Google Maps API 3

C H A P T E R 3
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Creating Your First Map
A Google map resides in a web page. So, the first thing you need to do is to set up that page. This
includes creating an HTML page and a style sheet for it. Once you have everything set up, you can insert
the actual map. In this chapter, I will guide you through all the necessary steps to create your very first
Google Maps page.
Setting the Scene
Before you start creating a map, you need to set up the web page for it. This includes creating an HTML
file and a style sheet.
The HTML Page
The core of every web page is the HTML file. It’s important to code it properly since it forms the
foundation for everything else. Without a solid foundation, the stuff you build upon it will easily break.
Web browsers are very forgiving and will often render a page correctly even if the HTML is
slightly faulty. I do, however, recommend that you make sure the HTML is coded properly, for a number
of reasons:
• Debugging
If you don’t have the HTML right, strange errors may occur in your CSS or
JavaScript that are really hard to find. Both the CSS and a lot of the JavaScript code
relies on the HTML being correct, so to make it easier for yourself, make sure that
your HTML is correct by validating it frequently. This will save you a lot of time
and grief.
• Performance
In addition, correct HTML code renders faster than incorrect HTML. If done
properly, the browser will interpret the HTML in strict mode, in which it assumes
that you know what you are doing. Incorrectly done, and it will switch to quirks
mode, in which it’s a lot more forgiving in its interpretation of the code. This
means that you can get away with sloppy code, but since the browser has to guess
what you mean, the page takes longer to render.
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