Facebook data integrator

09 January, 2017

help BDS blog

General information

Facebook data integrator is an application that can be used for facile sharing of images that you have posted in mybiOSis database by including them in your Facebook albums or timeline. This application allows you also to easily import images from your albums to mybiOSis database; of course you would be able to add specific data to your image like placename, date of observation etc. Facebook data integrator allows you also to promote mybiOSis project by dynamically creating collages of favorite images and posting them as links to your Facebook timeline. To access Facebook data integrator locate the application icon in the Application directory. Click on the Application directory icon in the toolbar of mybiOSis desktop and in the opened panel look for the Facebook icon

. Click on the icon to open the application. You may drag it to the vertical menu on the left of mybiOSis desktop to pin it to the menu and keep it visible for the next sessions. Facebook login Facebook albums Importing images from your Facebook albums to mybiOSis Exporting images from mybiOSis to your Facebook albums Promoting mybiOSis on Facebook through links

Facebook login

In order to use this application you have to connect to mybiOSis environment using Facebook login buttons. One Facebook login button is located in the general mybiOSis login page. Also Facebook data integrator provides a button for login. If you choose to login using the Facebook button from within Facebook data integrator, please note that the mybiOSis interface will reload.

Authentication with Facebook is secure and is done on Facebook's servers. We do not have access to your login details nor we store in any form this type of information.

Facebook albums

Facebook data integrator allows inspection of your Facebook albums. The right vertical panel [2] contains a list of your albums. A click on one of the album covers would load its content in the left panel [3]. Images are presented as thumbnails.

A click on thumbnails opens a window with information and a larger image. The details include a list of Likes from Facebook users, a list of Favs from mybiOSis user as well as comments from Facebook users. You may post Facebook comments to the image from this window.

Importing images from your Facebook album to mybiOSis

You may import images from your Facebook albums to mybiOSis database. Select the image you want to import by doing a right-click with the mouse on the surface of and image thumbnail. Then click on import image from the context menu that appears visible.

This would open the add observation form. The image will be preloaded in form. Select the dataset and fill in at least the mandatory fields like image title or determination of organism, placename & date when the picture was taken. To ease input, the caption of the image is included inside the form. You may copy and paste selections from this caption in the appropriate fields. The program tries to find patterns in your text to automatically fill in certain types of data. For example, if the caption of your image in Facebook album includes date specified as dd.mm.yyyy then it would attempt to fill the data for you.

Exporting images from mybiOSis to your Facebook albums

Exporting images to Facebook albums is very easy. Open the Facebook album to which you want to add images. For this, open the Feeder window and place it somewhere near Facebook data integrator. In Feeder search&scroll for the image you want to export. Drag the image and drop it on the surface of the album in Facebook data integrator. Alternatively, you may drag&drop images from mybiOSis albums, classification browser, observationsManager, and projectManager.

After dropping the image a very simple form opens. Place a comment and post the image in your Facebook album. Unfortunately, we are not allowed by ToC of Facebook to fill in automatically the associated data for the image. We cannot even suggest you what to post. It would remain entirely to you to compose the text for the caption.

Promoting mybiOSis on Facebook through links

You may promote mybiOSis environment and NDOR database though collages of images. For this in Facebook data integrator click on the promote mybiosis tab. Select the dataset from which you want the images to be selected. You may choose if you want to select images posted by all members or just yours. Then click on the generate FB promo button. The application would select the last favorite images that were posted in mybiOsis database for the selected dataset and authors and would prepare a collage of 6 images. You have the choice to write a comment. When you are ready, click on "post to Facebook button to post the link to your Facebook timeline. The link would include information about authors of images, name of organisms or title of pictures as well as a link toward mybiosis to see the selection of images in full.