PHP & AJAX Store Locator

Does this script use any JavaScript libraries?

Yes, it uses the latest jQuery library (1.6.2 at time of publishing).

What is "geocoder"/"geocoding"?

Geocoding is the process of converting a string into a latitude/longitude pair. A geocoder is a script/tool that geocodes addresses.

What is "region biasing"?

Region biasing, put simply is biasing results/favoring results from one region over another. For example, let's say a user typed in San Francisco as a location. If the region was set to the US, the geocoder pick San Francisco, CA over other results from other regions, such as San Francisco, Spain. Vice-versa, if the region was set to ES, it would pick San Francisco in Spain. That's why it's very important to set the region.

The configuration of this script is quick and easy, and should not take more than 3 minutes. This requires no skill other than copying/pasting text and editing a basic file.

Almost all of the configuration is done in the settings.php file, which is in the /bin directory. Out of the box, it should look something like this:

<?php
//Database Connection information.
$host="hostname"; //usually localhost
$username="username";
$password="secret";
$db_name="dbname";

//The unit of distance. If you want to use KM instead, put 'kilometers'
$unit = "miles";
$hav_int = 3959;    
//convert the unit string to a number.
if ($unit=="kilometers") {  
    $hav_int = 6371;
}
?>

Quick Setup (3 Steps)

1. Unzip the directory into your location of choice (probably /public_html)
2. Change your database connection information at the top ( the top 4 variables)
3. Import the 'import.sql' file in the /bin folder which will create a folder called "stores" in your database of choice. Make sure that you are in the database of choice

Once you have done that, you are ready to roll out the script. However, you might want to make some localizations to your script (especially if you're deploying outside of the US).

Localizations

1. In order to change default location of the map (from San Francisco, CA), you need to know the latitude and longitude of your new location, (if you don't know you can use a free geocoder like Tiny Geocoder). Then, go to add.js and locator.js (in the "js" folder), and in each file there is a line : var def_coords = {'lat' : 37.775196, 'lng': -122.419204};. replace 37.775196 with your latitude, and replace -122.419204 with your longitude.
2. Change the $unit variable in settings.php to "kilometers" if you want kilometers, or keep it as miles depending on what is used in your country.
3. Go to add.js, edit.js, and locator.js (in the "js" directory) and in each file at the top, there is a line: var region = 'us'; if you would like to change the region, you have to change it to ccTLD abbreviation for your country. (the top-level domain name). For example, you could set it to ca, or uk.