This plugin allows a WordPress Site Admin to enter locations of stores etc into the db. The information is then displayed on the front end 
using the google maps interface. The user can enter a starting location in the search field, the system will then find the closest location from 
it’s starting point and display the path and steps necessary to get to that location. If many locations are available in a similar range range, 
the plugin will request the driving distance between the two closest locations. It help to avoid the pitfall of getting an office across a river 
which may take a lot of driving to get to.
This plugin requires a valid Google Maps API key (free) from Google. If you do not have an API key you may get one here. 
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html
The actual google maps functionality is based on GoogleMapAPI – A library used for creating google maps. Which can be found here 
http://www.phpinsider.com/php/code/GoogleMapAPI/

GoogleMapper

This plugin allows a Wordpress Site Admin to enter locations of stores etc into the db.  The user can then search for the closest location.

Kyle Phillips

Why use Simple Locator?
Simple locator is ideal for developers who are looking for a way to implement location search for any post type. Simple locator is different in that it allows the selection of any existing custom fields for use as the geocoded data sources.
Don’t have an existing post type with geocoded latitude and longitude fields? Simple Locator includes a default “Locations” post type with fields for latitutde, longitude, address, phone number, website, & more. This post type’s name and labels are configurable through the plugin settings.
Simple Locator also offers developer-friendly options for adding custom Google Maps styling. Select from an existing list, leave the default styles, or add your own JSON styles.
Using Simple Locator
<ol>
<li>Add locations. This can either be the included “locations” post type or an existing custom post type with existing geocoded fields. Locations can also be imported in bulk using the included CSV importer.</li>
<li>Use the Shortcode [wp_simple_locator] or Widget to display a search form. The shortcode offers more options for map and form customization.</li>
</ol>
For more information visit <a href="http://locatewp.com" rel="nofollow ugc">locatewp.com</a>.
Important: Simple Locator requires WordPress version 3.8 or higher, and PHP version 5.4 or higher.
<h3>More Information</h3>
<h4>Shortcode Options</h4>
The shortcode to display the form and results is [simple_locator]. There are several options available for customizing the form and results:
<ul>
<li>distances – A comma separated list of numbers used to customize the list of available distances to choose from in the form. Defaults to 5,10,20,50,100</li>
<li>mapheight – The height of the map in pixels. Defaults to 250.</li>
<li>mapcontainer – The unique ID of a custom container in which to load the map (ID parameter of HTML element).</li>
<li>resultscontainer – The unique ID of a custom container in which to load the search results (ID parameter of HTML element).</li>
<li>buttontext – Text to display in submit button. Defaults to “Search”.</li>
<li>addresslabel – Customize the address form label</li>
<li>mapcontrols – Hide or show the map controls</li>
<li>mapcontrolsposition – Google Maps formatted position for map controls (ex: TOP_LEFT)</li>
<li>showgeobutton – Whether to show or hide the “Use My Location” button. This button is hidden on sites that do not include an https connection. Defaults to false.</li>
<li>geobuttontext – Customize the text content of the geolocation button if shown. Defaults to “Use My Location”.</li>
<li>ajax – Whether to submit the form with an ajax request. Defaults to true.</li>
<li>formmethod – The method of which the form submits. Default to “post”. If using a GET method with a non-ajax request, a results page must be specified.</li>
<li>placeholder – Customize the search input placeholder text. Defaults to “Enter a Location”</li>
<li>noresultstext – Customize the text displayed if no results are returned. Defaults to “No results found”.</li>
<li>ajax – To disable AJAX form submission, use ajax=”false”. NOTE: custom map/results containers are not available for non-AJAX forms (added in v1.3.0)</li>
<li>perpage – Used in conjunction with AJAX option. If a perpage option is included in a non-AJAX form, the results will be displayed with simple pagination, limited to the number per page specified. (Ex: ajax=”false” perpage=”15″). Pagination is not available with AJAX forms.</li>
<li>resultspage – If a non-ajax form is being submitted (see ajax option), a separate results page may be specified.</li>
<li>taxonomies – To include taxonomy filters in the search form, use a comma-separated list of taxonomy names/slugs. The form will include select menus for each of the taxonomies specified. (AJAX only)</li>
<li>taxonomy_field_type – If taxonomy fields are displayed, the field type may be either “select” or “checkbox”. Defaults to “select”.</li>
<li>allowemptyaddress – Set as “true” to allow empty address fields to be submitted (useful for returning all locations regardless of the user-specified location)</li>
<li>showall – Whether to show all locations on page load. Defaults to false.</li>
</ul>
Visit <a href="https://locatewp.com#documentation" rel="nofollow ugc">locate.wp</a> for more detailed information.
<h4>Widget Use</h4>
Options include the title, distance options, and the map height. To use the widget outside of a predefined sidebar area, use the following function in your template, as outlined in the <a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/the_widget" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress documentation</a>. The widget name is SimpleLocator\Widgets\Form (must include namespaces).
<h4>Form Options</h4>
To enable Google Places autocomplete in the search form, visit Settings > Simple Locator > General, and select the “Enable Autocomplete in Search” option. Your form will now include an autocomplete dropdown populated by the Google Places API.
<h4>Singular View</h4>
By default, a map of the location is added to the content on singular views. To remove this feature, update the setting under Simple Locator > General Settings.
<h4>Extending & Customizing Map Display</h4>
A number of JavaScript functions are provided to extend and customize the map results. Visit <a href="http://locatewp.com#documentation" rel="nofollow ugc">locatewp.com</a> for a list and usage details.
<h4>Filters</h4>
For a complete description of available filters and example usage, see the <a href="http://locatewp.com#documentation" rel="nofollow ugc">plugin website</a>.
<ul>
<li><code>simple_locator_form($output, $distances, $taxonomies, $widget)</code> – Customize the search form HTML</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_result($output, $result, $count)</code> – Customize the result output within the result list</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_infowindow($infowindow, $result, $count)</code> – Customize the display of results within the Google Maps infowindow</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_post_fields()</code> – Add additional fields to the search parameters (field names for $_POST data)</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_sql_select($sql)</code> – Add additional fields to the SELECT sql query during search</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_sql_join($sql)</code> – Join additional fields in the sql query during search</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_sql_where($sql)</code> – Add additional WHERE parameters to the sql query during search</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_form_in_results($display_form)</code> – Whether to show the form in results (bool)</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_all_locations_text($text)</code> – Filter the text output of “All Locations”</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_map_pin_single($html)</code> – Filter the single view map pin</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_js_map_options($options)</code> – Filter the Javascript options passed to Google Maps for map display</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_autocomplete_js_options($options)</code> – Filter the Javascript options passed to the Google Maps Autocomplete API</li>
<li><code>simple_locator_form_taxonomies($taxonomies)</code> – Filter the taxonomies displayed in the search form</li>
</ul>

Simple Locator

This is a great plugin.
I literally spent two days testing out various free and premium locator plugins so I could get exactly what I needed. I needed a locator that stored the locations as a custom post type, allowed for categories, didn't clog up my database, and allowed me to extend onto of it. Simple Locator does all of that.



Just What I Needed

"Simple enough for plug and play, flexible enough for a customized location search solution." 

No kidding, impressive work. 

So slick.

Add Google Maps location search functionality for any post type.

GoogleMapper vs Simple Locator