Clarify/rework "localGeocoderOnly" option wrt external geocoder

[stevage]

So, there are now three potential sources of geocoder results: Mapbox, local, custom external.

There is one flag to switch off Mapbox and only use local. (Implicitly, if localGeocoder or externalGeocoder is undefined, they won't be used. ) But there doesn't seem to be a way to have:

• only external results
• external plus local results

Could I suggest maybe renaming localGeocoderOnly to useMapbox, defaulting to true? Or some other option where not using Mapbox is not coupled to also using local results, and not external results.

[andrewharvey]

I agree, that in light of now the external geocoder feature, localGeocoderOnly is not a good design, at the time it made sense, but since things have evolved more organically here we haven't had the benefit of considering all features together in the design.

I see "renaming" as deprecating localGeocoderOnly and introducing useMapboxGeocoder. That should cover any combination of scenarios.

It can also come down to what this library is intended as, a general purpose search control for mapbox-gl-js or a UI for the Mapbox Geocoding API. I don't think the goal is to be a general purpose control for any backend geocoding API, but instead mostly designed for the Mapbox Geocoding API with a few options to help supplement that geocoder for specific use cases. A control that could be used with other backend out of the box is probably best done as a fork or entirely separate project in my opinion.

[stevage]

It can also come down to what this library is intended as, a general purpose search control for mapbox-gl-js or a UI for the Mapbox Geocoding API.

My suggestion would be:

• Goal 1: a geocoder control aimed primarily at the Mapbox geocoding API
• Goal 2: a generic control usable with other geocoding services as long as Goal 1 is not compromised.

[andrewharvey]

Depends where Mapbox want to take it, I see goal 1 as being core, but with 2 the danger is you could end up with down the track with a bigger ~~maintainable~~ maintenance burden for things that are not core to the project. Though this is aside this issue, the specific ask here I think is completely reasonable and useful.

We can cross that bridge when it comes up, so far no one has proposed making a generic control.

[stevage]

you could end up with down the track with a bigger maintainable burden for things that are not core to the project.

Which would compromise goal 1 :)

[stevage]

To add a requirement here, it would also be useful if the localGeocoder function could somehow indicate whether or not an API request is still needed. There are cases where a query perfectly matches a locally coded result. In this case, it is just noise (and expense) to follow through with the API call.