基于Joshua Javascript的AutoHotkeys版本:

plDist(x, y, x1, y1, x2, y2) {
    A:= x - x1
    B:= y - y1
    C:= x2 - x1
    D:= y2 - y1

    dot:= A*C + B*D
    sqLen:= C*C + D*D
    param:= dot / sqLen

    if (param < 0 || ((x1 = x2) && (y1 = y2))) {
        xx:= x1
        yy:= y1
    } else if (param > 1) {
        xx:= x2
        yy:= y2
    } else {
        xx:= x1 + param*C
        yy:= y1 + param*D
    }

    dx:= x - xx
    dy:= y - yy

    return sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy)
}

这是我最后写的代码。这段代码假设一个点以{x:5, y:7}的形式定义。注意，这不是绝对最有效的方法，但它是我能想到的最简单、最容易理解的代码。

// a, b, and c in the code below are all points

function distance(a, b)
{
    var dx = a.x - b.x;
    var dy = a.y - b.y;
    return Math.sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy);
}

function Segment(a, b)
{
    var ab = {
        x: b.x - a.x,
        y: b.y - a.y
    };
    var length = distance(a, b);

    function cross(c) {
        return ab.x * (c.y-a.y) - ab.y * (c.x-a.x);
    };

    this.distanceFrom = function(c) {
        return Math.min(distance(a,c),
                        distance(b,c),
                        Math.abs(cross(c) / length));
    };
}

伊莱，你选定的代码是错误的。在线段所在直线附近但远离线段一端的点将被错误地判断为接近线段。更新:上面提到的错误答案已不再被接受。

下面是一些正确的c++代码。它假设一个2d向量类vec2 {float x,y;}，本质上，带有加法、subract、缩放等运算符，以及一个距离和点积函数(即x1 x2 + y1 y2)。

float minimum_distance(vec2 v, vec2 w, vec2 p) {
  // Return minimum distance between line segment vw and point p
  const float l2 = length_squared(v, w);  // i.e. |w-v|^2 -  avoid a sqrt
  if (l2 == 0.0) return distance(p, v);   // v == w case
  // Consider the line extending the segment, parameterized as v + t (w - v).
  // We find projection of point p onto the line. 
  // It falls where t = [(p-v) . (w-v)] / |w-v|^2
  // We clamp t from [0,1] to handle points outside the segment vw.
  const float t = max(0, min(1, dot(p - v, w - v) / l2));
  const vec2 projection = v + t * (w - v);  // Projection falls on the segment
  return distance(p, projection);
}

编辑:我需要一个Javascript实现，所以在这里，没有依赖关系(或注释，但它是一个直接的端口以上)。点被表示为具有x和y属性的对象。

function sqr(x) { return x * x }
function dist2(v, w) { return sqr(v.x - w.x) + sqr(v.y - w.y) }
function distToSegmentSquared(p, v, w) {
  var l2 = dist2(v, w);
  if (l2 == 0) return dist2(p, v);
  var t = ((p.x - v.x) * (w.x - v.x) + (p.y - v.y) * (w.y - v.y)) / l2;
  t = Math.max(0, Math.min(1, t));
  return dist2(p, { x: v.x + t * (w.x - v.x),
                    y: v.y + t * (w.y - v.y) });
}
function distToSegment(p, v, w) { return Math.sqrt(distToSegmentSquared(p, v, w)); }

编辑2:我需要一个Java版本，但更重要的是，我需要3d版本而不是2d版本。

float dist_to_segment_squared(float px, float py, float pz, float lx1, float ly1, float lz1, float lx2, float ly2, float lz2) {
  float line_dist = dist_sq(lx1, ly1, lz1, lx2, ly2, lz2);
  if (line_dist == 0) return dist_sq(px, py, pz, lx1, ly1, lz1);
  float t = ((px - lx1) * (lx2 - lx1) + (py - ly1) * (ly2 - ly1) + (pz - lz1) * (lz2 - lz1)) / line_dist;
  t = constrain(t, 0, 1);
  return dist_sq(px, py, pz, lx1 + t * (lx2 - lx1), ly1 + t * (ly2 - ly1), lz1 + t * (lz2 - lz1));
}

这里，在函数参数中，<px,py,pz>是问题点，线段有端点<lx1,ly1,lz1>和<lx2,ly2,lz2>。函数dist_sq(假定存在)求两点之间距离的平方。

这是一个自成体系的Delphi / Pascal版本的函数，基于上面约书亚的答案。使用TPoint用于VCL屏幕图形，但应该易于根据需要进行调整。

function DistancePtToSegment( pt, pt1, pt2: TPoint): double;
var
   a, b, c, d: double;
   len_sq: double;
   param: double;
   xx, yy: double;
   dx, dy: double;
begin
   a := pt.x - pt1.x;
   b := pt.y - pt1.y;
   c := pt2.x - pt1.x;
   d := pt2.y - pt1.y;

   len_sq := (c * c) + (d * d);
   param := -1;

   if (len_sq <> 0) then
   begin
      param := ((a * c) + (b * d)) / len_sq;
   end;

   if param < 0 then
   begin
      xx := pt1.x;
      yy := pt1.y;
   end
   else if param > 1 then
   begin
      xx := pt2.x;
      yy := pt2.y;
   end
   else begin
      xx := pt1.x + param * c;
      yy := pt1.y + param * d;
   end;

   dx := pt.x - xx;
   dy := pt.y - yy;
   result := sqrt( (dx * dx) + (dy * dy))
end;

在javascript中使用几何:

var a = { x:20, y:20};//start segment    
var b = { x:40, y:30};//end segment   
var c = { x:37, y:14};//point   

// magnitude from a to c    
var ac = Math.sqrt( Math.pow( ( a.x - c.x ), 2 ) + Math.pow( ( a.y - c.y ), 2) );    
// magnitude from b to c   
var bc = Math.sqrt( Math.pow( ( b.x - c.x ), 2 ) + Math.pow( ( b.y - c.y ), 2 ) );    
// magnitude from a to b (base)     
var ab = Math.sqrt( Math.pow( ( a.x - b.x ), 2 ) + Math.pow( ( a.y - b.y ), 2 ) );    
 // perimeter of triangle     
var p = ac + bc + ab;    
 // area of the triangle    
var area = Math.sqrt( p/2 * ( p/2 - ac) * ( p/2 - bc ) * ( p/2 - ab ) );    
 // height of the triangle = distance    
var h = ( area * 2 ) / ab;    
console.log ("height: " + h);

对于感兴趣的人，这里是Joshua的Javascript代码到Objective-C的简单转换:

- (double)distanceToPoint:(CGPoint)p fromLineSegmentBetween:(CGPoint)l1 and:(CGPoint)l2
{
    double A = p.x - l1.x;
    double B = p.y - l1.y;
    double C = l2.x - l1.x;
    double D = l2.y - l1.y;

    double dot = A * C + B * D;
    double len_sq = C * C + D * D;
    double param = dot / len_sq;

    double xx, yy;

    if (param < 0 || (l1.x == l2.x && l1.y == l2.y)) {
        xx = l1.x;
        yy = l1.y;
    }
    else if (param > 1) {
        xx = l2.x;
        yy = l2.y;
    }
    else {
        xx = l1.x + param * C;
        yy = l1.y + param * D;
    }

    double dx = p.x - xx;
    double dy = p.y - yy;

    return sqrtf(dx * dx + dy * dy);
}

我需要这个解决方案与MKMapPoint一起工作，所以我将分享它，以防其他人需要它。只是一些小的改变，这将返回米为单位的距离:

- (double)distanceToPoint:(MKMapPoint)p fromLineSegmentBetween:(MKMapPoint)l1 and:(MKMapPoint)l2
{
    double A = p.x - l1.x;
    double B = p.y - l1.y;
    double C = l2.x - l1.x;
    double D = l2.y - l1.y;

    double dot = A * C + B * D;
    double len_sq = C * C + D * D;
    double param = dot / len_sq;

    double xx, yy;

    if (param < 0 || (l1.x == l2.x && l1.y == l2.y)) {
        xx = l1.x;
        yy = l1.y;
    }
    else if (param > 1) {
        xx = l2.x;
        yy = l2.y;
    }
    else {
        xx = l1.x + param * C;
        yy = l1.y + param * D;
    }

    return MKMetersBetweenMapPoints(p, MKMapPointMake(xx, yy));
}