AuthenticateWithFacebookAPI: Facebook API Authentication

Description

OAuth token based authentication with the Facebook API, with caching options for automatic authentication (i.e. avoid using the browser).

Usage

AuthenticateWithFacebookAPI(appID, appSecret, extended_permissions, useCachedToken)

Arguments

appID

character string specifying the 'App ID' of the Facebook app used for authentication.

appSecret

character string specifying the 'API Secret' associated with the Facebook App used for authentication.

extended_permissions

logical. If TRUE then behaves as described in package 'Rfacebook': the token will give access to some of the authenticated user's private information (birthday, hometown, location, relationships) and that of his/her friends, and permissions t

useCachedToken

logical. If TRUE then this function will look for a saved token in the current working directory (name of token file must be fb_oauth). If fb_oauth token is not found, then it will create a token and save it to curre

Value

An OAuth access token that enables R to make authenticated calls to the Facebook API.

Details

In order to collect data from Facebook, the user must first authenticate with Facebook's Application Programming Interface (API). Furthermore, the user must create a Facebook 'app' and get an 'app secret'.

To get a Facebook 'app ID' and 'API secret', the excellent tutorial at http://thinktostart.com/analyzing-facebook-with-r/ provides more information.

One problem with Facebook authentication through R is that it normally requires the user to authenticate using their browser each time they wish to collect data. The useCachedToken argument provides a way to circumvent this, by saving and loading an authenticated 'token' file stored in the working directory. If the useCachedToken argument is set to TRUE, then the browser is not necessary for future sessions.

Examples

Run this code

## Use your own values for myAppID and myAppSecret
  myAppID <- "123456789098765"
  myAppSecret <- "abc123abc123abc123abc123abc123ab"

  # Authenticate with the Facebook API using `AuthenticateWithFacebookAPI`
  fb_oauth <- AuthenticateWithFacebookAPI(appID=myAppID, appSecret=myAppSecret,
    extended_permissions=FALSE, useCachedToken=TRUE)