Building Applications on Facebook Platform David Zhuang Entrepreneur’s Playfield

Overview Open Distribution to Millions of Users Capabilities / Integration Points Architecture Components Resources

Open Distribution to Millions of Users

Capabilities / Integration Points

Architecture

Components

Resources

Open Distribution Build It, And They Are Already There Developers: Equal Footing with Organizations Platform Is Completely Open Automated Viral Distribution Engine: News Feed New Model for Entrepreneurs Experiment: Low Investment (Time/Money) If It Works, Ramp up

Build It, And They Are Already There

Developers: Equal Footing with Organizations

Platform Is Completely Open

Automated Viral Distribution Engine: News Feed

New Model for Entrepreneurs

Experiment: Low Investment (Time/Money)

If It Works, Ramp up

Capabilities / Integration Points Product Directory About Left Nav Facebook Canvas Pages Home User Dashboard Settings Profile Profile Box Profile Action Links Privacy Settings News Feed Alerts Message Attachments Requests

Product Directory

About

Left Nav

Facebook Canvas Pages

Home

User Dashboard

Settings

Profile

Profile Box

Profile Action Links

Privacy Settings

News Feed

Alerts

Message Attachments

Requests

Canvas: Embedded Application Left Nav Canvas

Home Page: Viral Distribution Left Nav News Feed

Profile: Viral Distribution Left Nav News Feed Profile Box

Architecture: Traditional Web App Web/App Server Database 1. HTTP Request 2. HTML Response SQL Query Data Your Server

Architecture: Facebook App - Canvas Web/App Server Database 1. HTTP 6. HTML SQL Query Data Your Server Facebook Server 2. HTTP / REST 3. API / FQL 4. API Rsp 5. FBML

Architecture: Facebook App - Profile 0. API / FBML (Pushed Separately) Web/App Server Database 1. HTTP 2. HTML SQL Query Data Your Server Facebook Server

Components API Web Service API Client Library: Official: PHP, Java Unofficial: Perl, Python, Ruby, VB.NET, and others FQL Similar to SQL Access to user profile, friend, group, event, and photo FBML Similar to HTML Subset of HTML + Proprietary Extensions

API

Web Service API

Client Library:

Official: PHP, Java

Unofficial: Perl, Python, Ruby, VB.NET, and others

FQL

Similar to SQL

Access to user profile, friend, group, event, and photo

FBML

Similar to HTML

Subset of HTML + Proprietary Extensions

API Web Service API: Well Documented API Client Library Mostly Covered by Web Service API Documentation For the Rest, Read Code (Only 2 Files) facebook.php facebookapi_php5_restlib.php Access Facebook User Data Profile, Friends, Group, Event, Photo, etc. Update User Views Profile, Feed, etc.

Web Service API: Well Documented

API Client Library

Mostly Covered by Web Service API Documentation

For the Rest, Read Code (Only 2 Files)

facebook.php

facebookapi_php5_restlib.php

Access Facebook User Data

Profile, Friends, Group, Event, Photo, etc.

Update User Views

Profile, Feed, etc.

API Client Lib Function Examples $facebook->redirect($url) $facebook->require_login() / $facebook->require_add() $facebook->get_login_url() / $facebook->get_add_url() $facebook->api_client->feed_publishStoryToUser($title, $body, ...) $facebook->api_client->friends_get() $facebook->api_client->friends_getAppUsers() $facebook->api_client->groups_get ($uid=null, $gids=null) $facebook->api_client->profile_setFBML($markup, $uid=null)

$facebook->redirect($url)

$facebook->require_login() / $facebook->require_add()

$facebook->get_login_url() / $facebook->get_add_url()

$facebook->api_client->feed_publishStoryToUser($title, $body, ...)

$facebook->api_client->friends_get()

$facebook->api_client->friends_getAppUsers()

$facebook->api_client->groups_get ($uid=null, $gids=null)

$facebook->api_client->profile_setFBML($markup, $uid=null)

FQL Very Similar to SQL Select From One Table At a Time, No Join Query Must Be Indexable Access Facebook Database Tables user, friend, group, group_member, event, event_member, photo, album, photo_tag

Very Similar to SQL

Select From One Table At a Time, No Join

Query Must Be Indexable

Access Facebook Database Tables

user, friend, group, group_member, event, event_member, photo, album, photo_tag

FBML A Subset of HTML Excluded: <script> Limited: <style> (internal CSS only) Cached: <img> Hidden Fields Added (For Security): <form> Proprietary Extensions Markup Tags: UI Elements Procedural Tags: Control Program Flow Mock Ajax

A Subset of HTML

Excluded: <script>

Limited: <style> (internal CSS only)

Cached: <img>

Hidden Fields Added (For Security): <form>

Proprietary Extensions

Markup Tags: UI Elements

Procedural Tags: Control Program Flow

Mock Ajax

FBML Tags Example: Markup Tags Code: <fb:dashboard> < fb:action href=&quot;new.php&quot;>Create a new photo album </fb:action> < fb:action href=&quot;you.php&quot;>Photos of You </fb:action> </fb:dashboard> Preview:

FBML Tags Example: Procedural Tags Code: < fb:if-can-see uid=&quot;12345&quot; what=&quot;profile&quot;> You're allowed to see 12345's profile, chum! <fb:else> No profile for you! </fb:else> </fb:if-can-see>

Resources Facebook Platform Documentation Anatomy of a Facebook Application Step-to-Step Guide to Creating an Application Facebook Platform Wiki Getting Started Guide Basic Application Architecture Facebook Developer Forum Get Your Questions Answered

Facebook Platform Documentation

Anatomy of a Facebook Application

Step-to-Step Guide to Creating an Application

Facebook Platform Wiki

Getting Started Guide

Basic Application Architecture

Facebook Developer Forum

Get Your Questions Answered

Success Factors Product Definition Social in Nature Unsatisfied Needs Product Design/Development Need a Hacker in Your Team: Non-Trivial Project Scalability Plan Much Shorter Ramp-up Time Monetization Strategy You Need a Team!

Product Definition

Social in Nature

Unsatisfied Needs

Product Design/Development

Need a Hacker in Your Team: Non-Trivial Project

Scalability Plan

Much Shorter Ramp-up Time

Monetization Strategy

You Need a Team!

Contact Info David Zhuang [email_address]