How to share your app on facebook, the RIGHT way?

Social Media
#1

Hello, I’m having some issues with finding the right way to share my app on Facebook.

From Corona examples I’ve learned the way to post a plain text message, or  big image which may link to the app (either for android OR iOS, so far I haven’t found a way to include both links and it isn’t ‘evident’ that the image has a link, so it may not be an effective way to share the app).

However, I don’t know how to share the app in such a way that it includes the information shown in the picture below, the title (with a link), a moderate-sized icon, and the gray description, which in this case seems to include info related to the user’s score, this part would result very useful for what I’m working on right now, as I’m required to include some results on the post, and facebook doesn’t allow to fill anything on the message text, other than what the user writes.

29c573c.png

The image is taken from the facebook developer documentation.

Thanks to anyone who can help me approach this matter.

I am using Corona’s starter version, in case it changes anything.

#2

@Gerard,

Someone may correct me here, but I’m pretty sure to get that kind of info you’re going to have to use the facebook plugin (gives you access to the facebook graph api), not the social plugin (which I’m guessing you’re using).

I warn you, setting up a facebook app, dealing w/ OAUTH2, etc. is not for the faint of heart.

This guide talks about both the social plugin, and the facebook plugin:

http://docs.coronalabs.com/daily/guide/social/implementFacebook/index.html

Go here to learn about setting up a facebook app: http://docs.coronalabs.com/daily/guide/social/setupFacebook/index.html

Learn more about the facebook graph API here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api

Note: A facebook app should not be confused with your Corona App.  The purpose of the facebook app is to facilitate logging in for credentials, and posting to a user’s facebook page (among other things you can do).

Finally, if this all seems terrible, I’m sorry, but be sure not to blame Corona.  Facebook has made it harder and harder over time for app developers to post, get friends lists, etc.  By no means is it impossible, but you need to learn more than before to achieve the same things which used to be pretty easy.

#3

Thank you.

I have to use the facebook plugin, being a starter user I don’t have access to the social plugin.

Taking a look at that documentation it seems like I have to use facebook.dialog instead of facebook.request (which I was using to post messages and images)

I’m gonna give it a try tomorrow, thanks.

You mention getting friend lists is possible, are you sure of thos? Do you know a way to get them?
I just read facebook developer’s documentation ant it states that doing ao is not possible anymore.

#4

It suspect it would be far simpler, if you have the money, to just pay to upgrade to the social plugin.

Also you may be interested in this discussion about enabling Facebook sharing of URLs on Android – Corona currently doesn’t, but the fix would be trivial:

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/52755-can-corona-enable-limited-facebook-sharing-on-android-via-nativeshowpopup/

#5

Ok, I thought I had the share dialog working but i turns out I did not.

I think I have configured everything according to the instructions provided by Corona, and it works sometimes :

When I perform the facebook login a screen asks me if I want to give the app access to my public profile, I click ok ant then the app comes back for a fraction of second and then the share dialog pops up.

The dialog is titled   " my name shared an article on app name"

thus far everything works as it is expected to, but then if i try to type a comment in the “say something about this…” box, as soon as I tap it I’m asked for email and password (If I try to post without writing it works perfectly),  I think it’s weird, since I already granted permission to the app, but I tink “ok, maybe it is required for security reasons”. But then, it launches the internet browser and once again asks for email and password.

Then the browser stays in a white screen,nothing is shared

Next time I try to share, it works perfectly, I can share and add a comment as many times as I like.

If I don’t fill my email and pass the second time I’m asked (browser) the share dialog will either work the next time I try to use it or it won’t be shown ever again (“Loading” will quickly be shown and hidden, but no dialog).

I’m sure this is not how this is supposed to work, and no user using my app will go through the trouble of filling their credentials (when they are already logged in) not once, but twice, because: 1. they should’t have to, and 2. it is at least a little bit suspicious.

Another weird thing that’s happening to me is that if I log out of FB, log in with a different account and then try to open the share dialog, it is always shared on behalf of the first account who tried to share.

So, anybody else has experienced this? Is it a bug in Corona? Is it something wrong on facebook’s side? Have I done something stupid?

The thing is if I open the share dialog and tap post it works.

Why would adding a comment (in the space designed to add a comment) complicate things so much (like in, preventing a user from sharing my app forever )?

I appreciate if anybody can point me in the right direction.

#6

@Gerard,

Someone may correct me here, but I’m pretty sure to get that kind of info you’re going to have to use the facebook plugin (gives you access to the facebook graph api), not the social plugin (which I’m guessing you’re using).

I warn you, setting up a facebook app, dealing w/ OAUTH2, etc. is not for the faint of heart.

This guide talks about both the social plugin, and the facebook plugin:

http://docs.coronalabs.com/daily/guide/social/implementFacebook/index.html

Go here to learn about setting up a facebook app: http://docs.coronalabs.com/daily/guide/social/setupFacebook/index.html

Learn more about the facebook graph API here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api

Note: A facebook app should not be confused with your Corona App.  The purpose of the facebook app is to facilitate logging in for credentials, and posting to a user’s facebook page (among other things you can do).

Finally, if this all seems terrible, I’m sorry, but be sure not to blame Corona.  Facebook has made it harder and harder over time for app developers to post, get friends lists, etc.  By no means is it impossible, but you need to learn more than before to achieve the same things which used to be pretty easy.

#7

Thank you.

I have to use the facebook plugin, being a starter user I don’t have access to the social plugin.

Taking a look at that documentation it seems like I have to use facebook.dialog instead of facebook.request (which I was using to post messages and images)

I’m gonna give it a try tomorrow, thanks.

You mention getting friend lists is possible, are you sure of thos? Do you know a way to get them?
I just read facebook developer’s documentation ant it states that doing ao is not possible anymore.

#8

It suspect it would be far simpler, if you have the money, to just pay to upgrade to the social plugin.

Also you may be interested in this discussion about enabling Facebook sharing of URLs on Android – Corona currently doesn’t, but the fix would be trivial:

http://forums.coronalabs.com/topic/52755-can-corona-enable-limited-facebook-sharing-on-android-via-nativeshowpopup/

#9

Ok, I thought I had the share dialog working but i turns out I did not.

I think I have configured everything according to the instructions provided by Corona, and it works sometimes :

When I perform the facebook login a screen asks me if I want to give the app access to my public profile, I click ok ant then the app comes back for a fraction of second and then the share dialog pops up.

The dialog is titled   " my name shared an article on app name"

thus far everything works as it is expected to, but then if i try to type a comment in the “say something about this…” box, as soon as I tap it I’m asked for email and password (If I try to post without writing it works perfectly),  I think it’s weird, since I already granted permission to the app, but I tink “ok, maybe it is required for security reasons”. But then, it launches the internet browser and once again asks for email and password.

Then the browser stays in a white screen,nothing is shared

Next time I try to share, it works perfectly, I can share and add a comment as many times as I like.

If I don’t fill my email and pass the second time I’m asked (browser) the share dialog will either work the next time I try to use it or it won’t be shown ever again (“Loading” will quickly be shown and hidden, but no dialog).

I’m sure this is not how this is supposed to work, and no user using my app will go through the trouble of filling their credentials (when they are already logged in) not once, but twice, because: 1. they should’t have to, and 2. it is at least a little bit suspicious.

Another weird thing that’s happening to me is that if I log out of FB, log in with a different account and then try to open the share dialog, it is always shared on behalf of the first account who tried to share.

So, anybody else has experienced this? Is it a bug in Corona? Is it something wrong on facebook’s side? Have I done something stupid?

The thing is if I open the share dialog and tap post it works.

Why would adding a comment (in the space designed to add a comment) complicate things so much (like in, preventing a user from sharing my app forever )?

I appreciate if anybody can point me in the right direction.