A REDCap External Module that adds Google Maps address autocomplete to survey and data entry forms.
As a participant types into the address field, Google Places offers predictions. Choosing one splits the address into whichever REDCap fields you have mapped — street number, street, city, state, postcode, country, latitude/longitude and place name — and stores the full formatted address in the original field.
A project can configure several independent address field sets: the participant's home address on one instrument, their GP practice address on another.
Nothing to build, and no dependencies to install.
| REDCap 14.6.4+ | Or LTS 15.0.9 and later. REDCap will not enable the module on an older release. |
| HTTPS | Google's geolocation and Places APIs will not run over plain HTTP. |
| A Google Maps API key | With Places API (New) enabled, plus a billing account. Google no longer enables the legacy Places API for newly issued keys, and this module has no legacy fallback. |
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Copy
Google_Address_Autocomplete.php,AddressComponent.php,AddressFieldSet.phpandconfig.jsonintoredcap/modules/<module_name>_v<version>/. Don't rename that directory — REDCap derives the module prefix and version from it. -
Enable the module in Control Center → External Modules, then enable it on your project.
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Configure it on the project (External Modules → Configure) and set:
- Google API Key — your Maps Platform key
- Autocomplete Field — the text field the search box attaches to
- at least one destination field, e.g. Street Field and City Field
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Name the instrument under Instrument(s) this set applies to, so nothing is emitted on unrelated forms.
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Hard-refresh the form (Ctrl+F5) and start typing an address.
Not working? Go straight to Troubleshooting.
Before going live, work through Security and privacy. The API key is visible in the page source — inherent to the client-side Maps API — and the module sends participant-typed text to Google, which is a disclosure you may need to declare.
| Page | Read it when |
|---|---|
| Installation | Deploying the module, or a change you deployed hasn't taken effect |
| Settings | Configuring a project — every setting, and what it does |
| Fields and address field sets | Choosing which REDCap fields to map, or capturing more than one address |
| Longitudinal projects | Your project has events, and you want a set at some of them but not others |
| How it behaves on the form | You want to know what the participant sees — and how unit/apartment numbers are recovered |
| Security and privacy | Before going live. Locking down the API key, and the disclosure to participants |
| Troubleshooting | Something isn't working |
Changing the code? See Development and Execution flow.
Parts of this module — code, review and documentation — were produced with assistance from Claude (Anthropic). Everything was reviewed by the maintainer before release and verified against a live REDCap instance.
Changelog · License: MIT, see LICENSE. Copyright © 2026 John Barrett.