real time updates for facebook page blues - facebook

Question

i am having a heck of a time getting facebook real time updates to work for a page. true, this question may have been asked - more than once - but i have not seen a definite routine given as an answer. mostly just disjointed suggestions. as a disclaimer - allow me to add i have read the documentation all over many times. you will see this when i post my routine. i am getting no updates after all of this.
create a page. named Testerthree, category : brands & products : app page, website : _http://< mydomain >.com, page id :
developers.facebook.com
i create an application : Testerthree
a. settings : Testerthree namespace : tester_three
b. create a platform : website : Site URL : Mobile Site URL : _http://< mydomain >.com
c. add a platform : page tab :
Page Tab Name : Testerthree Secure Page Tab URL : _http://< mydomain >.com
d. app domains : _http://< mydomain >.com
e. app details : i fill out all the info for the top box. category : apps for pages
this is where things get kinda weird. there's a button there under "App Page" to create a new page for the app....sometimes this works automatically and sometimes it doesnt. basically i do know now how to connect a page to this field. however erratic the process is. basically, listed here for "App Page" - is a page i created with the same name : Testerthree
app id : < app id > app secret : < app secret >
so at this point what i would have is a page : Testerthree
and an app : Testerthree
I have the page listed in the App Details page as the role of App Page
then i begin trying to get the requests to query and configure facebook. this process appears to work, and create a subscription, but nothing is ever sent from my page to my server through the app. if i subscribe to USER fields through the app, they update. if i subscribe to the PAGE fields, i get no update. either way, here goes :
get access token :
_https://graph.facebook.com/oauth/access_token?client_id=< app id >&client_secret=< app secret >&grant_type=client_credentials
not sure if this is needed, but it was a piece of the puzzle i never let go :
_https://graph.facebook.com/oauth/authorize?client_id=< app id >&redirect_uri=_http://< mydomain >.com/fb/return.php&scope=manage_pages,offline_access,read_stream
creating the subscription :
_https://graph.facebook.com/< app id >/subscriptions?access_token=&object=page&fields=feed,description,general_info&verify_token=&method=post&callback_url=_http://< mydomain >.com/fb/facebook-subscribe.php
now i DO have the entry point on my server at _http://< mydomain >.com/fb/facebook-subscribe.php
the code in it looks liike the code specified here (facebook-subscribe.php) :
http://mwc.byteshaman.us/fb/fbsubscribe-code.php
which should take any post data and output to a file. honestly prior to all this i put a small random fopen, to create an output txt file, if this .php is ever viewed or pinged. when i create the subscription, the txt is made. when i test my subscription, no txt is made.
either way
i check the subscription with this :
_https://graph.facebook.com/< app id >/subscriptions?access_token=&method=get
and it DOES show a subscription like this :
{
"data": [
{
"object": "page",
"callback_url": "_http://mydomain.com/fb/facebook-subscribe.php",
"fields": [
"description",
"feed",
"general_info"
],
"active": true
}
]
then i connect the page with the app with this :
_https://www.facebook.com/dialog/pagetab?app_id=< app id >&redirect_uri=http://< mydomain >.com/fb/return.php
this is an insane amount of steps to subscribe to a feed. cheers to facebook. someone please aim me in the direction to the part in their documentation where they give one complete cohesive example of any of this....
well, it appears as if i have a subscription setup after all this. the page is listed in my app details. the subscription is showing subscribed.
yet when i update my page feed, or change some of the description data (which is supposed to be subscribed to) I get nothing.
anyone please help?i've done all the homework possible, and this post is my last attempt after 3 days, before gaining the absolute belief that this routine is impossible and there's actually no such thing as realtime updates for facebook pages, like the Easter bunny, or Santa claus.
is it possible? does anyone know the routine? can anyone identify where i messed up?
thank you.

Answer 1

i have the answer : cron jobs. the facebook real time api is erratic when it comes to pages. the solution was to never use the facebook realtime update api and just use a cron job instead. thanks for playing. there was no winner or loser.