Employ a Server-Side Heavy Code Implementation

If your Facebook application does not employ an iframe approach to client-side development, then you’ve most likely developed (or will be developing) it using the Facebook HTML and JavaScript subsets, FBML and FBJS. This approach provides a secure subset of client-side code functionality for developers to build their applications. But what it means for porting application between Facebook and OpenSocial containers is that you’ll have to rewrite the entire client-side markup and scripts to standard HTML and JavaScript.

When developing applications to be portable between containers, you should never introduce proprietary implementations when open, standard methods are available. Facebook is migrating away from this FBML/FBJS approach and has a plan in place to move toward using iframes exclusively for Facebook application development. However, older applications implementing FBML/FBJS will continue to be supported.

Get Programming Social Applications now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.