Facebook Graph API Development with Flash

✍ Scribed by Williams, Michael James

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 324
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

If you are an AS3 developer and want to create applications or games that integrate with Facebook, this step-by-step beginner's guide is for you. Even with no previous experience with Facebook, databases, or server-side programming, you can count on this book, which gives you the empty shell of an AS3 Facebook RIA, and guides you through writing the Facebook interaction code with fun examples, exercises, code snippets, illustrative screenshots, and short quizzes. It covers the Facebook Graph API for retrieving data and Facebook security, permissions, and authentication. It leads you through all the major learning points in a smooth, logical order and helps you avoid some common pitfalls. Throughout the book, you build two fundamental components: an RIA Facebook interface and an AS3 SDK that you can drop into any project to add Facebook integration. Everything is written as AS3-only projects with publicly available components, so you can follow whether you use Flash Pro, Flex, or MXMLC.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Copyright......Page 3
Credits......Page 4
About the Author......Page 5
About the Reviewer......Page 7
www.PacktPub.com......Page 8
Table of Contents......Page 10
Preface......Page 16
What's so great about Facebook?......Page 22
It's popular......Page 23
It's everywhere......Page 24
What's a web host?......Page 26
How do you choose one?......Page 27
What about domain names?......Page 28
How much AS3 knowledge is required?......Page 29
The source code......Page 30
Powered by…......Page 32
Debugging......Page 33
Watch out for caching......Page 34
A final note…......Page 36
Chapter 2:Welcome to the Graph......Page 38
Time for action – loading a Page......Page 39
Time for action – retrieving a Page's information in AS3......Page 42
Time for action – deserializing a JSON object......Page 47
Time for action – visualizing the info......Page 48
Time for action – finding connections in a browser......Page 51
Time for action – rendering Lists of Posts......Page 55
Rendering connections......Page 60
Time for action – displaying a Graph Object's connections......Page 61
Time for action – creating an HTTP Requestor......Page 63
Understanding Connections of Connections......Page 70
Time for action – loading photos from an album......Page 71
Time for action – traversing the Graph......Page 76
Summary......Page 79
Time for action – snooping through other people's accounts......Page 80
What's that got to do with the Graph API?......Page 84
User/Application authorization......Page 85
Time for action – registering an application with Facebook......Page 87
Application ID + logged-in user = access token......Page 89
Registering a redirect URI with our application......Page 90
Using the Access Token......Page 93
Me, me, me......Page 95
What did Facebook give us?......Page 96
Time for action – Using an access token in our Graph visualizer......Page 98
Time for action – authenticating through the application......Page 103
Time for action – authenticating via JavaScript......Page 106
Creating a callback webpage......Page 108
Receiving the access token......Page 110
What about users who haven't used the application before?......Page 114
Time for action – obtaining extended permissions......Page 116
Time for action – requesting extended permissions......Page 117
Using the Adobe ActionScript 3 SDK for Facebook platform......Page 121
Time for action –implementing the SDK......Page 122
Summary......Page 130
Getting more results with paging......Page 132
Time for action – displaying the number of objects in a list......Page 133
Time for action – requesting more Objects......Page 137
Time for action – requesting more Objects at once......Page 139
Paging......Page 140
Time for action – obtaining data in pages......Page 141
instances......Page 143
Time for action – requesting data based on date......Page 146
instances......Page 148
Time for action – filtering by date using the UI......Page 150
We gon' party like it's yo' birthday......Page 154
Time for action – using the ids parameter in a Graph URL......Page 156
Summary......Page 159
Using the website's Search box......Page 162
Time for action – examining quick search results......Page 163
Time for action – Using the Full Search results......Page 165
Time for action – searching without authorization......Page 168
Time for action – Searching while authorized......Page 173
Restrictions......Page 176
Visualizer......Page 178
Time for action – searching via the SDK......Page 182
Time for action – searching your news feed......Page 186
Time for action – searching a friend's wall posts......Page 187
Time for action –searching feeds through the Visualizer......Page 190
Summary......Page 196
Time for action – posting to the user's feed......Page 200
What's a request method?......Page 204
Time for action – using the POST method......Page 205
Time for action – listening for errors......Page 208
Time for action – granting the required permission......Page 210
Time for action – posting via the SDK......Page 212
Going further with Wall posts......Page 214
Time for action – publishing rich posts......Page 215
Posting to another Wall......Page 221
Time for action – posting to another Wall using the Visualizer......Page 222
Actions......Page 223
Time for action – literally......Page 224
Time for action – setting a Post's privacy settings......Page 226
Time for action – deleting a post......Page 229
Time for action – deleting Posts using the Visualizer......Page 230
Publishing other kinds of Graph Object......Page 236
Likes......Page 237
Deleting Likes......Page 238
Notes......Page 239
Events......Page 240
Event RSVPs......Page 241
Albums......Page 242
Photos......Page 243
Sending inbox messages......Page 245
Inviting Friends to Events......Page 246
Summary......Page 247
What is FQL?......Page 250
Understanding the FQL interface......Page 251
Models of data......Page 252
Getting information......Page 253
Time for Action – retrieving info from the Page table......Page 254
What about connections?......Page 258
Photos, Albums, and their Owners......Page 260
Primary keys......Page 262
Crow's feet......Page 263
Link tables......Page 264
Time for action – getting a user's friends' names with AS3......Page 266
Time for action – an easier way......Page 267
Time for action – getting it down to one API call......Page 268
The Graph as a layer......Page 269
Checking existing permissions......Page 270
Restrictions......Page 271
Searches must use an indexable field......Page 272
Logical......Page 273
Ordering......Page 274
Paging......Page 275
Extra functions......Page 276
Calling multiple queries at once......Page 277
Summary......Page 278
Putting it online......Page 280
IFrame......Page 281
Time for action – setting up an IFrame application......Page 282
Page tab......Page 285
Time for action – adding an application to a Page tab......Page 286
Flash game portals......Page 289
As a desktop AIR application......Page 290
Time for action – authorizing through AIR with HTTP......Page 291
Time for action – authorizing through AIR with the SDK......Page 293
Time for action – authorizing on Android......Page 295
Choosing your application's Facebook settings......Page 298
Editing the application's profile page......Page 299
The Facebook Application Directory......Page 303
The Official AS3 Facebook SDK......Page 304
Insights API......Page 305
PHP......Page 306
Facebook Credits......Page 307
Official Facebook resources......Page 308
Other great websites......Page 309
Keeping up with the Zuckerbergs......Page 310
Summary......Page 311
Chapter 4......Page 312
Chapter 7......Page 313
Index......Page 314