Php / Javascript Error Using Rest Web Service And Google Maps Api

[skaterdav85]

So Im using this one REST web service, and in the XML data, it has latitude and longitude points. I am taking these values, and echoing them into a JavaScript array, which the Google Maps API will then use to plot the points. However, in the XML data, sometimes there wont be a latitude or longitude value. Instead of being:<latitude>34.34343</latitude><longitude>-120.34646</longitude>it will sometimes be like:<latitude/>so when my PHP is done processing, my JS array will have holes in it like this:lat[0]=34.0627717; lon[0]=-117.2082592; lat[1]=42.991484; lon[1]=-83.652923; lat[2]=; lon[2]=; lat[3]=38.2511608; lon[3]=-85.7236468;How do i handle this? Because if there is one error in my JS array, the google map wont show up at all. Is this something i should deal with in my JS code or my PHP code?this was my JS and PHP code:

<script type="text/javascript">	var lat = new Array(); var lon = new Array();<?php$request = 'some REST web servce';$returned_contents = file_get_contents($request);$myXML = simplexml_load_string($returned_contents); $i = 0;foreach( $myXML->events->event as $event) {	echo "lat[".$i."]=".$event->latitude."; ";	echo "lon[".$i."]=".$event->longitude."; ";	$i += 1; }?>	function initialize() {	  if (GBrowserIsCompatible()) {		var map = new GMap2(document.getElementById("map_canvas"));		map.setCenter(new GLatLng(37.4419, -122.1419), 1);		  		for(i=0; i<lat.length; i++) {		  var latlng = new GLatLng(lat[i],lon[i]);		  map.addOverlay(new GMarker(latlng));		}	  }}</script>

[skaterdav85]

So apparently the Google Maps API will plot variables if they are strings or numbers.lat[1] = -120.34343 would do the same as lat[1] = '-120.34343' not exactly sure why, but that solves the problem if there are holes if you are pulling coordinates from a web service or database. anyone know why? Thanks!

[justsomeguy]

Why what?

[skaterdav85]

why does google maps read points as either numbers or strings in an array?in the JS array, either would work for index 1:lat[1] = -120.34343 would do the same as lat[1] = '-120.34343'

[justsomeguy]

I suspect that Google is validating the data, so it's converting everything to numbers and then making sure the conversions worked. A numeric string in Javascript will successfully convert to a number. Google has good programmers, so it would make sense that they are validating all of the data coming in before trying to use it. Try sending a non-numeric text string as one of the values and see if you get an error message from Google, but I'm sure they're validating everything and converting as needed.