Overview
After this these steps you will be able to automate the process of posting on Facebook by a Python script. In this example I will show how it is done on a Facebook brand page, Learn Python With Rune.
What you need.
- A graph API token, which you by registering as a developer on facebook and creating an App there.
- Make a simple Python program using the facebook library
Step 1: Registering as developer at Facebook
To register as a developer at Facebook you need to log in to developer.facebook.com
You press the Log In in the top right corner and log in with you Facebook credentials.
Step 2: Create an App
You need to create an App to get the graph API token.
Under My Apps you press Create App.
Press the Manage Pages, Ads or Groups.
You enter App Display Name, which will be the name that is used when posting from this App. Hence, chose a name that you like people to see in the post.
Fill out your email (probably it is automatically there) and press Create App ID.
Step 3: Create Graph API token
Under tools choose Graph API explorer
Ensure that the right Facebook App is chosen. Then under User or Page chose get Page Access Token.
It will prompt you to log in to your Facebook account and ask permission for sharing your page.
Agree with that.
Then you will get back to this screen.
Where you want to add pages_manage_posts, that will grant you access to create posts.
Then click Generate Access Token and you will be prompted to agree with the new access rights on your Facebook page.
Step 4: Prolong you graph API token
The graph API token is quite short lived, so you want to extend it.
Press the info at the graph API token.
Then press the Open in Access Token Tool.
Where you in the bottom will find Extend Access Token. Press that.
Step 6: Install facebook-sdk library
To make you life easy in Python, you need to install the facebook-sdk library.
pip install facebook-sdk
Step 7: The Python magic
You need to insert you Access Token in the code.
Also, insert the page ID you want. You can find your Page ID with this page.
import facebook
page_access_token = "" # Replace with you access token
graph = facebook.GraphAPI(page_access_token)
facebook_page_id = "" # insert you page ID here.
graph.put_object(facebook_page_id, "feed", message='test message')
That’s it. Enjoy.