How to create an interactive Facebook page? - facebook

I've been asked to code a Facebook page, and I have no idea where to start. A bit of googling around has lead me FBML (Facebook markup language) but I can't find anything definitive in the help or any good tutorials on how to code a custom facebook page.
Anyone have any great links on how to create a Facebook page? Beyond actually just making the page on Facebook. Things such as embedding video, adding backgrounds, forms, animation and fully featured web page type functionality.
The design we have has all these elements, along with pulling RSS feeds and such.
Any help, or direction would be great!
Thanks,

You should not use FBML anymore!
We are in the process of deprecating FBML. If you are building a new
application on Facebook.com, please implement your application using
HTML, JavaScript and CSS.
A facebook app/page is a simple html site where you connect to facebook via the Facebook API. In the meantime the facebook documentation has become quite readable. Have a look at:
SDK tools (JS and PHP)
Authentication (how to know who the user is)
Permissions (the user has to approve that you may gather information)
The Graph API (how to get informations)
Dialogs (how to interact on the clientside)

Related

Facebook UIActionLinks on Facebook app elements

I'm currently developing a Facebook app and I came across a "weird" client request. The app itself is pretty simple. The user can write a story. This story is then saved into a custom database and then displayed on the app's front page along with all the other stories. The request from the client is that we - for each story - implement the "standard" Facebook links which normally go beneath a Facebook wall post (Like, comment, timing). Is this possible and if yes, how on earth....?
I've been reading a great deal about the new custom Actionlinks which can be applied to an app - but this seems more like custom functionality and not the basic Facebook functionality. It also seems like there are no Comment and timing....
Well any answer is much appreciated - also if the answer is: Go with the normal Social plugin LIKE/SEND/COMMENT functions :-)
Thanks very much
/Jan

Facebook Application - Like Button

I'd like to develop a Flash/Flex based application that I'll integrate withing my Page on Facebook.
I've seen on many applications that in order for a user too see more stuff on the application, user first of all has to click LIKE button on my page.
I've searched but couldn't find right thing I've been looking for, probably I don't know how to search for it correctly.
Maybe you could help me out to find right source for that.
I don't think Liking the app really matter.
What you might be looking for is authorization from the facebook users. For instance if your app need to post status update on the user's wall, you'll need to get authorisation from him/her first.
You should probably read this (rather generic) intro on facebook's developer website:
http://developers.facebook.com/docs/guides/canvas/
This might be a helpful read too:
http://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/116/
Finally, haven't done it in AS3 but apparently Adobe has an as3 version of the facebook sdk available:
http://www.adobe.com/newsletters/inspire/november2010/articles/article6/index.html
http://code.google.com/p/facebook-actionscript-api/
what you are reffering to is liking a page beofore being able to interact with an application that has been embedded into a page. A page tab app.
You need to parse the signed_request that facebook passes to your application and once you have parsed it you will be able to see if the user has liked your page or not.
Here is a link to some more information about singed_requests

Is the Like Button the only currently supported method for posting a webpage to Facebook?

The Like Button seems like a very specific, and not very elegant in my opinion, solution to allowing users to post a web page to their Facebook profile. You have two options: 1) Use the iFrame solution, which allows very little flexibility in functionality, integration or appearance or 2) the XFBML solution which requires loading the entire Facebook javascript SDK just for one little "share this" button.
Is the Like Button the only way that is currently supported by Facebook to allow sharing of content to a user's Facebook profile? It seems to be the only method mentioned anywhere in the Facebook developer documentation, and I've had trouble finding any alternatives elsewhere on the internet.
There was a service called Facebook Share:
http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=<your url>&t=<your title>
I guess it's still working but I'm seeing people having troubles using it and Facebook is forcing developers to use the Like Plugin.
Now:
Most likely your visitors will have the Facebook JS Library cached on their browsers
Facebook uses CDNs and their servers are super fast
Even if it doesn't fit in your design, don't forget that users are used to it
You can create a Facebook Application and use the Graph API but it's way more complicated
Don't use their services!
Actually, Facebook share is the simplest and most natural solution to share content on your FB profile.
You may want to read this article.

FBJS, FBML, and Dialogs

Okay since I have little experience with this stuff and the Facebook documentation is very scattered, I figured I would ask StackOverflow.
I am making an iFrame Canvas Facebook application using FBJS and some PHP. I would like to make a Dialog box that displays a form for the user to enter some information to then be sent on to a database. I know how to program a good chunk of it but the main problem arises in just getting the dialog WITH the form up on the page. What would be the best way of doing so?
Thanks in advance!
I've been developing Facebook apps since almost the beginning, and yes, the current documentation is very scattered! First, you should be using FBJS in an iframe app. FBJS was designed for use in FBML apps (non-iframe based). The only place you have to use it is in a Page tab. Unless you mean the Facebook javascript API.
You didn't mention what dialog you were trying to create. Here is a link to Facebook's "dialogs". http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/dialogs/
But I don't think that is what you are looking for. If you are trying to post to someone's wall, then this is the link you want. Scroll down to the "Dialog" section. http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/javascript/
But if you are just trying to prompt for information and save it, you can use plain javascript and html. You can even use libs like jquery, prototype, etc.

How should I customize my Facebook page?

Okey, so I have a business Facebook Page like many others. And I want to customize it like many others have. But Facebook (henceforth FB) documentation is really bad.
So I go and edit my page and there I find Facebook Static FBML application. So far, great, and I can even use standard HTML to edit it. And then there is also FBML which I can use to make more advanced customization, like show something for people who "Like" and something else for others. Pretty straightforward. But then i notice that Facebook is deprecating FBML and recommend me to use JavaScript SDK and Social Plugins.
So what does this mean for me? Can I customize my site this way or not?
The documentation for JavaScript SDK and Social Plugins is worthless and very general, how do these apply for my Page customization?
But Facebook Static FBML application it self is an application i guess. Will it work in the future?
What is the best way to customize my FB Page and add tabs and so on?
What should I do?
ANSWER (for lazy people):
While Facebook Static FBML application might be working in the near future, it seems like building applications yourself is the right way to go.
Build an application: http://www.facebook.com/developers/createapp.php
Also you do not need the FBML since you can do all that is needed with the graph-api.
Graph-API doc: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/api
Also, by using the iframe canvas when building apps this allows you to host your page tabs where ever you want allowing you do use any coding language you want.