Free form address searches present an unlimited number of possible inputs. This can make things challenging for OneBox because it can't always properly predict what you meant by your input.
The best way to search for a location using a free form address is similar to the way you would provide a mailing address, except you would use commas to separate information instead of placing the information on different lines.
Let's pretend we wanted to find the following mailing address location:
133 King Street East 4th Floor Toronto, ON Canada M5C 1G6
There are numerous ways to search for this location using OneBox. We'll start with the most complete way to search.
Example 20. A Complete Free Form Search Query
The most complete way to search for this location using OneBox is:
133 King Street East, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5C 1G6
Note: You probably noticed that the OneBox search does not contain 4th Floor. The floor number, apartment number, or suite number, does not change the location of the building. Therefore, OneBox does not require this information. If you include this type of information, OneBox will try to ignore it. However, it is best to simply leave this information out of your search query.
Using this search query, OneBox can find the location very quickly because the information is complete, spelled correctly, and well formatted.
Although the previous example provided perhaps the most complete way to specify a free form address, you don't actually have to provide this much information.
OneBox can infer information based on other information included in your search. For example, OneBox can easily recognize regions (states and provinces) and region codes if they are spelled correctly and properly formatted. After OneBox recognizes the region, it can determine the country based on that information. Therefore, if you specify a region, you do not have to include the country in the search query.
Example 21. Search Query with Street Name, City, and Region
In this example, we will leave out the name of the country, because we are providing a region that is properly spelled and well formatted.
The following search query produces the same result as the previous example:
133 King Street East, Toronto, Ontario
Note: You probably noticed that the postal code was not included in the query. Zip codes and postal codes are understood by OneBox, but most users do not provide this information in search queries. A zip code or postal code is not required if you provide the name of a major city, or the name of a city with a region.
Example 22. Search Query with Street Name, and Major City
OneBox classifies Toronto as a major city, and can therefore determine that Toronto is located in the province of Ontario (ON). The following search query produces the same result as in the previous example:
133 King Street East, Toronto
This query would produce the correct result where the method is set to House in major city.
If you are going to omit the region in your search query, you must be sure that the city is a major city.
You might be wondering what would happen if you used a similar search query for an address that is not considered a major city. For example, Guelph is a city in Ontario, but it is not considered a major city:
33 Cardigan Street, Guelph
In this case, a result is returned with the method set to House, region inferred (which is different than House in major city in the Toronto example). This means that OneBox found a city named Guelph, and therefore inferred that the region is Ontario. In this case, it is recommended that you provide the region in your search. There could be other cities that are called Guelph that have a street named Cardigan. This request also takes a longer time to produce a result because the region is unknown and must be inferred.
OneBox attempts to handle poorly formatted queries by attempting to find a best match. In this case, OneBox is often using limited information, and therefore the results are not always predictable. Please verify the results carefully before selection, or consider using a better formatted query, such as a comma-delimited address search.
OneBox can handle most of the searches outlined below, but results cannot be guaranteed.
Badly formatted free-form addresses:
free form addresses (e.g. 133 King St E Toronto Ontario Canada)
free form addresses with words run together (e.g. OneBox interprets 397elmrdstouffvilleon as 397 Elm Road, Stouffville, ON)
Ambiguous address searches:
Note: If you do not specify a city and region (or major city) in your search, OneBox attempts to find the address in various locations (instead of returning no results). Ideally, you should provide the name of the city and the region in your search for more accurate results.
addresses (without a specified city and/or region) in the current map extent
addresses (without a specified city and/or region) in a major city near the current map
addresses (without a specified city and/or region) in a default city
Ambiguous street name searches:
Note: If you do not specify a city and region (or major city) in your search, OneBox attempts to find the street in various locations (instead of returning no results). Ideally, you should provide the name of the city and the region in your search for more accurate results.
street names (without a specified city and/or region) in the current map extent
street names (without a specified city and/or region) in the region in a map extent
street names (without a specified city and/or region) in a default city
Ambiguous city searches:
names of major North American cities without providing a region (e.g. Toronto)
city name with spelling errors (e.g. Chicahgo)
Detailed search with wrong state:
query contains sufficient detail (e.g. a business name, street address, and city) but places the city in the wrong state.
CONFIDENTIAL/PROPRIETARY INFORMATION OF TELOGIS INCORPORATED