My wife is starting her local business, and I would like to develop a booking application that users can use to book appointments with. Is this feasible using the facebook development tools? I tried to overview the documentation at https://developers.facebook.com but I came out with no clear answer.
What is a Facebook app?
In layman terms, it's just a window to your actual app with a bonus that you can use Facebook's social data with it. So, yes! Basically, you can pretty much do anything with it. Plus, if you are looking forward to create an app for a local business, I would recommend taking a look at page tabs from here.
Here is how a Facebook app works:
You create an app on your server.
You give it's url to Facebook (called the canvas url).
You specify the dimensions.
And that's it! Your app is up and running!
I am developing a flash game and I want to integrate it with Facebook. It should be very simple integration. My app only need username and e-mail address. I searched the web not I still don't know how to do it. It seems to me very complicated.
All I want is to connect my app to Facebook through Actionscript SDK, with few simple functions.
Can someone help me with a code to do that...I'll be very thankful guys :-)
Well, it's a general question, but here are a few links that might help steer you in the right direction. The first link has the SWC library and some examples:
Facebook ActionScript API resources:
libraries and examples
API documentation (though fairly sparse)
Adobe page
On their page, Adobe links to a tutorial / walkthrough for building a mobile Facebook app that's pretty helpful, though it expands on a desktop-based article and references it regularly, so that can be a bit confusing, but it does get the job done.
Then you need to understand the Facebook Graph API - basically Facebook passes around objects that contain data pertaining to the user, their friends, etc (and of course, passing around this data is subject to the permissions your app has setup). Facebook provides an online tool (Facebook Graph API Explorer) that let's you explore these objects for your own account.
Pouring over this information, I got my first flash-based mobile app talking to Facebook in a few hours. There you go, ask a generic question, get a big swath of links to read that are only semi-related to your question. =D
To my knowledge it isn't possible to create new apps with the graph api from facebook.
But i have seen several tab makers which are apparently able to generate new apps (one of them is the timeline tab maker from 247GRAD). Is this huge number of apps really manually generated?
I would appreciate it very much if someone could give me a hint, how those apps work.
It is not possible to create an application using Graph API.
What you see in the case of Page Tab Applications is generally one application (or several just to have different application icons/images) displaying different content based on page id (from signed_request) for Page is running on.
Many companies are today oriented to design Facebook apps (or tabs) to be integrated in profiles, groups and fan pages. Well Facebook encourages apps development by making easy to do with Graph API with any programming language like PHP5 at first, jQuery, JavaScript, Java, XML...
And Apps or tab makers as you said are developed to help to generate new apps, I think it would boring for a developer to create an app for form contact everyday for each new customer, so with some magic (sure with any programming language) he'll can generate many apps.
So it's a Facebook app that creates Facebook apps!
You could learn about Facebook Graph API from Facebook Developers Documentation on https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/api/
And learn this tutorial from Facebook on https://developers.facebook.com/docs/opengraph/tutorial/ or from an other web sites (Try always to read new tutorials because Facebook API always changes).
Also you can read books, I advice to read this at first : http://books.google.tn/books?id=MnbpygAACAAJ&dq=inauthor:%22Shashwat+Srivastava%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=c5RoT81ek_fhBNXZgbcJ&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA and second, http://books.google.tn/books?id=Ec9OkpsrCf8C&pg=PA131&dq=facebook+graph+api&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tpBoT5uKG-OO4gTb-ajaAg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=facebook%20graph%20api&f=false
Don't hesitate to ask.
Best regards,
Ali
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.
Im new to facebook applications. I recently created a webapp that consisted of html & php. But recently Ive decided that integrating my webapp within facebook would be useful. Any tips on where to start? Ive looked over developers.facebook.com and im confused. It appears they are in the process of updating. Ive come across a few guides but there from a few years ago. This app will run completely within facebook and im probably gonna have to rewrite all the code. Any guides or suggestions?
Thanks!
You didn't specify the programming language you're using but if you're developing asp, start by looking into Facebook c# sdk here: http://facebooksdk.codeplex.com/
If you're using any other language (i.e. php), try looking into respective software dev. kits (i.e. facebook php sdk). They will facilitate your job in comparison to starting raw development all by yourself.
Tim, if you want to get into the business of working with Facebook, you need to know right away that they are always in the process of updating. That being said, you should learn some Facebook terminology so you can do more research and figure out what you want to do.
Applications that run within the Facebook interface are called Canvas Apps. Your application is hosted on your own server, and Facebook simply adds an iframe in their UI that points to your app's URL.
Another way to go to create a webapp that uses your own design, but still utilizes a single sign-on system from Facebook. This used to be called a Connect App but now they don't really have a name for it. Basically, you can use Facebook's authorization system to pull Facebook user data into your own database, which basically eliminates the need for a registration page. The authorization system prompts the user to allow your app to get specific data about them - once they authorize it, your app has access to do whatever the user gave it permission to do.
The best document to wrap your brain around is about authentication: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/authentication/
Give that a whirl, and good luck!