Facebook Platform Updates: Frictionless Requests 2.0, OAuth 2.0 and HTTPS Deadlines Tomorrow, FMBL Ending Jun 2012
Yesterday, Facebook announced updates to a Requests 2.0 including a introduction of frictionless requests that don’t need users to finish a Requests dialog. This could get users to send some-more Requests, assisting apps benefit new users and reengage existent users. However, some users competence opt in to frictionless requests but entirely bargain a feature’s implications, and after be astounded to find out their in-app actions have been promulgation Requests to their friends
It also set a deprecation report for FBML. Support will be dropped on Jan 1st, 2012, and apps regulating FBML will stop to work on Jun 1st, 2012. Last week’s Platform Update also remarkable additions to a Graph API, a change to setAutoResize, and a new approach for developers to have their apps indexed. Finally, tomorrow is a emigration deadline for OAuth 2.0 and HTTPS.
Requests 2.0 Updates
Previously, developers had to force users by a Requests dialog each time they wish to send a Request. Developers can now capacitate frictionless requests, that allows them to automatically send Requests on interest of a users when a user opts to send a Request to a crony they’ve already sent one to.
If enabled, when users go to send their initial ask to a specific friend, they’ll see a checkbox for “Don’t ask again before promulgation Requests to [this friend] from this app.” Next time they opt to send a Request to that same crony from that same app, a Request will be automatically sent but interrupting use of a app.
As Requests are an critical motorist of expansion and influence for apps, creation it easier for users to send Requests should assistance apps boost their user counts. Frictionless Requests might also be concordant with Facebook’s stirring HTML5 mobile app platform, that will concede users to send Requests that are delivered as notifications.
Facebook is also implementing a new violation change to Requests 2.0 that will urge a performance. A new emigration environment called “Requests 2.0 Efficient” is now permitted in a Developer app. When activated this “changes a format for ask IDs in a JavaScript requests callback method.” Developers should make a change to their JavaScript and afterwards capacitate a migration.
In 90 days on Jan 1st, 2012, all apps will be opted into both Requests 2.0 Efficient and Upgrade to Requests 2.0. Developers should make certain they’re prepared to forestall breakage. New apps are now opted into both these migrations and can't opt out. Apps are also now obliged for deletion aged Requests. Details for creation a emigration are permitted in a Requests documentation.
FBML Deprecation
Facebook announced over a year ago a plans to depreciate FBML. In Mar 2011, it ceased to concede new FBML apps to be created. Now it has scheduled a final dual stairs of a deprecation.
On Jan 1st, 2012 Facebook will stop ancillary FBML and stop to repair bugs solely for those associated to remoteness and security. On Jun 1st, 2012, Facebook will mislay all FBML endpoints and any apps built on a denunciation will stop functioning. The deprecation will make Facebook app growth some-more permitted as programmers won’t have to use a exclusive language.
The dual categorical tools of FBML that sojourn useful to developers are Requests and Static FBML. Requests can now be rubbed with Requests 2.0, and Static FBML can be transposed with iframe apps. Several Facebook Preferred Developer Consultants offer free iframe app builders, including Wildfire Interactive. Facebook has also worked with Wildfire to offer a FBML to iframe emigration tutorial. XFBML will not be deprecated.
Platform Updates
As minute in a Platform Update, problems with FB.Canvas.setAutoResize have forced Facebook to rename a call for determining how an app is displayed on a Canvas page. The duty is now named FB.Canvas.setAutoGrow and usually works for augmenting a distance of an app. To cringe an app, Facebook recommends regulating “FB.Canvas.setSize with a tallness parameter to set a iframe tallness explicitly.” FB.Canvas.setAutoResize will be deprecated on Jan 1st, 2012.
Mutual friends between dual users can now be retrieved from a Graph API with a call: https://graph.facebook.com/me/mutualfriends/FRIEND_ID
The following information about an focus can now be pulled from a Graph API:
canvas_namelogo_urlicon_urlcompanydaily_active_usersweekly_active_usersmonthly_active_users
To do so, developers can use a call https://graph.facebook.com/ANY_APP_ID
To facilitate how apps are indexed by Facebook’s inner hunt engine, now when apps strech 10 month active users they are queued to be indexed in a subsequent index reconstruct that happens ever dual to 4 weeks. Developers no prolonged need use a environment page’s Submit to Search link. This will make certain apps that are gaining users aren’t incidentally left out of search.
OAuth 2.0 and HTTPS Migration Deadline Tomorrow
In May, Facebook announced that developers would eventually need to quit to a some-more secure approach to pass entrance tokens and concede users to crop their apps over a secure HTTPS connection. This followed a confidence issue where apps were found to be leaking permissions tokens that could give third-parties unapproved entrance to user data. The emigration becomes imperative tomorrow, Oct 1st, 2011.
Developers contingency use OAuth 2.0 for authentication, encrypt entrance tokens, and have an SSL certificate and yield a secure browsing URL. To support developers, Facebook has expelled admin.setAppProperties that allows a required settings changes to be done programmatically. FBML apps contingency also have SSL certificates and secure browsing URLs.