Creating a Facebook Application: Getting Started

It’s been nearly 10 months since I released my first Facebook application, and since then, the platform has really been growing. The great thing about the Facebook platform is that by developing an application for it, you have the potential to tap into a vast audience quite easily. If you’re looking to develop an application and have it become popular quickly, it’s a great place.

Developing a Facebook application is also a great starting point in learning to develop database driven web applications. Prior to developing the Wii Friend Number app, I was mostly a front end developer. After releasing it, I felt I was a more well-rounded developer now that I understood the basics of back end development.

So How Do I Get Started?

First off, it’s given that you need a Facebook account. You will also need a hosting environment which supports the technology you choose to develop for, so for PHP, a LAMP stack works. Next, add the Developer application. The Developer application will be where you do most of the administrative stuff such as applying for an API key.

After adding the Developer application, navigate to it and press Set Up New Application:

It will bring you to a form where you will fill out information about the application you will create. There are optional fields you can fill out but you don’t need to worry about them, most of it can be modified after you’ve created your app. Hopefully you have an idea of an application at this point, otherwise, spend some time thinking about it. I don’t think you can change the name of it after it’s created.

Since I’ve developed my app, Facebook has made it super easy to start now. There will be link to some sample code:

Upon clicking it, you will receive instructions on how to begin developing your app within 3 steps if you choose to develop it in PHP (recommended). Also on this page are sample applications and links to documentation on the platform.

If you choose to develop your app in Java, a link to the Java client library is provided. Be sure to note the API and Secret keys listed on this page as well as you’ll need those when you edit your config file.

What Do I Do Once I’m Finished?

After you’ve finished developing your application, you’ll want to submit it to the Facebook Application Directory (link accessible from Developer application):

This allows your app to be searched by Facebook users. You’ll also want to allow your app to be added by people other then just yourself:

Additional Resources

• Facebook Developers Site
• Building Your First Facebook Application with CakePHP
• Finding Sample Code for Facebook Apps