This document provides an overview of the Facebook Graph API. It begins with an introduction to the Graph API and what kind of data is available through it, with or without authentication. It then discusses the data structures and objects in the Graph API, including the different types of objects and how they are connected. The document also covers how to connect to the Graph API from JavaScript and ActionScript and discusses methods for retrieving, posting, and modifying data programmatically through the Graph API.

1. Me.
James Ford
http://www.psyked.co.uk/
@psyked_james
Product Development @ MMT Digital
Web (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
Flash Platform (Flash, Flex, AIR)
Mobile (Obj-C, ELIPS, Titanium, Corona SDK)

2. Flash Facebook Cookbook
Published August 2011
Packt Publishing
- Facebook Graph API 1.6
- FQL
- , & ,
- Introduction to Facebook
Graph API, core concepts
& lots of simple demo
applications.

3. Initial questions
• What data is available from Facebook?
• How is that data structured?
• How do we connect to the Graph API?
• How do we locate information on Facebook?
• What data-access controls are in place?

4. Introducing
The Graph API

5. What is the Graph API?
• The API for accessing data held by Facebook
• Uses OAuth 2.0
• REST-style API
• JSON-encoded response objects

6. The Graph API is not:
• The Open Graph Protocol
• FQL (Facebook Query Language)
• Connect, FBML or Legacy REST API

7. Data available with
The Graph API

8. Data available from Facebook
Without Authentication (Access Tokens)
• User ID, Combined name & Profile image
• Any Publicly-accessible data: Users, Pages, Places, Groups & Events
With Authentication
• Profile data: Name, Gender
• Friend lists, Mutual friend information
With Authentication + Extended Permissions
• Profile data: Birthday, Bio, Relationships, Religion, Politics...
(everything in your profile, basically)
• News feeds, Profile feeds
• Checkins, Notes, Photos, Videos
• Comments, Likes

9. Data structures in
The Graph API

10. Facebook data types
Common types And the less common...
• Album • Insights
• Application • Message
• Checkin • Note
• Comment • Question
• Event • QuestionOption
• Group • Review
• Link • Subscription
• Page • Thread
• Photo
• Post
• Status message
• User
• Video

11. Graph API Objects
Everything has a unique Id, and can be accessed directly:
• Users: https://graph.facebook.com/btaylor (Bret Taylor)
• Pages: https://graph.facebook.com/cocacola (Coca-Cola page)
• Events: https://graph.facebook.com/251906384206 (Facebook Developer Garage Austin)
• Groups: https://graph.facebook.com/195466193802264 (Facebook Developers group)
• Applications: https://graph.facebook.com/2439131959 (the Graffiti app)
• Status messages: https://graph.facebook.com/367501354973 (A status message from Bret)
• Photos: https://graph.facebook.com/98423808305 (A photo from the Coca-Cola page)
• Photo albums: https://graph.facebook.com/99394368305 (Coca-Cola's wall photos)
• Profile pictures: https://graph.facebook.com/psyked/picture (your profile picture)
• Videos: https://graph.facebook.com/817129783203 (A Facebook tech talk on Graph API)
• Notes: https://graph.facebook.com/122788341354 (Note announcing Facebook for iPhone 3.0)
• Checkins: https://graph.facebook.com/414866888308 (Check-in at a pizzeria)

12. Graph API Connections
Graph API Connections are used to represent relationships in
the ‘social graph’, and return a JSON-encoded Array of objects.
• Friends: https://graph.facebook.com/me/friends
• News feed: https://graph.facebook.com/me/home
• Profile feed (Wall): https://graph.facebook.com/me/feed
• Likes: https://graph.facebook.com/me/likes
• Books: https://graph.facebook.com/me/books
• Permissions: https://graph.facebook.com/me/permissions
• Photo Tags: https://graph.facebook.com/me/photos
• Photo Albums: https://graph.facebook.com/me/albums
• Video Tags: https://graph.facebook.com/me/videos
• Video Uploads: https://graph.facebook.com/me/videos/uploaded
• Events: https://graph.facebook.com/me/events
• Groups: https://graph.facebook.com/me/groups
• Checkins: https://graph.facebook.com/me/checkins

13. A Public Graph API Object
GET http://graph.facebook.com/platform
{
"id": "19292868552",
"name": "Facebook Platform",
"picture": "http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-
ash2/276791_19292868552_1958181823_s.jpg",
"link": "https://www.facebook.com/platform",
"likes": 3403793,
"category": "Product/service",
"website": "http://developers.facebook.com",
"username": "platform",
"founded": "2007",
"company_overview": "Facebook Platform enables anyone to build social apps
on Facebook and the web.",
"mission": "To make the web more open and social."
}

14. A Private Graph API Object
GET https://graph.facebook.com/me?access_token=AAAAAAITEgh...
{
"id": "#########",
"name": "James Ford",
"first_name": "James",
"last_name": "Ford",
"link": "https://www.facebook.com/psyked",
"username": "psyked",
"birthday": "##/##/####",
"hometown": {
"id": "108126319208135",
"name": "Stamford, Lincolnshire"
},
"gender": "male",
"website": "http://www.psyked.co.uk",
"locale": "en_GB",
"verified": true,
"updated_time": "2011-10-02T10:37:20+0000"
}

15. A Graph API Connection
GET https://graph.facebook.com/me/likes?access_token=AAAAA...
{
"data": [
{
"name": "CodeBoxed",
"category": "Computers/internet",
"id": "126122064123731",
"created_time": "2011-09-02T18:09:50+0000"
},
{
"name": "The Grand Design",
"category": "Book",
"id": "153522094682666",
"created_time": "2011-08-21T22:08:49+0000"
},
{
"name": "on AIR Tour Europe 2008",
"category": "Community",
"id": "8295947366",
"created_time": "2008-02-20T10:02:34+0000"
}
]
}

17. Connecting to the
The Graph API

18. Client-side Data flow

19. Connecting to the Graph API

20. Retrieving data from
The Graph API

21. JavaScript & the Graph API
<div id="fb-root"></div>
<script src="http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
FB.init({ appId:'APP_ID' });
FB.login(function(response) {
if (response.session) {
console.log('Welcome! Fetching your information.... ');
FB.api('/me', function(response) {
console.log('Good to see you, ' + response.name + '.');
});
} else {
console.log('User cancelled login or did not fully
authorize.');
}
});
</script>

22. ActionScript & the Graph API
import com.facebook.graph.Facebook;
Facebook.init('API_KEY', responseHandler, { appId:'APP_ID' });
private function responseHandler( success:Object, fail:Object ):void {
if (success) {
Facebook.api('/platform', requestResponseHandler);
} else {
Facebook.login(loginResponseHandler);
}
}
private function loginResponseHandler(success:Object, fail:Object):void {
if (success) {
Facebook.api('/platform', requestResponseHandler);
} else {
trace('Unable to log in');
}
}
private function requestResponseHandler(success:Object, fail:Object):void {
if (success) {
trace(JSON.encode(success, true));
}
}

25. What happens when I...
Don’t have access?

26. Requesting restricted data
Loading objects without an access token
{
"error": {
"message": "An access token is required to request this resource.",
"type": "OAuthException"
}
}
Loading objects without permissions
{
"error": {
"message": "mailbox requires the read_mailbox extended permission.",
"type": "OAuthException"
}
}

27. Working with
Extended Permissions

28. Extended Permissions
• Album: user_photos, friends_photos, publish_stream
• Checkin: user_checkins, friends_checkins, publish_stream
• Comment: publish_stream
• Event: user_event, friends_event, publish_stream
• Group: user_groups, friends_groups, publish_stream
• Insights: read_insights
• Link: read_stream, publish_stream
• Message: read_mailbox
• Notes: user_notes, friends_notes
• Page: manage_pages
• Photo: user_photos, friends_photos
• Post / Status message: read_stream, publish_stream
• User: user_about_me, friends_about_me, user_birthday, friends_birthday, user_education_history,
friends_education_history, email, user_hometown, friends_hometown, user_relationship_details,
friends_relationship_details, user_location, friends_location, user_religon_politics,
friends_religion_politics, user_likes, friends_likes, user_relationships, friends_relationships,
user_websites, friends_websites, user_work_history, friends_work_history
• Video: user_videos, friends_videos, publish_stream

29. Requesting Permissions
var options:Object = {};
options.perms = new Array("user_about_me", "email", "friends_birthday");
Facebook.login(loginResponseHandler, options);
private function loginResponseHandler(success:Object, fail:Object):void {
if (success) {
Facebook.api('/platform', requestResponseHandler);
} else {
trace('Unable to log in');
}
}

30. Checking for Permissions
var missingPermissions:Array = new Array();
private function requestPermissionsInfo():void {
var permissions:Array = new Array("read_stream", "publish_stream");
Facebook.fqlQuery("SELECT {0} FROM permissions WHERE uid = me() ",
onFQLResponse, [permissions.toString()]);
}
private function onFQLResponse(success:Object, fail:Object):void {
[{
missingPermissions = new Array();
"email":0,
var results:Array = success as Array;
"publish_stream":1,
if (success && results) { "read_stream":1
for (var i:int = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
}]
var queryResult:Object = results[i];
for (var param:String in queryResult) {
if (Boolean(queryResult[param]) == false) {
missingPermissions.push(param);
}
}
}
}
}

32. Creating & Modifying
Data on Facebook

33. Posting data to the Graph API
var options:Object = new Object();
options.name = "I found a trophy";
options.caption "100001986549853_202809986461885"}
{"id": = "Gold trophy";
options.description = "I found a Gold trophy while using ...";
options.link = "http://apps.facebook.com/packt_facebook/";
options.picture = "http://facebook.psyked.co.uk/packt/images/gold.png";
Facebook.api("me/feed", responseHandler, options, "post");
private function responseHandler(success:Object, fail:Object):void {
if (success) {
trace(JSON.encode(success, true));
} else {
trace(JSON.encode(fail, true));
}
}

34. Posting image data - webcam
import mx.graphics.ImageSnapshot;
var options:Object = {};
options.fileName = "webcam.png";
options.image = ImageSnapshot.captureBitmapData(webcam_display);
options.message = "Image caption";
Facebook.api("me/photos", photoUploadComplete, options, "post");

35. Posting image data - FileReference
var options:Object = {};
options.fileName = fr.name;
options.image = fr.data;
var fileExtension:String = fr.name.split(".")[fr.name.split(".").length-1];
switch (fileExtension) {
case "gif":
options.contentType = "image/gif";
break;
case "png":
options.contentType = "image/png";
break;
case "jpeg":
case "jpg":
options.contentType = "image/jpeg";
break;
}
options.message = "Image caption";
Facebook.api("me/photos", photoUploadComplete, options, "post");

36. Editing existing Objects
• Editing objects (that can be edited) is done by
var options:Object = new Object();
making a POST request to an Objects’ URL.
options.name = "I found a trophy";
options.caption = "Gold trophy";
options.description = "I found a Gold trophy while using ...";
options.link = "http://apps.facebook.com/packt_facebook/";
options.picture = "http://facebook.psyked.co.uk/packt/images/gold.png";
Application, Album, Event, Group and User
Facebook.api("me/feed", responseHandler, options, "post");
objects have properties that can be edited.
private function responseHandler(success:Object, fail:Object):void {
if (success) {
trace(JSON.encode(success, true));
} else {
trace(JSON.encode(fail, true));
}
}

37. Deleting existing Objects
var options:Object = new Object();
options.method = "delete";
Facebook.api("10150322337577749", responseHandler, options,
"post");
private function responseHandler(success:Object,
fail:Object):void {
if (success) {
trace(JSON.encode(success, true));
} else {
trace(JSON.encode(fail, true));
}
}

38. Demos

39. Alternative Posting
Invoking the ‘Share’ dialogs

40. What are the “Share” dialogs?

41. How to invoke a “Share” dialog
protected function publishButtonClickHandler(e:Event):void {
var options:Object = new Object();
options.message = message_txt.text;
options.caption = caption_txt.text;
options.description = description_txt.text;
options.name = name_txt.text;
options.link = link_txt.text;
options.picture = picture_txt.text;
Facebook.ui('feed', options, callbackFunction);
}

42. Slides & Source code
Graph API Explorer:
https://developers.facebook.com/tools/explorer
GitHub:
https://github.com/psyked/facebook-actionscript-api
Website:
http://www.psyked.co.uk/
Facebook App:
http://apps.facebook.com/packt_facebook/