When building intuitive address forms for user-facing applications, developers often rely on the Google Maps Places API or Google Civic Information API to streamline the experience. These APIs are designed to automatically populate location details such as:
- Street Name
- City
- State
- Zip Code
- Country
The Reality: Partial Address Data is Common
At Sreyas IT Solutions, we encountered this exact challenge while working on the Acespace Project, a high-traffic platform designed to manage civic campaigns and engage youth in environmental action.
When a user starts typing an address, Google returns a structured response containing address_components.
Each component includes:
- types[] (e.g., street_number, route, locality, administrative_area_level_1, postal_code, etc.)
- long_name
- short_name
Example when selecting an address:
[
{ "long_name": "1234", "types": ["street_number"] },
{ "long_name": "Elm Street", "types": ["route"] },
{ "long_name": "Springfield", "types": ["locality"] },
{ "long_name": "Illinois", "types": ["administrative_area_level_1"] },
{ "long_name": "62704", "types": ["postal_code"] }
]These pieces can be mapped into input fields.
Similarly, when using the Google Civic Information API, based on a provided address, it can return political divisions like:
- Congressional District
- State Senate District
- State House District
The Real-World Issue
👉 In practice, not every address contains every field.
Some cases you might encounter:
- Missing street_number
- Missing postal_code
- Missing locality
- Incomplete district data from Civic API in rural or international areas
This means:
- Some input fields will remain empty.
- Some political information might not be available.
Best Practice: Handle Missing Fields Gracefully
When designing the form:
- Auto-fill whatever address components you receive.
- Leave fields blank if no data is returned.
- Do not make these fields mandatory for form submission.
- Allow users to manually correct or complete the missing parts if they want.
This ensures a smoother user experience and prevents frustration when Google’s APIs can’t supply full data.
You can optionally add a soft message like:
“Some address details may be missing. Please review before submitting.”
Conclusion
When using Google Maps Places API and Google Civic Information API, always plan for partial or missing information.
Not every address will have all components, but smart form design can make the process smooth for your users.
Always focus on:
- Flexibility
- Optional fields
- Good user experience
