Forewarning: Significant Facebook changes are coming
There are a number of significant changes coming to Facebook in the next few months. Many of these effect the code of your Facebook applications.
The biggest change is that on June 1, 2012, your existing FBML applications will no longer work and may ultimately be removed from fan pages by Facebook. From Facebook, “FBML apps will no longer work on Platform. All FBML endpoints are removed as of June 1, 2012.”
If you have an FBML application and you want to keep your application, it’s time to convert from FBML to a new IFrame application.
For December, there are a number of changes that will be implemented.
1. OAuth spec migration
This code change will effect the way your developers access a specific variable. Facebook has changed the variable name and now your developers need to reference this new variable name.
2. Deprecating Dashboard APIs
This code change only applies to you if your application is leveraging the Dashboard API in your application. This is typically not part of the garden variety Facebook applications that have been built. See a list of the API calls that are effected.
3. Apps on Facebook: FB.Canvas.getPageInfo must be called with callback
This code change only effects you if your application is using this method in the Facebook SDK/API. This is typically not part of the garden variety Facebook applications that have been built.
4. Removing Bookmark URL
This is an application configuration and code change. Facebook is removing the “Bookmark URL” from the application’s configuration. The “Bookmark URL” was a way to assign a unique URL to the link to the application icon in the left column. Facebook didn’t like the way developers were using the field by redirecting users. Now, if your application will use a bookmark there is another method, via code, to track the referral from the bookmark.
For more information go to Facebook’s Developer Road Map.
