Navigating through Facebook's documentation feels like trying to cross a crowded highway blindfolded. I have set up their Javascript SDK like this:
<script>
window.fbAsyncInit = function() {
FB.init({
appId : '597118477106840',
xfbml : true,
version : 'v2.5'
});
};
(function(d, s, id){
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;}
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js";
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));
</script>
I have created my own custom share button:
<button class="ui facebook button">Share</button>
Now, the question is what action to take upon clicking.
Facebook's examples are quite confusing. Their first example:
FB.ui({
method: 'share',
href: 'https://developers.facebook.com/docs/',
}, function(response){});
Right below this code snippet, they mention:
Include open graph meta tags on the page at this URL to customize the story that is shared back to Facebook.
So I added these meta tags:
<meta property="og:url" content="my-page.com" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:title" content="I really dislike Facebook's documentation" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Additional text?" />
<meta property="og:image" content="image.jpg" />
However, this approach doesn't seem to work as expected. The sharing still uses the default image and text. Continuing to read, I found this statement:
Trigger a Share Dialog using the FB.ui function with the share_open_graph method parameter to share an Open Graph story.
Although it contradicts the previous information, let's give it a try. Here is the code snippet provided:
FB.ui({
method: 'share_open_graph',
action_type: 'og.likes',
action_properties: JSON.stringify({
object:'https://developers.facebook.com/docs/',
})
}, function(response){});
Upon changing the object to my webpage URL, various errors occur each time. Issues range from og:title not being recognized as a string to attempted likes or shares with incorrect image and text. It appears there are multiple errors in this process.
What exactly is og.likes? Facebook provides no list of other available action_types or action_properties, leaving users confused. They mention:
A string specifying which Open Graph action type to publish, e.g., og.likes for the built-in like type.
It should be noted that this example pertains to SHARING content, not liking it. This raises more questions about the correct procedure.
How can I achieve this correctly?