Creating a Group using the Graph API

Question

We're researching the Facebook API for a project and hoping to leverage the Groups API in native iOS and Android apps. In particular, the ability to create and participate in many of the features offered by Facebook Groups.

None of our Facebook apps are in the App Center so we can't make requests on their behalf. After playing around with the Graph Explorer and being unable to create groups because of a lack of manage_groups permissions we started to believe that it was because of our App Center presence.

Am I understanding the docs correctly? Is an approved App Center app a requirement to even test calls that require manage_groups permission?

Answer 1

The App Center requirement has been removed.

Answer 2

There's a groups API available for 'App and Game groups' which is available to Games which are hosted on Facebook.com and have been approved for the App Center on Facebook.

Other apps can manage groups on behalf of Admins, Developers and Testers of the app (not other users), but the groups are tied to the app ID, and it doesn't allow your app to modify groups not created via that mechanism.

Short answer: there isn't a publicly accessible groups API except for the 'App and Game Groups' feature, which can be tested by any app, and used by any App-Center approved canvas games

Answer 3

I have just been through this myself. I'm on here with a VERY related issue myself, but as I can help here, thought I would.

You cant 'give' manage_groups, however, you can generate a different token quite easily that has that permission naturally.

This is my function, works well for me to create and manage groups. But as I might be a week further along, that section of the API is badly documented to the point of agony. I also had to write a slightly tweaked version of the FB SDK's curl, so you will have to twak this a tad.

public function _getAppToken() {
    $appConfig = $this->config->item('facebookAppConfig');
    $path = '/oauth/access_token?client_id=' . $appConfig['appId'] . '&client_secret=' . $appConfig['secret'] . '&grant_type=client_credentials';

    return str_replace('access_token=', '', $this->_facebookGetCurl( $path, 'notoken' ) );
}

Hope this helps a bit.

Gareth