Create a Facebook Application using Rails plugin Facebooker in 7 easy steps!!

Welcome to the 10-Minute Quick Start Guide for Rails Plugin Facebooker showing you how to create a Facebook application from scratch using Ruby on Rails in 7 easy steps:

• Create a Rails application
• Install the Facebooker Rails plugin
• Log on to Facebook and set up a new application
• Add your API key and secret to the facebooker.yml configuration file
• Create Rails controller (and view skeletons)
• Configure default route and remove public/index.html page
• Use Facebooker to get your name, profile pic and status

That’s it. Let’s get started.

Step 1: Create a Rails application

Note: Facebook applications require unique names. This Quick Start Guide uses myfacebookapp. Replace myfacebookapp everywhere with your own unique name. Use Rails to create your web application. Type on the command line:

$ rails myfacebookapp

Step 2: Install the Facebooker Rails plugin

To turn your Rails application into a Facebook application add the Facebooker Rails plugin. Change into your Rails folder and type on the command line:

$ cd myfacebookapp
$ script/plugin install git://github.com/mmangino/facebooker.git

Step 3: Log on to Facebook and set up a new application

Now that you have the Facebooker plugin installed you need to log on to Facebook and set up your new application. Browse to the Facebook Developers page (facebook.com/developers) and click “Set Up New Application”.

Fill in the new application form.

Use “My First Facebook Application” for your Application Name. Check that you have read and agree to the terms of service.

Set your Callback URL to http://localhost:3000/ (note: do not forget the trailing slash /) and the Canvas Page URL to http://apps.facebook.com/myfacebookapp/

We build a web application using inline frames (iframe). Check (X) Use iframe and (X) Website for Application Type.

That’s it. Hit submit to get your API key and secret created. Write down your API key and secret for the next step.

API Key: 47013ae80a97cc151707961fc03bc9bf
Secret: 7f296d598f9c79a5f439289e1240dc69

Step 4: Add your API key and secret to the facebooker.yml configuration file

Note, the Facebooker plugin creates the facebooker.yml configuration file during installation in the config folder. Need proof? Open the config/facebooker.yml file and add your own API key, secret and canvas page name:

development:
  api_key: 47013ae80a97cc151707961fc03bc9bf
  secret_key: 7f296d598f9c79a5f439289e1240dc69
  canvas_page_name: myfacebookapp

Step 5: Create Rails controller and (view skeletons)

Let’s create a Rails controller with an index action/view. Type on the command line:

$ script/generate controller facebookapp index

Step 6: Configure default route and remove public/index.html page

Next set up the default route using the facebookapp controller. Open config/routes.rb and add the new default route (telling Rails to map http://localhost:3000/ requests to http://localhost:3000/facebookapp/):

map.root :controller => "facebookapp"

Step 7: Use Facebooker to get your name, profile pic and status

Now lets add some code to our facebookapp controller and views. Add ensure_authenticated_to_facebook to the top of your workshop controller to ask Facebookers using your application to login.

class FacebookappController < ApplicationController

  ensure_authenticated_to_facebook

  def index
  end

end

Now we’re all set up and ready to tap into Facebook using the API. Facebooker hides all the Facebook API requests. To get your name, profile pic and status using the Facebook API just store a reference to the Facebooker user from the Facebook session in @user in your controller and use @user.name, @user.pic_square and @user.status.message in your view.

def index
  @user = session[:facebook_session].user
end

And finally lets use the Facebooker user data to display a Twitter-like “What are you doing?” status message. Change the app/views/facebookapp/index.html.erb view template:

What are you doing?

That’s it!

Start up your web server (script/server) and surf with your browser to http://localhost:3000/. If all works you will get redirected to Facebook asking you to login to your Facebook application.

Click on “Allow” and see your new Facebook application in action.

Ruby on Rails Rocks!!