Interfacing with wall/feeds - facebook

This is the first time I'm trying to develop a facebook app so sorry in advance if my question is too naive.
What I need to do is making a chat-like facebook application where:
the user can write something on the wall
the app should be able to detect this event and send an HTTP request to an external web service of my own which will provide a response (text)
publish that text as a comment
the user should be able to continue the dialog by entering another comment(s) (in which case we go back to step #2)
Basically, this would be very similar to:
https://www.facebook.com/SkyscannerFlightSearch
I think one (ugly) way to do this would be making a script which searches for new wall entries/comments and posts replies in an infinite loop by using the Graph API but it's obviously sub-optimal and expensive.
Is there any way to have facebook call a certain url every time a wall post/comment is entered?
Or maybe something like Twitter's streaming API based on long-polling technique?
Am I in the right direction by assuming such kind of solutions or I'm totally missing the point?
Thanks in advance.

Giampaolo
I am working on something very similar myself.
So far i have the "loop" which can be set to any page, group or app on facebook.
SAMPLE: https://shawnsspace.com/plugins/wallfeed.php My page wall.
SAMPLE: https://shawnsspace.com/plugins/wallfeed.php?pageid=19292868552&ptype=feed&limit=40 Facebook Platform Wall.
With some perms, a form and user access_tokens i can make the wall postable. Asper UGLY - you do not need to run this in a loop, Facebook supports realtime updates and will send a response to your app when a user, or page has made a change.
MORE: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/api/realtime

Thanks for the input.
I tried to use the real-time API by using object=user and fields=feed.
If I understood the doc correctly this should result in my callback url being called (POST) every time a user writes something on my app's wall.
I received the initial GET request but never POST.
This is the current configuration:
{
"data": [
{
"object": "user",
"callback_url": "http://XXX.XXX.XXX.XX:8888/",
"fields": [
"feed"
],
"active": true
},
{
"object": "page",
"callback_url": "http://XXX.XXX.XXX.XX:8888/",
"fields": [
"picture"
],
"active": true
}
]
}
I've noticed various user comments reporting different concerns about the reliability of this API.
Also, here:
http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/api/page/
it says: "Note: Real-time updates are not yet supported for the total number of Page checkins."
...which I'm not sure what it means exactly.
For the record, my app's page I'm using for tests is:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/testgiamp/187148861354102?sk=wall

Related

How to display "from" fields in comments via Facebook Graph API

I would like to find the id (app-scoped) for someone who has posted a comment on a public page.
For example, I get a list of recent posts/comments on the NY Times page via:
v2.11/nytimes/feed?fields=comments.limit(10){message,created_time,from},name,message,from&limit=2
The data returned looks like this:
"comments": {
"data": [
{
"message": "Wouldn’t know. Not paying $13/mo for this.",
"created_time": "2017-12-10T05:57:18+0000",
"id": "10151412260164999_10151414049324999"
}
],
There is no from field. The same is also true if I attempt to view the comment directly using it's id with
v2.11/10151412260164999_10151414049324999?fields=from,message,created_time
I have tried using the Facebook Graph API Explorer, using both my User Token, as well as an App Token.
Since v2.11 of the Graph API, you need a Page Token to get user data of comments: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/changelog/version2.11#gapi-90
User information will not be included in GET responses for any objects owned by (on) a Page unless the request is made with a Page access token. This affects all nodes and edges that return data for objects owned by a Page.
In other words: You can only get user information if you manage the Page.
Edit: Since the latests update in the Graph API, you have to get the App reviewed and you must go through Business Verification or Individual Verification. (thanx #Guiman04)
Please check whether you are using the accessToken for the page you are trying to get data from, i had same issue, and was resolved by using the correct accessToken for the page.

How to obtain the live video id of a facebook live video?

I am trying to access the live views count of a live video that is live through a Facebook Page. I am using the ID that I am obtaining from the API request {page-id}/videos/uploaded When I am using that video id and making a GET request of {video-id}?fields='live_views its showing error code of 100 with the message as:
(#100) Tried accessing nonexisting field (live_views) on node type (Video)
I have the following permissions:
'manage_pages', 'publish_pages', 'business_management', 'read_insights', 'user_videos'
I am making the GET request using user_access_token.
I am using Graph API Version 2.8.
Please let me know if I am using the wrong ID. IF yes, then how can i get the live_video_id of a live video posted in page?
To get the live views count of a video a fan page, you need:
An app created at facebook developer
A user access token (for testing, e.g. by calling https://developers.facebook.com/tools/accesstoken/)
The fan page id
With this you can call graph API in the following format:
https://graph.facebook.com/v2.8/<fan_page_id>/live_videos?access_token=<access_token>?fields=live_views
Of course, you may add more elements in fields parameter if you need more information. Here Facebook's Graph API explorer helps: https://developers.facebook.com/tools/explorer
When you add status to fields parameter, "LIVE" means, it's currently live, "VOD" means it has already finished.
If you try to implement a WebHook for it, let me now if it works. Thanks.
To get live views you need to call the api with the live video id, which you get from calling, page id can initially be either the page-id or name
"https://graph.facebook.com/v10.0/${page_id}/live_videos?access_token=${access_token}
Sample response:
{
"title": "hello world 2",
"status": "LIVE",
"embed_html": "...,
"id": "123123" // this is the live video id
},
After you have retrieved the live video id you can call this endpoint to get the live_views edge
https://graph.facebook.com/v10.0/${live_id}fields=live_views&access_token=${access_token}
sample response:
{
"live_views": 1,
"id": "123123"
}
Docs for endpoint 1: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/reference/live-video/
Docs for endpoint 2: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/reference/live-video/reactions#Reading
However I understand the confusion since live_views is not listed under the second endpoint as a reaction nor even is it a reaction, so either it a mistake in facebook docs or a mistake in the graph API, either the solution provided works.
Yes you do need to go through an app review to get the permission for tracking streams

How find User ID from a list of Facebook User URLs

I'm a little out of my element here so forgive me if I'm not asking a the question correctly, but I'm trying to take a list of Facebook User URLs and find the User ID. I found another SE post that showed how to do this for one user, which basically took a graph.facebook url and appended the User URL to the end like so: http://graph.facebook.com/fql?q=select%20url%2C%20id%2C%20type%2C%20site%20from%20object_url%20where%20url%20%3D%20%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F[firstname.lastname]%22
Which outputs:
{
"data": [
{
"url": "http://www.facebook.com/firstname.lastname",
"id": [userID],
"type": "profile",
"site": "www.facebook.com"
}
]
}
I'm wondering if there's a way I can make a batch request with big list of URLs, and easily store those user IDs in an excel sheet. Unfortunately I tried reading up on the facebook developers API overview but I don't really understand any of it, nor how to use cURL or urllib. Would anyone be able to help me out?

Facebook Graph API does not return the event picture

Edit: Seems like Facebook finally fixed this bug!
Could you help me understand why this is happening:
This is a public event with a picture:
https://www.facebook.com/events/282054218538223
But when I try to access http://graph.facebook.com/282054218538223/picture, all I get is a default picture.
Here is another public event: http://www.facebook.com/events/266496120103339
But this time, accessing http://graph.facebook.com/266496120103339/picture returns the event photo.
What's the difference between the 2 events?
This answer doesn't explain why the request doesn't work using Graph API but might help someone who needs to to retrieve event profile images.
With FQL you can retrieve the event profile image like this:
SELECT pic, pic_small, pic_big FROM event WHERE eid=282054218538223
using the event id from Robin's first example. This call returns urls to the event profile image in 3 different sizes. It works for both examples in Robin's question, just change the event id.
Try it in Graph Explorer with Robin's example:
https://graph.facebook.com/fql?q=SELECT pic,pic_big,pic_small FROM event WHERE eid=282054218538223
and MoXplod's example:
https://graph.facebook.com/fql?q=SELECT pic,pic_big,pic_small FROM event WHERE eid=271148229633674
Make sure you have access token if needed as outlined in the FQL event table.
having the same problem. it appears to indeed be a bug with the Facebook Graph API.
I currently count at least three separate open bug-reports on the Facebook Developers Bugs page that describe and reproduce the problem (you may need to be logged into FB to access the information) :
Cannot retreive picture of newly created events via Graph API
Some event covers not available via Graph API
Event picture is not accessible via API
fwiw, it might be a good idea to subscribe to all three (duplicate) bug-reports.
I was fighting with this problem this evening. The docs are saying to use picture but what I found exploring fields is this one:
{event-id}/?fields=cover
which finally returns:
{
"cover": {
"offset_x": 99,
"offset_y": 50,
"source": "{url}",
"id": "{id}"
},
"id": "{id}"
}

Why do I get this error when I try to access a certain type of object via the Facebook Graph API?

I have a user, user_2. There is a post on their wall, made by user_1.
The URL is
https://www.facebook.com/user_1/posts/10150166228506188
I try to get the content using the Graph API, with this request:
https://graph.facebook.com/10150166228506188?access_token=ACCESSTOKENUSER_2
I get this error:
{
"error": {
"type": "GraphMethodException",
"message": "Unsupported get request."
}
}
The access_token I am using is good, because requests to get things like statuses & images work fine:
https://graph.facebook.com/10150233707783933?access_token=ACCESSTOKENUSER_2
Result:
{
"id": "10150233707783933",
"from": {
"name": "American Steel",
"category": "Professional sports team",
"id": "203692078932"
},
"tags": {
"data": [
etc
The error seems to happen whenever I try to get items that have this kind of URL:
https://www.facebook.com/username/posts/item_id
The permissions my app has include these:
Why is this error occurring?
I think that, in order to access the posts directly through the graph api, you have to prepend the user id to the post id you see in the facebook url.
So in your example the facebook post url is :
https://www.facebook.com/user_1/posts/10150166228506188
And you try to get through the graph api :
https://graph.facebook.com/10150166228506188?access_token=ACCESSTOKENUSER_2
BUT you should be doing :
https://graph.facebook.com/{id of user_1}_10150166228506188?access_token=ACCESSTOKENUSER_2
I noticed that all posts ids are formed like this by visiting :
https://graph.facebook.com/me/posts?access_token=...
Does this solve your problem ?
You're accessing the end-point of the post incorrectly. Every object on Facebook has a unique ID. Right now, it just so happens that they form it by appending different IDs together (your post is an example, <user_id>_<post_id>, and for a comment on that post it'd be <user_id>_<post_id>_<comment_id>). Facebook hasn't made public acknowledgment of this (not that they really have to, it's obvious) which makes me leary to rely on that paradigm for accessing data within the graph. This is because Facebook could change it at any point, and the fact that they haven't said "yeah append these 2 ids together and you can get something meaningful from this part of the graph" means they won't have to notify anyone about the change, you could just wake up one day and your app be completely broken and you'd have to find a work around quickly and while suffering down time.
The graph api works by accessing objects on Facebook by making a request to the API for that unique ID. So, you don't need to access (and can't access) your posts by going to graph.facebook.com/<user_id>/posts/<post_id>. Instead, you go to graph.facebook.com/<post_id>. You get the post_id from the /<user_id>/home or /<user_id>/feed end-point on the graph. There is no need to modify a post_id in order to fetch information about it from the graph.
Hope that helps