Auto-center map with multiple markers in Google Maps API v3

Question

This is what I use to display a map with 3 pins/markers:

<script>
  function initialize() {
    var locations = [
      ['DESCRIPTION', 41.926979, 12.517385, 3],
      ['DESCRIPTION', 41.914873, 12.506486, 2],
      ['DESCRIPTION', 41.918574, 12.507201, 1]
    ];

    var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), {
      zoom: 15,
      center: new google.maps.LatLng(41.923, 12.513),
      mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP
    });

    var infowindow = new google.maps.InfoWindow();

    var marker, i;

    for (i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
      marker = new google.maps.Marker({
        position: new google.maps.LatLng(locations[i][1], locations[i][2]),
        map: map
      });

      google.maps.event.addListener(marker, 'click', (function(marker, i) {
        return function() {
          infowindow.setContent(locations[i][0]);
          infowindow.open(map, marker);
        }
      })(marker, i));
    }
  }

  function loadScript() {
    var script = document.createElement('script');
    script.type = 'text/javascript';
    script.src = 'https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?v=3.exp&sensor=false&' + 'callback=initialize';
    document.body.appendChild(script);
  }

  window.onload = loadScript;
</script>

<div id="map" style="width: 900px; height: 700px;"></div>

What I’m looking for is a way to avoid having to “manually” find the center of the map with center: new google.maps.LatLng(41.923, 12.513). Is there a way to automatically have the map centered on the three coordinates?

Answer 1

There's an easier way, by extending an empty LatLngBounds rather than creating one explicitly from two points. (See this question for more details)

Should look something like this, added to your code:

//create empty LatLngBounds object
var bounds = new google.maps.LatLngBounds();
var infowindow = new google.maps.InfoWindow();    

for (i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {  
  var marker = new google.maps.Marker({
    position: new google.maps.LatLng(locations[i][1], locations[i][2]),
    map: map
  });

  //extend the bounds to include each marker's position
  bounds.extend(marker.position);

  google.maps.event.addListener(marker, 'click', (function(marker, i) {
    return function() {
      infowindow.setContent(locations[i][0]);
      infowindow.open(map, marker);
    }
  })(marker, i));
}

//now fit the map to the newly inclusive bounds
map.fitBounds(bounds);

//(optional) restore the zoom level after the map is done scaling
var listener = google.maps.event.addListener(map, "idle", function () {
    map.setZoom(3);
    google.maps.event.removeListener(listener);
});

This way, you can use an arbitrary number of points, and don't need to know the order beforehand.

Demo jsFiddle here: http://jsfiddle.net/x5R63/