# 27-Jan-2026 — add Google Places venue search with automatic details retrieval [ref: #132](https://github.com/nbarrett/ngx-ramblers/issues/132)

## [build 458](https://github.com/nbarrett/ngx-ramblers/actions/runs/21635690700) — [commit a160de6](https://github.com/nbarrett/ngx-ramblers/commit/a160de63dcc9b8df48c4d122c8c3ce4a43124f8d)

_____

## What's New for Users
### Find Venue Search
The venue search has been upgraded with Google Places integration, making it much easier to find pubs, restaurants, and other venues:
- **Renamed to "Find Venue"**
- The search tab is now called "Find Venue" instead of "Search Previous" to better reflect its expanded capabilities
- **Google Places Search**
- When you type a venue name, the system now searches Google Places for matches, showing results with a red "Google" badge
- **Automatic Details**
- Selecting a Google result automatically fills in the name, address, postcode, coordinates, venue type, AND website URL
- **Local Results First**
- Results are sorted by distance from your walk's starting point, so nearby venues appear at the top
- **Smart Deduplication**
- If a venue is already saved in your database, only that entry shows (no duplicates from Google)
### New Venue Types
Two new venue types have been added to the dropdown:
- **Point of Interest**
- For landmarks, monuments, museums, castles, etc.
- **Location**
- For generic locations like greens, commons, parks, crossroads, etc.
### How It Works
1. Go to the venue section on a walk
2. Click "Find Venue" tab
3. Type the venue name (e.g., "Kings Arms" or "Pig at Bridge")
4. Select from the dropdown - stored venues show with coloured icons, Google results show with a red "G"
5. All details are automatically populated including the website URL
## Technical Changes
- Integrated Google Places API (New) for venue text search
- Added `places.websiteUri` to field mask for URL retrieval
- Implemented result deduplication by name+postcode and coordinate proximity
- Added VenueSource enum (STORED, GOOGLE) for source tracking
- Extended VenueTypeValue enum with POINT_OF_INTEREST and LOCATION
- Added corresponding icons (faLandmark, faMapMarkerAlt) to walks-reference-data.service