Is it possible to submit my 3D WebGL HTML5 / Facebook Canvas app to the App Center, even though it does not use the Facebook API? It isn't integrated with Facebook in any way, other than, being embedded in..
https://apps.facebook.com/flappy-wheels/
..from a Dropbox-hosted URL, if that even counts as a technical "Facebook integration" - which I doubt, as no API usage or Facebook signup or login required to even play it.
I keep on trying to submit it for App Center review but it insists to think I'm using the FB API when I'm not. Does this mean usage of the FB API is absolutely required for App Center submission? What if I dont want my app logging in to people's Facebook accounts? What if I don't want it accessing their personal information, or posting for them, or any of that jank? What if I just want it to be a game to simply be played embedded in a FB app URL, with no actual FB integration or interaction? Can that not be put on the App Center?
It thinks I need 3 permissions, one of which is logging in to people's accounts, I think these 3 permissions are put there in settings by default, how do I removed those permissions from my app settings, as those permissions listed aren't being used in my game, as it isn't using any FB permissions?
A smaller question on the side, what is the "tagline"? Like, it is the keywords / searchable tags, right? I'm used to them being called just "tags" and not a "tagline" so just to be sure I know what it is.
Thank you so much for any help or suggestions!
Yes you can always submit the html5 game on facebook canvas but for App Centre listing its necessary. Also using dropbox, github hosted sited will have less server resources allocted to them and hence high load time - i recommend to use any other hosting services out their, but remember https is a must.
Tagline is like a punch line for any product just go on the same theme.
Related
I have a Facebook app (canvas app), let's say https://apps.facebook.com/test, that redirects and works as expected on the desktop (on all browsers that I have tested).
On mobile phones (both from the FB app and the browser) the path gets redirected to https://m.facebook.com/apps/test/?ref=web_canvas, which gives a "This page cannot be found" error. Why?
This has been reported as a bug to Facebook and Facebook has confirmed it as a bug. They have not provided a date on when the fix will be ready.
You can follow the status of the bug here:
https://developers.facebook.com/bugs/1051463851558493/
Update: Facebook have (since the information struck-out below) completely removed support for this. The thread about this is here:
https://developers.facebook.com/bugs/1051463851558493/
The top-level information is:
We have now deprecated Mobile Canvas URL. This means that you will no
longer be able to direct to a website/app directly within the Facebook
mobile web based upon the external destination URL you have specified
in the 'Mobile Site URL' field for the app on developers.facebook.com.
Furthermore, we have removed the 'Mobile Site URL' field from the app
setup going forward. This deprecation also applies to apps that were
previously whitelisted.
So it's time to move away from this functionality, and either integrate the newer FB Instant Games functionality or just link to an external website as having your canvas app hosted inside the FB mobile app simply isn't possible as it was in years gone by.
Facebook has disabled mobile URLs working by default:
We recently identified a handful of apps misusing our mobile App Center to redirect people to unauthorized sites. As a precaution, we have temporarily turned off the ability for developers to direct to a destination URL for any app in the "Mobile Site URL" field on the dev site.
Now if you wish for this functionality to work, you need to be logged into Facebook and then go to the following URL:
https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/588209321338256
This URL will effectively put your request in a queue, for someone at Facebook to manually verify your app configuration isn't malicious, and then enable the redirection. I do not like posting this answer, as I know it will eventually become invalid, but as of today it is the only answer. As stated by Scott, you can follow progress on this issue here:
https://developers.facebook.com/bugs/1051463851558493/
Please ignore the fact it claims the issue has been 'Fixed' as Facebook count the above workaround as a fix. If you read through the comments on the bug you can note the waiting time to get the URL fixed (on a per app basis) is typically several weeks.
On May 28th, 2017, Facebook confirmed that the Mobile Canvas URL has now been deprecated. Any apps already using (and white listed) will stop working, and no new apps will be accepted.
Hi everyone,
First, please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in getting
back to you with an update on the status of Mobile Canvas URL. I
understand your frustrations, particularly if you submitted your
details via the form and were waiting on a response.
We have now deprecated Mobile Canvas URL. This means that you will no
longer be able to direct to a website/app directly within the Facebook
mobile web based upon the external destination URL you have specified
in the 'Mobile Site URL' field for the app on developers.facebook.com.
Furthermore, we have removed the 'Mobile Site URL' field from the app
setup going forward. This deprecation also applies to apps that were
previously whitelisted.
The Mobile Canvas URL feature is a vestige of a long ago deprecated
product called Mobile Canvas. Facebook maintains a high commitment to
quality, so we don't want to leave unsupported products active —
especially when they continue to cause bugs for our developers. Going
forward, we're recommending you take advantage of the well-supported
Facebook Games on Web product to drive traffic to your app.
We've also introduced Instant Games which lets people play mobile
games within Messenger and Facebook News Feed. We invite you to sign
up for our closed beta program. We believe letting people play games
together on Facebook is a powerful experience for both players and
developers.
If your app is still set up to rely on Mobile Canvas URL
functionality, we recommend taking the following actions:
If you're using Mobile Canvas to link to a page on mobile web, you need to update your app to handle the redirection in the desktop
iframe. User interaction is required to redirect away from web canvas
as our Platform Policy does not allow automated redirects from canvas.
If your app was previously whitelisted, you will need to take action as this deprecation supersedes any workarounds you have in place.
Thank you for your understanding as we continually improve the
products and services we offer to both developers and players. Again,
please accept my apologies for the wait in getting back to you with
this information
Best regards,
Tim
See this thread https://developers.facebook.com/bugs/1051463851558493/
This question already has an answer here:
Closed 10 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
Dec 5th beaking changes - facebook says app will be effect
I got an email that my app is impacting some new rules. Unfortunately english isn't my native language and I found no possibility to ask the facebook support - I'm not sure if I understood the email correctly. I hope you can help me:
Your desktop web game hosted primarily off Facebook currently
accesses user connections when authenticating and/or requests
additional permissions beyond age, email, and publishing permissions.
This is no longer allowed per Facebook Platform Policy I.13a:
Desktop web games off of Facebook.com may only use Facebook Login
(Authentication, excluding user connections such as friend list),
Social Plugins and publishing (e.g., Feed Dialog, Stream Publish, or
Open Graph). When authenticating, these games may not request
additional permissions other than age, email, and our Publishing
Permissions.
If your app is accessing user connections
(https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/api/user/) or asking
for additional permissions beyond age, email, and our Publishing
Permissions, please remove these requests. After December 5th, we will
place restrictions on your app if your app continues to access user
connections or request additional permissions other than
'user_birthday', 'email' or our publishing permissions such as
'publish_actions' or 'publish_stream'.
Do I understand this right, I can ask for following additional permission like email or publishing stream but nothing else?
I changed my login-url from
"scope=email,publish_stream,read_stream,user_games_activity"
to this:
"scope=email,publish_stream"
Is it now okay?
I also use $facebook->api('/'.$FacebookID.'/friends'); to get the list of friends and build a form where the user can send his friends an invitation. Is this not alowed anymore?
• Your Canvas/mobile game currently shares the same app ID with a
desktop web game off Facebook.com, which is no longer allowed per
Facebook Platform Policy I.13b:
(Games on Facebook.com and mobile must not share the same app ID with
desktop web games off of Facebook.com. You must not use Canvas apps to
promote or link to game sites off of Facebook, and must not use emails
obtained from us to promote or link to desktop web games off of
Facebook.com).
Please create a separate app ID for your Facebook Connect integration.
After December 5th, your Connect app will no longer be accessible if
it continues to share an app ID with its Canvas/mobile counterpart.
You have received this message because your app uses a Connect
integration. If you believe this to be an error, please reference the
developer docs to ensure your app is categorized correctly.
This one I don't understand at all. What and where can I do that? My app has a own URL and a canvas page at facebook. Would it be enough to remove the canvas page and only keep the direct URL?
I changed my login-url from "scope=email,publish_stream,read_stream,user_games_activity" to this: "scope=email,publish_stream" Is it now okay?
Yes, it should be ok now because according to the breaking changes "these games may not request additional permissions other than age, email, and our Publishing Permissions." So you should be fine.
I also use $facebook->api('/'.$FacebookID.'/friends'); to get the list of friends and build a form where the user can send his friends an invitation. Is this not alowed anymore?
/friends doesn't require any additional permissions, so I think it should be ok.
What and where can I do that? My app has a own URL and a canvas page at facebook. Would it be enough to remove the canvas page and only keep the direct URL?
Yes, you need to separate your canvas/mobile game from the desktop web game. Currently, they both have the same app ID, you can choose to either remove the canvas page entirely or create a new app for the canvas/mobile game and use that new app ID. Regardless, the end result is that only one of your games can use your exisiting app ID.
How can I make a Facebook app that doesn't require users to log in/authorize my app? Is it even possible for canvas apps?
The conversion in auth dialog is quite poor (39%) for my app, even though I ask for the basic information only. Hence the question.
Thanks for advice!
There are no special actions necessary to run a canvas app in Facebook without authentication. Simply set the Canvas URL and Secure Canvas URL in your app's settings (https://developers.facebook.com/apps/<app_id>/summary) and it should just work.
Keep in mind that you cannot access any of the useful functionality Facebook offers if you forego authentication. You'll be missing out on:
The Invite Friends dialog
Creating notifications
Retrieving a user's friend list and information
Etc.
In fact, if you're not leveraging any of the available functionality Facebook provides, there's no sense in even creating a canvas app. You might as well enjoy the benefits of using the entire window for your application and host it standalone.
It all depends upon what you're doing with your app.
If you app uses features that requires login, then yes, you will need to get each user to log in.
If your app doesn't use features of the API that require login, then don't use it.
There's many social plugins that can accomplish a lot of what many people look for and most all of them don't require a login.
I need to post a user-specific text, determined by him, on his wall/timeline when he presses a button (in facebook's tutorial, they make the user login when the app launches, and then it does nothing).
There is a lot of information on the internet but every site does it in other way.
Just wanted to know if there's a specific way to do it.
Thanks!
A quick easy way to add facebook to your app is ShareKit (http://www.getsharekit.com/). This also allows you to add other social network site to your app.
You might want to try Socialize: http://www.GetSocialize.com. It'll allow app users to comment & like within the app, with the option of also sharing out to a social network (Facebook currently live; Twitter coming). Full feature list at http://go.GetSocialize.com/features
DROdio
I want to develop an online application and I am considering EITHER building a website with community features built in or building ONLY a facebook app. I was wondering if other people have had to make the same decision and what things I will need to consider.
The website I want to build will be an educational portal where people can make and take tests online
I disagree with some of the other answers here. There is a huge difference between a) trying to advertise a new place on the web and b) trying to advertise a new functionality of an existing place. Even if this new website would offer a very tight integration with Facebook and some other social platforms. Keep in mind: facebook users really don't like to leave facebook, no matter what the reason would be. That's why the click-through rate for the advertisements is so embarrassingly poor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook#Company
That said you can of course always do both: build a website and offer the same functionality through a facebook app. However my opinion here is that if you're application only offers its users a single functionality, you'll be better off just doing the latter.
What exactly is the advantage you expect by creating a Facebook-ONLY-App for that?
If it's only about taking tests you can still build a "normal" portal and include some of the Facebook-functionality through the JavaScript-SDK, like posting to the wall, Single-Sign-On, find your friends and so on. This way the user still has the choice if he wants to connect with Facebook or not. This way you also don't minimize your userbase to Facebook-users
(yeah I know, "everyone" has Facebook these days... ;) Still not everyone wants it to be connected to every single site he's using through Facebook)
Considering this comment:
Well I guess its easier for people to recommend my app if it is a facebook app, is the main reason I want to know if facebook is a good option – Zubair Mar 3 at 14:51
Build a website and then add the Facebook 'like' button. See: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/guides/web/#plugins
You should put a Twitter button as well:
http://twitter.com/about/resources/tweetbutton
In my opinion you have to develop both. First develop you website. Although facebook is having millions of users But in my opinion you cannot implement every thing as freely as you can in your web application than facebook application. You should have a website and a page on facebook. You can integrate other facebook social plugins on your website to interact with facebook.
From monitization point of it is easy for new users on website than application on facebook. Other reason website especially related to educational purposes have a huge click through rate which you cannot find on facebook application advertiser.
What is the goal of the website?
If its to make money dont do a facebook app, you have far more control of your site by designing it entirely yourself.
If you want social networking features there are plenty of APIs you can tie in to which will provide you with functionality and allow you to link into facebook / twitter etc.
A website would look more professional, it would allow you to gather statistics on unique hits, revisits etc, having your own database of users means you can gather information and market your site more specifically ( which users took which tests).
A website also allows you to monetize it by adding advertisement if that is your goal, and you can gain search engine rankings.
If you want to get publicity for your website you can use facebook by creating a group / page for the site and promoting it that way.
Also your own website wont leave you vulnerable to changes in Facebook, what if you put in all this work and in a year the terms change and a portion of your app is now in violation of the terms. What if you want to add X feature and facebook wont allow it?
Basically your site = 100% in your controll, thats a big advantage to you. With facebook you loose that advantage but maybe gain a little in being able to use more of their features. Personally id always go for my own site.
You should go for the website first, then add the social elements in the website.
Like you can enable users to login using there facebook credentials. Like/share Button.
And later on, you can also go for the facebook app, when you want to shoot for much much more traffic. Therefore, whenever you think that you have figured out what exactly you want out of your application then only go for it, otherwise try your options with website. Because once your facebook app is up, you will get hell lot of traffic.
Let me know if you need help in creating facebook application or social elements enabled website. I have built an Facebook Easy API on top of all facebook features, which will enable you to easily access anything on facebook and meanwhile reducing your work effort.
You first build it like web app and use Graph API and FBConnect to use Facebook functionalities. Then you need to create a facebook app version also because getting facebook traffic is also required. People from facebook most like come to facebook app then to another web.
You will not need to convert it to facebook app, it will be just less in width and it would be a facebook iframe app. as I some where read that facebook is depreciating fbml and iframe app is recommended.
So now you can make both things, as I think , test app can have flexible layout so that you don't need to change width for facebook iframe. So you can both things by doing one.
thanks
i'm pretty sure many people will not agre with me, but IMHO you should focus on build a good Web-App that work well also on Mobile-Phones. keep it simple, intuitive, responsive, lightweight, cross-browser and straight to the point.
if your only concern is about "recommend your app to other people" make it SEO and Multi-Language too. google will do the rest.
then if you want make your app bold, slowly and planty of useless stuffs start to add all the facebook widget you want.
PS: i'm also on facebook, twitter,
flickr, google etc etc, i'm also
sharing photos, links and usefull
stuffs, my google rss reader is full
of links with tons of nice things, well i
have never had a minute to look at it, when i need something i just start searching google
I agree with most of the answers here—a native website is the way to go. Personally, I don't trust/like FB apps. Dunno what they do, and given the number of scammers out there and FB's lack of responsibility (IMO), I rarely if ever use an FB app.
Creating the website gives users choice about whether they want to share results/integrate with their FB wall/profile. Users don't like to be forced into something.
And in the spirit of adventure that is typical of SO, it's always more fun to build your own website than to build a template-based (sort of), boring and nearly irrelevant (drowning in a sea of other poorly made apps) FB app. But that's just my 2¢
In your case, I would do a hybrid. First, build your website, but integrate it with Facebook via connect. This way you can concentrate on building your value added services and let Facebook worry about the community.
I would also not ignore the Facebook app. Now, with iframes being fully supported on Facebook, you can adapt your existing site to work within Facebook with minimal effort, as long as you keep this requirement in mind when building your original application.