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;
    }
}

Grumdrig的c++ /JavaScript实现对我来说非常有用，所以我提供了我正在使用的Python直接端口。完整的代码在这里。

class Point(object):
  def __init__(self, x, y):
    self.x = float(x)
    self.y = float(y)

def square(x):
  return x * x

def distance_squared(v, w):
  return square(v.x - w.x) + square(v.y - w.y)

def distance_point_segment_squared(p, v, w):
  # Segment length squared, |w-v|^2
  d2 = distance_squared(v, w) 
  if d2 == 0: 
    # v == w, return distance to v
    return distance_squared(p, v)
  # 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
  t = ((p.x - v.x) * (w.x - v.x) + (p.y - v.y) * (w.y - v.y)) / d2;
  if t < 0:
    # Beyond v end of the segment
    return distance_squared(p, v)
  elif t > 1.0:
    # Beyond w end of the segment
    return distance_squared(p, w)
  else:
    # Projection falls on the segment.
    proj = Point(v.x + t * (w.x - v.x), v.y + t * (w.y - v.y))
    # print proj.x, proj.y
    return distance_squared(p, proj)

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)
}

在数学

它使用线段的参数描述，并将点投影到线段定义的直线中。当参数在线段内从0到1时，如果投影在这个范围之外，我们计算到相应端点的距离，而不是法线到线段的直线。

Clear["Global`*"];
 distance[{start_, end_}, pt_] := 
   Module[{param},
   param = ((pt - start).(end - start))/Norm[end - start]^2; (*parameter. the "."
                                                       here means vector product*)

   Which[
    param < 0, EuclideanDistance[start, pt],                 (*If outside bounds*)
    param > 1, EuclideanDistance[end, pt],
    True, EuclideanDistance[pt, start + param (end - start)] (*Normal distance*)
    ]
   ];  

策划的结果:

Plot3D[distance[{{0, 0}, {1, 0}}, {xp, yp}], {xp, -1, 2}, {yp, -1, 2}]

画出比截断距离更近的点:

等高线图:

这里是与c++答案相同的东西，但移植到pascal。点参数的顺序已经改变，以适应我的代码，但还是一样的东西。

function Dot(const p1, p2: PointF): double;
begin
  Result := p1.x * p2.x + p1.y * p2.y;
end;
function SubPoint(const p1, p2: PointF): PointF;
begin
  result.x := p1.x - p2.x;
  result.y := p1.y - p2.y;
end;

function ShortestDistance2(const p,v,w : PointF) : double;
var
  l2,t : double;
  projection,tt: PointF;
begin
  // Return minimum distance between line segment vw and point p
  //l2 := length_squared(v, w);  // i.e. |w-v|^2 -  avoid a sqrt
  l2 := Distance(v,w);
  l2 := MPower(l2,2);
  if (l2 = 0.0) then begin
    result:= Distance(p, v);   // v == w case
    exit;
  end;
  // 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
  t := Dot(SubPoint(p,v),SubPoint(w,v)) / l2;
  if (t < 0.0) then begin
    result := Distance(p, v);       // Beyond the 'v' end of the segment
    exit;
  end
  else if (t > 1.0) then begin
    result := Distance(p, w);  // Beyond the 'w' end of the segment
    exit;
  end;
  //projection := v + t * (w - v);  // Projection falls on the segment
  tt.x := v.x + t * (w.x - v.x);
  tt.y := v.y + t * (w.y - v.y);
  result := Distance(p, tt);
end;