Address/Zip Code as NSString to CLLocation

Question

Is there a way to convert a zip code a user enters into a textbox and convert it into a CLLocation? I am trying to compare distance between their current location and either an address or zip code and this would be easy if I can make a CLLocation out of the NSString.

Answer 1

the procedure called geocoding, and that is how it looks if you implement it:

NString *_address = // any address or postcode

CLGeocoder *_geocoder = [[CLGeocoder alloc] init];
[_geocoder geocodeAddressString:_address completionHandler:^(NSArray *placemarks, NSError *error) {
    if (placemarks.count > 0) {
        CLPlacemark *_placemark = [placemarks firstObject];
        CLLocation *_location = _placemark.location;
        // ... do whaterver you want to do with the location
    }
}];

NOTE: the CoreLocation.framework has to be added to your project properly. you may need to handle errors in your final completion-block, I have not added such part to my code above.