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)
}

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));
}

这里没有看到Java实现，所以我将Javascript函数从接受的答案转换为Java代码:

static double sqr(double x) {
    return x * x;
}
static double dist2(DoublePoint v, DoublePoint w) {
    return sqr(v.x - w.x) + sqr(v.y - w.y);
}
static double distToSegmentSquared(DoublePoint p, DoublePoint v, DoublePoint w) {
    double l2 = dist2(v, w);
    if (l2 == 0) return dist2(p, v);
    double t = ((p.x - v.x) * (w.x - v.x) + (p.y - v.y) * (w.y - v.y)) / l2;
    if (t < 0) return dist2(p, v);
    if (t > 1) return dist2(p, w);
    return dist2(p, new DoublePoint(
            v.x + t * (w.x - v.x),
            v.y + t * (w.y - v.y)
    ));
}
static double distToSegment(DoublePoint p, DoublePoint v, DoublePoint w) {
    return Math.sqrt(distToSegmentSquared(p, v, w));
}
static class DoublePoint {
    public double x;
    public double y;

    public DoublePoint(double x, double y) {
        this.x = x;
        this.y = y;
    }
}

快速实现http://paulbourke.net/geometry/pointlineplane/source.c

    static func magnitude(p1: CGPoint, p2: CGPoint) -> CGFloat {
        let vector = CGPoint(x: p2.x - p1.x, y: p2.y - p1.y)
        return sqrt(pow(vector.x, 2) + pow(vector.y, 2))
    }

    /// http://paulbourke.net/geometry/pointlineplane/
    /// http://paulbourke.net/geometry/pointlineplane/source.c
    static func pointDistanceToLine(point: CGPoint, lineStart: CGPoint, lineEnd: CGPoint) -> CGFloat? {

        let lineMag = magnitude(p1: lineEnd, p2: lineStart)
        let u = (((point.x - lineStart.x) * (lineEnd.x - lineStart.x)) +
                ((point.y - lineStart.y) * (lineEnd.y - lineStart.y))) /
                (lineMag * lineMag)

        if u < 0 || u > 1 {
            // closest point does not fall within the line segment
            return nil
        }

        let intersectionX = lineStart.x + u * (lineEnd.x - lineStart.x)
        let intersectionY = lineStart.y + u * (lineEnd.y - lineStart.y)

        return magnitude(p1: point, p2: CGPoint(x: intersectionX, y: intersectionY))
    }

这是一个基于向量数学的;这个解决方案也适用于更高的维度，并报告交点(在线段上)。

def dist(x1,y1,x2,y2,px,py):
    a = np.array([[x1,y1]]).T
    b = np.array([[x2,y2]]).T
    x = np.array([[px,py]]).T
    tp = (np.dot(x.T, b) - np.dot(a.T, b)) / np.dot(b.T, b)
    tp = tp[0][0]
    tmp = x - (a + tp*b)
    d = np.sqrt(np.dot(tmp.T,tmp)[0][0])
    return d, a+tp*b

x1,y1=2.,2.
x2,y2=5.,5.
px,py=4.,1.

d, inters = dist(x1,y1, x2,y2, px,py)
print (d)
print (inters)

结果是

2.1213203435596424
[[2.5]
 [2.5]]

这里解释了数学

https://brilliant.org/wiki/distance-between-point-and-line/

这是Javascript中最简单的完整代码。

(X, y)是目标点(x1, y)到(x2, y)是线段。

更新:修复了评论中0长度的行问题。

function pDistance(x, y, x1, y1, x2, y2) {

  var A = x - x1;
  var B = y - y1;
  var C = x2 - x1;
  var D = y2 - y1;

  var dot = A * C + B * D;
  var len_sq = C * C + D * D;
  var param = -1;
  if (len_sq != 0) //in case of 0 length line
      param = dot / len_sq;

  var xx, yy;

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

  var dx = x - xx;
  var dy = y - yy;
  return Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
}

更新:Kotlin版本

fun getDistance(x: Double, y: Double, x1: Double, y1: Double, x2: Double, y2: Double): Double {
    val a = x - x1
    val b = y - y1
    val c = x2 - x1
    val d = y2 - y1

    val lenSq = c * c + d * d
    val param = if (lenSq != .0) { //in case of 0 length line
        val dot = a * c + b * d
        dot / lenSq
    } else {
        -1.0
    }

    val (xx, yy) = when {
        param < 0 -> x1 to y1
        param > 1 -> x2 to y2
        else -> x1 + param * c to y1 + param * d
    }

    val dx = x - xx
    val dy = y - yy
    return hypot(dx, dy)
}