12 August 2007
The Facebook API
Facebook is keen to allow developers to build application on top of Facebook and integrate with their site (http://developers.facebook.com/). They have a ready made Java client library my application can use as an interface to obtain data and getting a developer key is free of charge. There is an easy web interface on Facebook for managing your application.
Facebook applications can operate according to a number of models. Desktop or external web applications can make API calls - given a session has been authenticated via the Facebook site. This is the one extreme of "separateness" from the Facebook site.
There is also the option of having you application generate "FBML" (http://developers.facebook.com/documentation.php?v=1.0&doc=fbml) which is passed to a Facebook server. Facebook then in turn renders this as part of the user's profile screen. This option is perhaps the other extreme, least "separate" from the Facebook site.
The third option, which I have adopted, has the application run inside of a "canvas" page (http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/Your_callback_page_and_you). A user who is "on" Facebook follows a link to a specific page within of Facebook. This page appears as a normal Facebook page with menus etc, but contains an IFRAME which dominates the major content area. It is here I shall have the Facebook Trumps application run.
Facebook applications can operate according to a number of models. Desktop or external web applications can make API calls - given a session has been authenticated via the Facebook site. This is the one extreme of "separateness" from the Facebook site.
There is also the option of having you application generate "FBML" (http://developers.facebook.com/documentation.php?v=1.0&doc=fbml) which is passed to a Facebook server. Facebook then in turn renders this as part of the user's profile screen. This option is perhaps the other extreme, least "separate" from the Facebook site.
The third option, which I have adopted, has the application run inside of a "canvas" page (http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/Your_callback_page_and_you). A user who is "on" Facebook follows a link to a specific page within of Facebook. This page appears as a normal Facebook page with menus etc, but contains an IFRAME which dominates the major content area. It is here I shall have the Facebook Trumps application run.
Labels: facebook api, java
