php parse json data from google directions - php

Question

I'm trying to parse json data from google directions but can't seem to access access any of the values. Here is the php code;
$url = "http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json?origin=Chicago,IL&destination=Los+Angeles&sensor=false";
$jsonfile = json_encode(file_get_contents($url));
$jsondata = json_decode($jsonfile);
echo $jsondata->distance;
here is (some) of the json data returns:
{ "routes" : [ { "bounds" : { "northeast" : { "lat" : 41.90085000000001, "lng" : -87.62979000000001 }, "southwest" : { "lat" : 34.052360, "lng" : -118.243560 } }, "copyrights" : "Map data ©2012 Google", "legs" : [ { "distance" : { "text" : "2,015 mi", "value" : 3243390 }, "duration" : { "text" : "1 day 8 hours", "value" : 114318 }, "end_address" : "Los Angeles, CA, USA", "end_location" : { "lat" : 34.052360, "lng" : -118.243560 }, "start_address" : "Chicago, IL, USA", "start_location" : { "lat" : 41.87811000000001, "lng" : -87.62979000000001 }, "steps" : [ { "distance" : { "text" : "0.2 mi", "value" : 269 }, "duration" : { "text" : "1 min", "value" : 34 }, "end_location" : { "lat" : 41.87570, "lng" : -87.62969000000001 }, "html_instructions" : "Head \u003cb\u003esouth\u003c/b\u003e on \u003cb\u003eS Federal St\u003c/b\u003e toward \u003cb\u003eW Van Buren St\u003c/b\u003e", "polyline" : { "points" : "eir~FdezuOhFIF?HAdFG" }, "start_location" : { "lat" : 41.87811000000001, "lng" : -87.62979000000001 }, "travel_mode" : "DRIVING" }, { "distance" : { "text" : "0.2 mi", "value" : 328 }, "duration" : { "text" : "1 min", "value" : 51 }, "end_location" : { "lat" : 41.875680, "lng" : -87.63366000000002 }, "html_instructions" : "Turn \u003cb\u003eright\u003c/b\u003e onto \u003cb\u003eW Congress Pkwy\u003c/b\u003e", "polyline" : { "points" : "czq~FpdzuO?jE#nEBfGAtB" }, "start_location" : { "lat" : 41.87570, "lng" : -87.62969000000001 }, "travel_mode" : "DRIVING" }, { "distance" : { "text" : "14.0 mi", "value" : 22564 }, "duration" : { "text" : "17 mins", "value" : 1031 }, "end_location" : { "lat" : 41.873870, "lng" : -87.903170 }, "html_instructions" : "Continue onto \u003cb\u003eI-290 W\u003c/b\u003e", "polyline" : { "points" : "_zq~Fj}zuOCtD?fA?f#?pC?P?T#V#zJ?##T?J?J?F?N?#?J?J?N?p##xA?h#?B?~A#xD?h#?lB?n##n#?n#?B#~G?f#A\\EvAGnBEz#EpA?JBlC?F?F?T?B?f#HtM?R?J?t#?|CCvDAb#E`EGlDKzCCd#OrBa#rFGfAAd#?HAp#?`ADbJDzJ?fB?dENdFB~N?d#?RFlH#~C?J#~A?H?XFrKAx##l#?n##^#bANnQ?rAAnMCnC#tH#x#FxJ?hB#tM?j#?p#BxFLrT?B?H?jQBbG#|AHxLBVJ~CLfC\\|EHtAHtAVpDf#tF\\dFTxCXhDVzBNtCFlEB|HBvEDlRAhC?xANxU#^?~A?nADxW#vA?l#Dv[?|#?\\#bCHdI#z#ZxDh#zDRx#T|#t#dCPf#bBlEf#dB^vA^jCR`CDv#?LHfBH`X?z#F|V#pF?`#L|Y#v##dKDbO?jEDdHZjHR`EBd#D`#h#~IHpB#p##n#?p#BjACvFE`IMrIQzIKfEc#tQEjCCn#}#dUSjFCf#mA~[Ar#QlMObGWlEEx#sB`_#Ep#aBt\\EdA?FcAbU?XCrCKnC?zBR|LB`#B\\?Dz#hG#F#Ft#vDJl#pBfMnAtHZ|ERrEJhTH|GLvJ^rHr#|HX`G#`FLnX#`B?`A#|CAbCRnT?BJ`OHrJDbC#r#XzZ?#DfHMdIe#bHIhD#zHPhP?##V#fBN|O?T#j#DnEHpQFlGDtCDtEDrEFlEt#jJF~#`#dDPtAXtCd#`IFlC#j#?j#?hAHpLB~C#bDA|DErBCl#Av#O`C]~DWzB[lB[fB]zAo#dCc#~Am#jBo#bBoCxG?#Sd#g#vAY~#St#W|#_#bBUhAYdB]vBMhA[vCKtAEbAIxA?PAXCb#AhA" }, "start_location" : { "lat" : 41.875680, "lng" : -87.63366000000002 }, "travel_mode" : "DRIVING" }, { "distance" : { "text" : "140 mi", "value" : 224957 }, "duration" : { "text" : "2 hours 13 mins", "value" : 8008 }, "end_location" : { "lat" : 41.53651000000001, "lng" : -90.32902000000001 }
The error returned is as follows:
( ! ) Notice: Trying to get property of non-object in C:\wamp2\www\phpAcademy\GoogleDirectionsApi\TMP25mnfz82oi.php on line 8
Call Stack
# Time Memory Function Location
1 0.0004 366752 {main}( ) ..\TMP25mnfz82oi.php:0

Answer 1

Google already returns JSON, so you do not need to encode it first. Secondly the 'distance' key is deeper in the response structure:
$origin = "Rome, Italy";
$destination = "Venice, Italy";
$key = "YOUR-OWN-KEY";
$url = "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json?origin=".urlencode($origin).",IL&destination=" . urlencode( $destination) . "&sensor=false&key=" . $key;
$jsonfile = file_get_contents($url);
$jsondata = json_decode($jsonfile);
echo $jsondata->routes[0]->legs[0]->distance;

Answer 2

You can easily get all the data in json or array format:
$url = "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/directions/json?origin=28.704059,77.102490&destination=30.719059,76.748704&sensor=false";
$jsonfile = file_get_contents($url);
$jsondata = json_decode($jsonfile);
echo $jsondata->routes[0]->legs[0]->distance;
if this error occur:
Catchable fatal error: Object of class stdClass could not be converted to string
than plz use for a output print_r() function