WordPress › Support » [Plugin: Facebook] Publish as Author Doesn't Stay Selected

jlomaga
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

I'm trying to set-up the plugin and having an issue with the Author Publishing part, I have connected and the plugin posts fine to our fanpage, but it won't publish to our personal timelines. I have set-up the opengraph as per the instructions. What I noticed is in the setting I'll have Author Publish checked I'll save setting do my test post then go back to the settings and the Author Publish is unchecked. Is this a bug??

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/facebook/
Maylor
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

I am also getting this problem.

I've tried several times, and the 'Publish to author's Timeline' option will remain checked, until I publish a test post. As in jlomaga's post above, the activity is being shared on my Facebook Page, but not on my personal timeline.
MarshallWayne
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

I'm having the same issue. Everything works fine, except publishing to my personal timeline.
dnoe
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

After making my own post about this same issue, I run across this thread.

Anyone know a fix?
thomed01
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Am having the exact same problem.

Ticked the box, and saved.

I followed these steps - https://developers.facebook.com/wordpress/#author-og-setup

The post came up in the timeline for the page I created (yay I thought) But it didn't show on my personal/author timeline.

Then I tried to complete the final step of submitting the Open Graph action/object. But facebook tells me that I haven't successfully made the first post yet (partially true I guess).
Raaj
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

To fix this issue you need to go to your Facebook Applications settings located here: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=applications. Then the delete the app that you created for your blog from the list. Don't worry you will re-add again in a few seconds. Then go to your blogs admin area and go to the 'Facebook' plugin settings and check on the 'Publish to author's Timeline' and go to the bottom and click on SAVE. You should see a re-auth box or a link below where you checked off 'Publish to author's Timeline'. It worked for me.
thomed01
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

I removed the app from my FB account.

Then went through, checked the box to post to author timeline. Followed the instructions again to create a new action type (after clearing out the old one).

Went back to wordpress, where indeed, as you say @bluechip the link appears - though that link seems to apply to posting onto Pages. I went through and re-added the app to my fb account. Gave permissions for everything, etc.

So, back on the FB Plugin settings I get the drop down of my pages visible. I leave it set to disabled. The checkbox for author timeline is checked. For good measure, I hit save again.

Then new post. I give title, body, Facebook Author post option, then publish. The post appears on my site, but then nothing shows on either fb page, or my personal timeline. Only expected it to show on my personal timeline.

Back to the Facebook Plugin settings and mysteriously the option to post to author timeline is no longer checked!

So I recheck the author timeline button, and add the Page timeline post option again. Save.

Another new post....

Author Timeline shows nothing.
Page Timeline shows the post perfectly.

Because the Author timeline post has failed, I cannot complete the Open Graph setup.
nrturner
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

I'm also having the same issue.
tmiland
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Me too!
mtedwards
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Me three... frustrating!!!
Raaj
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

I posted the solution here, Facebook WordPress Plugin: Publish as Author Solution.

Let me know if you have any issues.
mtedwards
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Still no luck.

I tried removing the plugin and reinstalling. I have tried deleting the app and creating a new app and I have removed it from my Authorised Apps.

It re-authorises, but doesn't post to my timeline, so I can't submit the open graph request.

Not too sure what else to try.
thomed01
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Same as @mtedwards - still no luck.

Anyone else using CloudFlare? Just wondering if that's messing with stuff?
dnoe
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

I'm not using cloudflare, and it's still messed up...

bluechip's suggestion didn't work either.
martinbalmer
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Having the same problem, tried bluechip's solution and still the post does not appear on timeline. As said, the option remains checked until a new post is made, after which it is unchecked.

I've deleted the Facebook plugin and reinstalled also.
pcland
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Having this problem as well. The option to 'publish to author's timeline' keeps unchecking after the post is published. Think I'm going to try another plugin..
Raaj
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Try disabling all the plugins if you are still having issues to see if that fixes the problem. If it does, then one by one activate the plugins to figure out which plugin was causing the conflict.

The option to 'publish to authors timeline' if it unchecks after you have authorized the Facebook app, its no big deal, as all that does it create a pop up window to the Facebook Developers page that shows you what to do. As long as you have followed all the instructions, it should work.

Cloudflare has nothing to do with your website blog not working with the Facebook Plugin.
dnoe
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

@bluechip

I disabled every single plugin except the facebook one, and it is still happening.
pcland
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

I tried using another plugin and it worked. I think it's because it prompted me to grant it permission to post to my timeline (just like the permission screen that pops up when you use any other app on Facebook) while the Facebook plugin didn't.
dnoe
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

@prettycoolland

What plugin?
krowland08
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Here's my rundown:

Normal blog writer can post to a Fan Page with comment form appearing on the post edit page.

Only ONE fan page can be selected for all authors on the blog, since normal user never sees the Facebook settings screen, only admins do.

I am only going to assume, that each blog author can authenticate to his own FB timeline/page. So the writer can post to HIS/HER time line AND the designated FB Fan Page for the blog.

Admin user can post on Fan Page, but the comment form does not appear, but the post will go to the fan page, sans any comment.

Neither normal user or admin user will get posted to any timeline, even though you are authenticated and you do see the comments entry form on the blog post screen.

It appears there is not much we can do but wait until WP/FB authors look into this for us.
krowland08
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

And if a Blog Author leaves the FB comment entry box empty on the New post screen, the posting still goes to the Fan Page.
Facebook
Member
Plugin Author
Posted 11 months ago #

Hey folks, this gets disabled if there's a Facebook API error.

We're working on a couple of things to make this flow easier.

Please keep your eyes peeled for an update to the plugin next week and follow up with the results you get.

Thanks
krowland08
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

We're assuming the error is "Can't Post to the Timeline!" Can you acknowledge that there is something flaky here, so we can all quit pulling our hair out and just wait for you all to update it.

It's a great start, real close!
Joe
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

It is great to know that the reason is because of a FB API error. No more time to waste trying to figure out why it was happening.

I think it is a great plugin and I look forward to next week's update.
Dave
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Ran in exact same issues after double-checking all the set-up a dozen times (+ disabling all other plugins etc)...

I spent half my morning debugging this PoS of a plugin and here are the results (ongoing work):

• Checkbox gets unticked because the morons who programmed this plugin decided it was the appropriate response, when the posting fails due to an API error. Instead of, you know, displaying a freaking error message.

• Posting fails because the plugin uses what appears to be outdated API specs. Gory details for debug-minded people:
- WP's implementation of makeRequest throws a mysterious '400 HTTP' error.
- when running the same query manually, Facebook API returns code '2500': Unknown path components: \/my-app-id:publish
- manually changing the API parameter to replace /<em>my-app-id</em>:publish by news.publishes successfully posts.
- haven't yet figured an easy way to change that in the plugin itself...

Either way, it looks like FB devs cannot seem to keep up with their own API.

Update: THE FIX

Following bit of code-tinkering did the trick for me (until FB breaks their API compatibility again, I guess). Use at your own risk.

- Edit file fb-social-publisher.php
- Around line 344, replace:

$publish_result = $facebook->api('/me/' . $options["app_namespace"] . ':publish', 'POST', array('message' => $author_message, 'article' => get_permalink($post_id)));

By:

$publish_result = $facebook->api('/me/' . 'news.publishes', 'POST', array('message' => $author_message, 'article' => get_permalink($post_id)));

- Of course, you still need to have added the action to Open Graph in your FB app settings (follow the plugin instructions, except you need to create a 'Publish + article' action).

I suspect a similar fix can be done for the post-to-page function, but do not use it and do not really have the time to debug this too.

Incidentally: the publishing function of this plugin is quite poor: doesn't bother posting a summary or suggesting a thumbnail... I threw away my own custom FB-posting plugin, thinking the official one would be better-supported and more advanced: bitter disappointment there.
Ecyanboo
Member
Posted 11 months ago #

Hi fellas

Iam also face this problem.
Is there any simpler method to enable post to timeline feature?
Matt Kelly (Facebook)
Member
Plugin Contributor
Posted 11 months ago #

As we said above, we're pushing a fix this week (tomorrow, actually). Thanks.
Matt Kelly (Facebook)
Member
Plugin Contributor
Posted 11 months ago #

Dave: "I threw away my own custom FB-posting plugin, thinking the official one would be better-supported and more advanced: bitter disappointment there."

We launched next week. We're working on a bundle of fixes. Thanks for the feedback, but please keep it constructive.
Matt Kelly (Facebook)
Member
Plugin Contributor
Posted 11 months ago #

Can you try 1.0.1 (http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/facebook/changelog/) and let me know if you're still seeing issues? Thanks