FBAppFactory Add-on Manual

Last update: January 9th, 2014

Copyright © 2010-2014 ClickFWD LLC

Chapter 1 FB App Factory Overview & Installation

1.1 Overview

The FB App Factory Add-on for JReviews allows you to create, brand and distribute your own Facebook applications. Those applications will display widgets setup via the WidgetFactory Add-on and drive additional traffic to your website. Example of an app:

You will be able to distribute Facebook apps from your site and if you create a detail page for the App on Facebook, it will be possible to find it in Facebook search results.

Live example of apps that anyone can add to their Facebook pages can be found on the JReviews demo site:

http://demo.reviewsforjoomla.com/widgets

The apps can be seen live on the official JReviews FB page:

http://www.facebook.com/jreviews

The FB App Factory add-on will also track impressions and clicks, the same as the WidgetFactory does for widgets:

1.2 Requirements

The WidgetFactory Add-on - before you can create Facebook Apps that will display the widgets, first you need to create the widgets in the WidgetFactory Add-on.

A valid SSL certificate - The FB App Factory Add-on will only work if your site has a valid SSL certificate to allow secure connections. This is because Facebook requires a secure connection from the App to your site. That doesn't mean you must change your site to SSL for all of your traffic right away. JReviews has a new SSL setting that allows you to change the JReviews URLs to no-SSL even when accessed via an SSL URL.

1.3 Installation

The add-on can be installed via the Install & Update link under the Maintenance menu in the JReviews administration:

To install or update the addon you must have previously purchased it, your JReviews version needs to match or be greater than the one specified for the addon and you must have a valid "Upgrades & Support" package for your JReviews license.

If you purchased the addon, but it still says "addon not active for this license", go to the JReviews admin license screen, clear the local key text area and re-submit the license number. This will fetch a new local key that includes the addon information.

On the Install & Update page, check the Updates checkbox, and click on the Install button next to the FBAppFactory Add-on:

Reload the page to see the FB App Factory link appear under the Add-ons header on the left sidebar:

Chapter 2 Setting up Facebook Apps

2.1 Creating an App on Facebook

The first step is to log in to the Facebook Developers site using your personal FB account and click the Create New App button in top right corner.

You will get a popup where you need to enter the name of the App. For example, if you want the app to show a widget that displays the list of top rated products, enter something like "Top Rated Products" as App Name:

On the next step you will need to enter the captcha text. After that, you will go to the app summary page where you need to enter the required info.

First fill in the Basic Info. You can leave the Sandbox Mode enabled for now (only you as admin will see the app). Disable the Sandbox Mode only after you finish setting up the app and test everything.

Under "Select how your app integrates with Facebook" choose App on Facebook and Page Tab:

Populate the App on Facebook and Page Tab settings and click Save Changes:

Page Tab Name - this is what will be displayed to visitors of the FB page.

Page Tab URL - for now enter the url to your site (later it will be replaced with an URL generated by the FB App Factory Add-on).

Secure Page Tab URL - for now enter the url to your site with https (later it will be replaced with an URL generated by the FB App Factory Add-on).

Page Tab Image - upload an image for the tab. The image must have 111 x 74 pixels dimension.

2.2 Creating an App in the FB App Factory Add-on

In the FB App Factory Add-on click the Application link in the sidebar. Next click the New button in top right corner and populate all required info for the app:

Title - enter that title of the app that users will see on your site.

State - choose Yes if you want the visitors of your site to be able to add the app to their Facebook pages.

Select Widget Type - choose which widget will be shown in the app. The widget must be previously setup in the WidgetFactory Add-on.

FB App ID - you will find the App ID in your app details on Facebook.

FB App Secret - you will find the App Secret in your app details on Facebook.

Description - description of the app that visitors of your site will see.

FB App HTML - anything you enter here will be displayed above the widget output in the app on Facebook.

After you populate all required fields, click the Save button. Next in the list of apps click the Grab URL for use in FB App button and you will get a new url for your Facebook App settings:

Next, go back to Facebook, edit the App that you created and in the App on Facebook and Page Tab replace the existing URLs with what FB App Factory Add-on generated:

For the Secure Page Tab URL enter the same URL, just use "https" instead of "http".

The setup is now completed.

Chapter 3 Adding FB Apps to FB Pages

3.1 Adding the App to your own FB Page

After we finish setting up the first FB App, next we should test the app by adding it to our FB Page.

To do that, go to the Applications page in FB App Factory Add-on and click the Add to FB Page button:

You will be redirected to Facebook and you will be asked to which of your FB Pages do you want to add the app.

When you view the app for the first time, you will be able to adjust the widget settings:

Click Save and View Tab buttons to see the app and the widget inside it:

After you confirm that everything works fine, edit the App in Facebook again and disable the Sandbox Mode so that other people will be able to see it.

3.2 Allowing other people to add the App to their FB pages

If you created the Available Widgets menu item with the WidgetFactory Add-on, the same menu item will now list FB Apps as well:

Instead of the Get Code button for regular widgets, FB Apps have Add to FB Page button and visitors of your site that will click that button will be redirected to Facebook where they'll be able to choose on which of their FB pages the app will be added.

3.3 Tracking the usage of FB Apps

If you click on a Pages link in FB App Factory Add-on, you will see a list of all Facebook pages whose owners added your apps with information about the number of app views and clicks on links within the app: