How easy is it to create a facebook application?

how easy is it to create a facebook application?


Share Send to a friend Watch Report
 
 

4 Posted Answers
Order by

 
207 helpful answers

They're coming to take me away, Ha-haaa!

Advanced .NET Debugging Blog

My personal blog

Assuming you are familiar with one of the languages that there are Facebook API libraries (check out the Developers wiki for a list of them), it should be relatively straight forward.

There are a couple of strange things that are not similar to others that are due to the implementation of embedding your application inside Facebook:

  • The place where you are developing your Facebook application must be accessible to the world. The way Facebook applications work is by posting their data into your application's page, so even for testing purposes your application must be accessible to the world (and of course to the Facebook servers Laughing).
  • Some of the actions in Facebook will not occur immediately like updating the user's profile box.
  • Learning FBML might be a bit annoying at first but makes the experience for your users from Facebook a lot smoother.

All in all, it took me a couple of hours (under 5) to write the hCard application in PHP.

The application is very simple in Facebook API terms since it uses two APIs, one to get the user's information and the other to set the profile box information in the user's profile (setFBML).

It simply adds the hCard microformat support to your Facebook profile. 

To perform a stronger integration with a full blown application like Yedda Questions & Answers Facebook application (Laughing) it takes a bit more time.

Helpful?(6)
Rated as Best Answer
 

Do you recommend using FBML or iframe usage?

Posted 2007-07-15T12:21:18Z
 
207 helpful answers

They're coming to take me away, Ha-haaa!

Advanced .NET Debugging Blog

My personal blog

There are pros and cons for both (like everything else Smile)..

Pros for FBML:

  • Will look a part of Facebook (depending on how you use it but in general it will look like a part of it)
  • Speed - IFRAME takes longer to load
  • Perfromance - Facebook works in a way that it posts using an HTTP POST to your page, gets back FBML and renders it. You can use an FBML/IFRAME hybrid in which your FBML renders an IFRAME - it will look more native but will take at least 2 request on behalf of the client to render

Cons of FBML:

  • Limited functionality - no JavaScript so no funcky things (or in a very very limited way
  • You'll need to recreate your application's User Interface (if you already have one or adding a facebook app for an existing application)
  • Performance - Your server MUST reply within a certain period (around a maximum of 10sec) so if you have something that is a bit more intensive Facebook might show an error page.
That's about all I can think of at the moment (at the top of my head). If I'll remember anything else I'll post it here.

 

1)How to register application programmatically which API we have in that case?

2)How to add application in Facebook,what different API it requires?

Sign in to participate

Got an answer for Alon Carmel? Would you like to comment on the posted answers, or vote for the one which you think is the best?

Sign up for a free account, or sign in (if you're already a member).

Explore Related Questions

Other people asked questions on similar topics, check out the answers they received:


Q:

Where to find Facebook applications developers?

I have this great idea for a new facebook app. Maybe tomorrow when I wake up I might think it's not that great :) but right now, I ...
Submitted by SearchJane   2 years ago.
  • viewed 1946 times
Last answer posted 1 year ago by raza1


Q:

How do I find FaceBook development resources

I have an idea for a FaceBook application, but do not have the technical resources to develop one. How do I find such resources ...
Submitted by Val Popov   2 years ago.
  • viewed 768 times
Last answer posted 2 years ago by evil_twin



» More...

Explore Related Posts in Forums

Wanted - Developer to develop Facebook App

Contact me if you can develop a Facebook App for me. I am trying to re-create a way of measuring how nice people are which... is on the web-site www.successful-bastards.com/bastardometer.aspx Suitable for a freelance developer with a little time...

Facebook Flash Developer Wanted!

Facebook Flash Developer Wanted! - Able to complete action script 2.0-3.0 - Complete knowledge of all facebook API with flash... flash (feed popup, user-to-user noti, facebook connect etc.) Please email me today with samples of facebook flash games that...

Facebook Developers .. Do you Tweet and Twitter??

Looking for twitterers that tweet about Facebook development etc. Does not seem that many around... You can also follow our... our stumbling through the world of Facebook Development on http://twitter.com/socialappstudio
» More...
Powered by
Feed - Subscribe to changes to this Q&A Blog
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
AOL Autos Q&A is powered by Yedda an AOL Company
Copyright © 2006-2010, Yedda Inc. and respective copyright owners