widget, it would open a page with the map showing my business name pinpointed (no address on the map), but the address in the sidebar with my google business info correct. But when you click to get "directions", then it uses the address it has (incorrect as they have it) instead of still using my business name.

I will send another "mistake report" to google to try to correct my address. I sent 2 other ones the other day because I noticed it has the alleys between Broad and Green streets and also Green and Church streets both listed as Main St. ??!

Thanks again for the help. If that other long post of mine ever shows up from moderation, it can be disregarded as I did get something working.