Google-Maps-Platform 1.0.1

Unofficial Python library for Google Maps Platform APIs including Places API

Google Maps Platform - An unofficial Python Library

An unofficial Python client library for Google Maps Platform APIs, starting with comprehensive Google Places API (New) support, field mask management, and developer-friendly features.

🌟 What is Google Places?

Google Places API is a powerful web service that provides detailed information about millions of places around the world. It's part of Google's Maps Platform and offers:

• Place Discovery: Find places using text queries or location-based searches
• Detailed Information: Access comprehensive data including ratings, reviews, photos, contact details, and business hours
• Real-time Data: Get current information about place status, opening hours, and availability
• Rich Content: Access user reviews, photos, editorial summaries, and business information
• Global Coverage: Search places worldwide with localized results

The API is widely used in:

• Travel Applications: Hotel booking, restaurant discovery, attraction guides
• Mapping Services: Location-based features and place markers
• Local Business Directories: Business listings and contact information
• Mobile Apps: Location-aware applications and navigation
• E-commerce: Store locators and local business integration

📚 About This Unofficial Client Library

This library provides independent modular components for Google Places API (New) with enhanced functionality and developer-friendly features:

🚀 Independent Modules

• TextSearch - Search places using natural language queries
• NearbySearch - Find places within a specific radius of a location
• PlaceDetails - Get comprehensive information about specific places

🎯 Advanced Field Mask Management

• 73+ Available Fields - Complete coverage of Google Places API fields
• Field Validation - Automatic validation and cleaning of field masks
• Space Handling - Automatic removal of spaces around commas in field masks
• Field Discovery - List all available field masks with list_field_masks()
• Performance Optimization - Minimize API costs with targeted field selection

🛠️ Developer-Friendly Features

• Global API Key Configuration - Set API key once, use everywhere
• Type Hints - Full type annotation support for better IDE experience
• Error Handling - Robust error handling and validation
• Utility Functions - Helper functions for data formatting and filtering
• Parameter Builders - Easy construction of complex API parameters
• Comprehensive Documentation - Detailed docstrings and examples

🚀 Environment Setup

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Google Places API key (with Places API (New) enabled)

Installation

Option 1: Install from PyPI (Recommended)

pip install google-maps-platform

Option 2: Install from Source

git clone https://github.com/Chandangowdatk/Google-Maps-Platform.git
cd Google-Maps-Platform
pip install -e .

Option 3: Development Installation

git clone https://github.com/Chandangowdatk/Google-Maps-Platform.git
cd Google-Maps-Platform
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Library Setup

1. Get Google Places API Key

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project or select an existing one
3. Enable the Places API (New) for your project
4. Create credentials (API Key)
5. Restrict your API key for security (recommended)

2. Set Up Your API Key

Option A: Environment Variable (Recommended)

export GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

Option B: Direct in Code

import google_maps_platform as gmp

# Set API key globally
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

Option C: Load from Environment

import google_maps_platform as gmp

# Load from environment variable
gmp.load_from_environment()

3. Verify Installation

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch

# Set API key
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

# Test your setup
text_search = TextSearch()
result = text_search.search("restaurants in San Francisco")
print("✅ Setup successful!" if result else "❌ Setup failed")

📖 Usage Instructions

Basic Usage

1. Set API Key Once (Global Configuration)

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch, NearbySearch, PlaceDetails

# Set API key once globally
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

# Now use all modules without passing API key
text_search = TextSearch()      # No API key needed!
nearby_search = NearbySearch()  # No API key needed!
place_details = PlaceDetails()  # No API key needed!

2. Text Search

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch

# Set API key once
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

# Use module without API key
text_search = TextSearch()

# Search for restaurants
results = text_search.search(
    text_query="Italian restaurants in San Francisco",
    page_size=10,
    min_rating=4.0
)

if results:
    for place in results['places']:
        name = place['displayName']['text']
        rating = place.get('rating', 'N/A')
        print(f"{name} - Rating: {rating}")

3. Nearby Search

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import NearbySearch

# Set API key once
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

# Use module without API key
nearby_search = NearbySearch()

# Search near specific coordinates
location = {"latitude": 37.7749, "longitude": -122.4194}
results = nearby_search.search(
    location=location,
    included_types=["restaurant"],
    radius=1000,  # 1km radius
    max_result_count=10
)

4. Place Details

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import PlaceDetails

# Set API key once
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

# Use module without API key
place_details = PlaceDetails()

# Get detailed information about a place
place_id = "ChIJk35bizx-j4AREil6UPp7Jn4"  # Golden Gate Bridge
details = place_details.get_details(place_id)

if details:
    print(f"Name: {details['displayName']['text']}")
    print(f"Address: {details['formattedAddress']}")
    print(f"Rating: {details.get('rating', 'N/A')}")
    print(f"Phone: {details.get('internationalPhoneNumber', 'N/A')}")
    print(f"Website: {details.get('websiteUri', 'N/A')}")

Environment Variable Usage

1. Load API Key from Environment

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch, NearbySearch, PlaceDetails

# Load API key from environment variable
gmp.load_from_environment()

# Use modules without API key
text_search = TextSearch()
nearby_search = NearbySearch()
place_details = PlaceDetails()

2. Set Environment Variable

# Set environment variable
export GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

# Or in Python
import os
os.environ["GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY"] = "your_api_key_here"

Advanced Usage

1. Field Mask Management

from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch

# Set API key globally
import google_maps_platform as gmp
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

text_search = TextSearch()

# List all available field masks
text_search.list_field_masks()

# Search with specific field masks
results = text_search.search(
    text_query="coffee shops",
    field_mask="places.id,places.name,places.location,places.rating,places.priceLevel"
)

# Field masks are automatically validated and cleaned
# Spaces around commas are automatically removed

2. Field Mask Validation

from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch

text_search = TextSearch()

# Validate field mask (removes spaces around commas)
validated_mask = text_search.validate_field_mask(
    "places.id, places.name, places.location"
)
# Returns: "places.id,places.name,places.location"

3. Utility Functions

from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch
from google_maps_platform.places.utils import search_places_formatted

# Set API key globally
import google_maps_platform as gmp
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

text_search = TextSearch()

# Search for places
results = text_search.search(
    text_query="restaurants in San Francisco",
    page_size=20
)

if results:
    # Use utility function for formatted output
    formatted_results = search_places_formatted(text_search, results)
    print(formatted_results)

💡 Code Examples and Use Cases

Use Case 1: Restaurant Discovery App

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch

# Set API key once
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

def find_best_restaurants(city, cuisine_type, min_rating=4.0):
    """Find top-rated restaurants in a city"""
    
    text_search = TextSearch()
    
    # Search for restaurants
    results = text_search.search(
        text_query=f"{cuisine_type} restaurants in {city}",
        included_type="restaurant",
        field_mask="places.id,places.displayName,places.rating,places.priceLevel,places.formattedAddress",
        page_size=20,
        min_rating=min_rating
    )
    
    if not results:
        return []
    
    # Sort by rating
    restaurants = results['places']
    sorted_restaurants = sorted(
        restaurants, 
        key=lambda x: x.get('rating', 0), 
        reverse=True
    )
    
    return sorted_restaurants[:10]

# Usage
best_italian = find_best_restaurants("San Francisco", "Italian")
for restaurant in best_italian:
    name = restaurant['displayName']['text']
    rating = restaurant.get('rating', 'N/A')
    price = restaurant.get('priceLevel', 'N/A')
    print(f"{name} - ⭐ {rating} - {price}")

Use Case 2: Business Directory

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch

# Set API key once
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

def create_business_directory(category, location, radius_km=5):
    """Create a business directory for a specific category"""
    
    text_search = TextSearch()
    
    # Search for businesses
    results = text_search.search(
        text_query=f"{category} in {location}",
        field_mask="places.id,places.displayName,places.formattedAddress,places.internationalPhoneNumber,places.websiteUri,places.rating",
        page_size=20
    )
    
    if not results:
        return []
    
    businesses = []
    for place in results['places']:
        business = {
            'name': place['displayName']['text'],
            'address': place.get('formattedAddress', 'N/A'),
            'phone': place.get('internationalPhoneNumber', 'N/A'),
            'website': place.get('websiteUri', 'N/A'),
            'rating': place.get('rating', 'N/A'),
        }
        businesses.append(business)
    
    return businesses

# Usage
restaurants = create_business_directory("restaurants", "Downtown San Francisco", 2)
for restaurant in restaurants:
    print(f"🍽️ {restaurant['name']}")
    print(f"   📍 {restaurant['address']}")
    print(f"   📞 {restaurant['phone']}")
    print(f"   🌐 {restaurant['website']}")
    print()

Use Case 3: Place Search and Filtering

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch

# Set API key once
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key_here")

def search_and_filter_places(city, place_type, min_rating=4.0):
    """Search and filter places by type and rating"""
    
    text_search = TextSearch()
    
    # Search for places
    results = text_search.search(
        text_query=f"{place_type} in {city}",
        field_mask="places.id,places.displayName,places.rating,places.types",
        page_size=20,
        min_rating=min_rating
    )
    
    if not results:
        return []
    
    places = results['places']
    
    # Sort by rating
    sorted_places = sorted(
        places, 
        key=lambda x: x.get('rating', 0), 
        reverse=True
    )
    
    return sorted_places

# Usage
restaurants = search_and_filter_places("San Francisco", "restaurants", 4.0)
for restaurant in restaurants[:5]:
    name = restaurant['displayName']['text']
    rating = restaurant.get('rating', 'N/A')
    print(f"🍽️ {name} - ⭐ {rating}")

📊 Available Field Masks

The library provides 73+ available field masks for Google Places API. Here are some key categories:

Basic Information

• places.id - Unique place identifier
• places.name - Place name
• places.displayName - Display name with language support
• places.formattedAddress - Complete formatted address
• places.location - Geographic coordinates

Contact Information

• places.internationalPhoneNumber - International phone number
• places.nationalPhoneNumber - National phone number
• places.websiteUri - Website URL
• places.googleMapsUri - Google Maps URL

Ratings & Reviews

• places.rating - Average rating
• places.userRatingCount - Number of user ratings
• places.reviews - User reviews
• places.reviewSummary - Review summary

Business Information

• places.businessStatus - Current business status
• places.types - Place types/categories
• places.priceLevel - Price level indicator
• places.regularOpeningHours - Regular business hours

Visual Content

• places.photos - Place photos
• places.iconBackgroundColor - Icon background color
• places.iconMaskBaseUri - Icon mask URI

Location Details

• places.addressComponents - Detailed address components
• places.plusCode - Plus code for location
• places.viewport - Viewport bounds
• places.utcOffsetMinutes - UTC offset

🔧 Configuration Options

Environment Variables

export GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY="your_api_key"

API Configuration

import google_maps_platform as gmp

# Set API key globally
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key")

# Check if API key is set
if gmp.is_api_key_set():
    print("API key is configured")

# Get current configuration
config = gmp.get_config()
print(f"API key set: {config['api_key_set']}")

# Clear API key
gmp.clear_api_key()

🚨 Error Handling

The library provides comprehensive error handling:

import google_maps_platform as gmp
from google_maps_platform.places import TextSearch

# Set API key
gmp.set_api_key("your_api_key")

text_search = TextSearch()

try:
    result = text_search.search("restaurants")
    if result is None:
        print("Search failed - check your API key and query")
    else:
        print(f"Found {len(result['places'])} places")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")

📈 Performance Tips

1. Use appropriate field masks - Only request fields you need
2. Implement caching - Cache results to reduce API calls
3. Batch requests - Process multiple places efficiently
4. Use location bias - Improve relevance for local searches
5. Set reasonable limits - Use appropriate page sizes and result counts
6. Validate field masks - Use the built-in validation to avoid API errors

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Google Places API team for the excellent API
• Python community for the amazing ecosystem
• Contributors and users for feedback and suggestions

📞 Support

• Documentation: GitHub README
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Email: [e-mail]

🔗 Links

• PyPI Package: google-maps-platform
• GitHub Repository: Chandangowdatk/Google-Maps-Platform
• Google Places API: Official Documentation

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Made with ❤️ by Chandan Gowda