How to decode the Google Directions API polylines field into lat long points in Objective-C for iPhone?

Question

I want to draw routes on a map corresponding to directions JSON which I am getting through the Google Directions API: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/direct

Answer 1

In case anyone would need the decoding-code in VBA, here is a (working) port:

    Function decodeGeopoints(encoded)
  decodeGeopoints = ""
  ' This code is a port to VBA from code published here:
  ' http://blog.synyx.de/2010/06/routing-driving-directions-on-android-part-1-get-the-route/

  '//decoding
  'List poly = new ArrayList();

  '// replace two backslashes by one (some error from the transmission)
  'encoded = encoded.replace("\\", "\");
  encoded = Replace(encoded, "\\", "\")

  'int index = 0, len = encoded.length();
  Dim index As Long
  index = 0
  Dim leng As Long
  leng = Len(encoded)

  'int lat = 0, lng = 0;
  Dim lat As Long
  lat = 0
  Dim lng As Long
  lng = 0

  'while (index < len) {
  While (index < leng)
     'int b, shift = 0, result = 0;
     Dim b, shift, result As Long
     b = 0
     shift = 0
     result = 0

     'do {
     Do
        'b = encoded.charAt(index++) - 63;
        index = index + 1
        b = Asc(Mid(encoded, index, 1)) - 63
        'result |= (b & 0x1f) << shift;
        result = result Or ((b And 31) * (2 ^ shift))

        'shift += 5;
        shift = shift + 5
     '} while (b >= 0x20);
     Loop While (b >= 32)
     'int dlat = ((result & 1) != 0 ? ~(result >> 1) : (result >> 1));
     Dim dlat As Long
     If (result And 1) <> 0 Then
      dlat = Not Int(result / 2)
     Else
      dlat = Int(result / 2)
     End If

     'lat += dlat;
     lat = lat + dlat

     'shift = 0;
     shift = 0
     'result = 0;
     result = 0
     'do {
     Do
       'b = encoded.charAt(index++) - 63;
       index = index + 1
       b = Asc(Mid(encoded, index, 1)) - 63
       'result |= (b & 0x1f) << shift;
        result = result Or ((b And 31) * (2 ^ shift))
       'shift += 5;
        shift = shift + 5
     '} while (b >= 0x20);
     Loop While (b >= 32)
     'int dlng = ((result & 1) != 0 ? ~(result >> 1) : (result >> 1));
     Dim dlng As Long
     If (result And 1) <> 0 Then
      dlng = Not Int(result / 2)
     Else
      dlng = Int(result / 2)
     End If

     'lng += dlng;
     lng = lng + dlng

     'GeoPoint p = new GeoPoint((int) (((double) lat / 1E5) * 1E6), (int) (((double) lng / 1E5) * 1E6));
     Dim myLat, myLng As Double
     myLat = (lat / 100000)
     'myLat = myLat * 1000000
     myLng = (lng / 100000)
     'myLng = myLng * 1000000

     'poly.add(p);
     decodeGeopoints = decodeGeopoints & Comma2Dot(myLng) & "," & Comma2Dot(myLat) & ",0 "
  '}
  Wend

End Function