Display Facebook page posts feed on website using PHP
Previously, we learned how to display Facebook page videos on your website using PHP.
Today, in this tutorial, we will show you how to display Facebook page posts on your website using PHP. Posts from your Facebook page are essential to keep your audience informed, engaged, and updated with your latest content.
However, if you're not showing those posts to your website visitors, you miss out on a valuable opportunity to connect with them.
Our code in this tutorial will allow you to automatically display your Facebook page posts on your website using PHP. The integration process is straightforward, and once it's done, you can create and edit your posts on Facebook, and any changes will also be reflected on your website.
This will save you time and effort, as you won't need to manually update your website whenever you create a new post.
Overview
Our code for today will get any posts like videos, statuses, or pictures from your Facebook page using Facebook Graph API. We will beautifully display these posts or contents on a webpage (assuming it is your website) with Bootstrap.
See our step-by-step Bootstrap tutorial if you’re not yet familiar with this awesome front-end framework. It is also responsive, so it’s one advantage for mobile devices.
Don't want to code?
Before we continue coding, if you realize you do not want to code and need more features, you can use a website plugin called SociableKIT. It is the best no-code tool for the job.
You can easily customize the look and feel of your Facebook feed and embed it on your website in 3 minutes. The posts feed on your website will update automatically.
Follow this tutorial: Embed Facebook page posts feed on website. You can also embed other feeds, such as Facebook page events, photos, videos, and more. There’s a free plan that you can use if you don’t need the premium features of SociableKIT.
But if you like coding, continue with our tutorial below!
Code Output
It is essential to know where we are going. Once we finish the tutorial, we will achieve the output in the video below.
Enjoy the step-by-step tutorial below!
Create the index page
Create index.php file with basic HTML code
This index file will be loaded first and what we will see on the browser. Create index.php file. Put the following code.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Display Facebook page posts on website</title>
<!-- CSS will be here -->
</head>
<body>
<!-- Facebook page posts will be here -->
<!-- JavaScript will be here -->
</body>
</html>
Include Bootstrap and custom CSS
Here we include Bootstrap CSS and our own custom CSS to make our page look good. Replace <!-- CSS will be here --> comment with the following code.
<!-- CSS -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" integrity="sha384-EVSTQN3/azprG1Anm3QDgpJLIm9Nao0Yz1ztcQTwFspd3yD65VohhpuuCOmLASjC" crossorigin="anonymous">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="custom.css" media="screen">
Include JavaScript
Include Bootstrap and Font Awesome JavaScript. Bootstrap JavaScript is required for Bootstrap to work better. We use Font Awesome for the likes and comments count icons. Replace <!-- JavaScript will be here --> comment with the following code.
<!-- JavaScript -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js" integrity="sha384-MrcW6ZMFYlzcLA8Nl+NtUVF0sA7MsXsP1UyJoMp4YLEuNSfAP+JcXn/tWtIaxVXM" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
<script src="https://kit.fontawesome.com/dd3a1aa24e.js" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
Put code for Facebook page posts
Here's the body of our webpage. In this part, we will display the Facebook page posts. Replace <!-- Facebook page posts will be here --> comment with the following code.
<div class="container">
<div class='col-lg-12'>
<h1 class='page-header'>Display Facebook page posts on website</h1>
<?php include "facebook_page_posts.php"; ?>
</div>
</div>
Custom CSS
Create custom.css file
Create a custom.css file. This file was used inside the index.php file. Put the following code.
/* profile css will be here */
/* post css will be here */
/* other css will be here */
Profile CSS
The following CSS code is intended for profile information on the page. Replace /* profile css will be here */ comment with the following code.
.profile-info{
overflow:hidden;
}
.profile-photo{
float:left;
margin:0 .5em 0 0;
}
.profile-photo img{
width:40px; height:40px;
}
.profile-name{
float:left;
width:85%;
}
.profile-message{
margin:1em 0;
}
Post CSS
The following CSS code is for post information on the page. Replace /* post css will be here */ comment with the following code.
.post-link{
text-decoration:none;
}
.post-content{
background: #f6f7f9; overflow:hidden;
}
.post-content img{
width:100%;
}
.post-status{
margin:.5em; font-weight:bold;
}
.post-picture{
width:25%; float:left;
}
.post-info{
width:70%; float:left; margin:.5em;
}
.post-info-name{
font-weight:bold;
}
.post-info-description{
color:#999;
}
Other CSS
These are other CSS codes used to make our web page look good. Replace /* other css will be here */ comment with the following code.
.page-header{
margin:50px 0;
}
.time-ago{
color:#999;
}
.like-count-summary{
margin-top:10px;
}
Display Facebook page posts
Create facebook_page_posts.php file
This file will be used to be the central place where the Facebook page posts feed will be requested (from the Facebook Graph API), processed, and displayed. Create a facebook_page_posts.php file. This file was also used inside the index.php file. Put the following code.
<?php
include "functions.php";
// parameters will be here
// json link and contents will be here
// posts loop will be here
?>
Create functions.php
We have one function in this file. Its purpose is to convert a date and time value to a "time ago" format. For example 1 day ago, 2 hours ago, 1 month ago, etc. Create functions.php file. This file was used inside the facebook_page_posts.php file. Put the following code.
<?php
// to get 'time ago' text
function time_elapsed_string($datetime, $full = false) {
$now = new DateTime;
$ago = new DateTime($datetime);
$diff = $now->diff($ago);
$diff->w = floor($diff->d / 7);
$diff->d -= $diff->w * 7;
$string = array(
'y' => 'year',
'm' => 'month',
'w' => 'week',
'd' => 'day',
'h' => 'hour',
'i' => 'minute',
's' => 'second',
);
foreach ($string as $k => &$v) {
if ($diff->$k) {
$v = $diff->$k . ' ' . $v . ($diff->$k > 1 ? 's' : '');
} else {
unset($string[$k]);
}
}
if (!$full) $string = array_slice($string, 0, 1);
return $string ? implode(', ', $string) . ' ago' : 'just now';
}
?>
Parameters
These variables contains the parameters needed to make a request to the Facebook graph API. Replace // parameters will be here comment with the following code.
// prepare parameters
$fb_page_id = "YOUR_PAGE_ID";
$api_version = "v11.0";
$profile_photo_src = "https://graph.facebook.com/{$api_version}/{$fb_page_id}/picture?type=square";
$access_token = "YOUR_PAGE_ACCESS_TOKEN";
$fields = "id,attachments,message,picture,icon,created_time,from,story,likes.limit(0).summary(true),comments.limit(0).summary(true)";
$limit = 30;
Specify your Facebook page ID and token
You need to replace YOUR_PAGE_ID and YOUR_PAGE_ACCESS_TOKEN with your own. There are two ways to retrieve your page ID and token.
The first method is this: To get your Facebook page ID, follow this tutorial. To get your Facebook page access token, follow this tutorial. This method can be time-consuming.
We can do this process for you but there will be a service fee of $50. Also, you will need to make us an admin of your Facebook page. If you want to avail of this service, pay using this link. After the payment, you will receive further instructions from [email protected]
The second method this: We built and maintain a tool where you can easily retrieve your page ID and token. It costs $30. You can buy an access here. This method is faster and easier.
JSON link and contents
In this part, we will build the whole request link and get the response from the API. Replace // json link and contents will be here comment with the following code.
// build json link and get contents
$json_link = "https://graph.facebook.com/{$fb_page_id}/posts?fields={$fields}&limit={$limit}&access_token={$access_token}";
$json = file_get_contents($json_link);
$obj = json_decode($json, true);
$feed_item_count = count($obj['data']);
Loop through posts
Once we got the response or the data from the API, we will loop through it this way. Each loop contains a Facebook post from your page. Replace // posts loop will be here comment with the following code.
// loop throug posts
foreach($obj['data'] as $post){
include "extract_values.php";
include "display_values.php";
}
Extract values
Create extract_values.php file
Create extract_values.php file. This file was used inside facebook_page_posts.php file. Put the following code.
// post id, link, and page name will be here
// when it was posted will be here
// attachments will be here
// message and story will be here
// likes and comments count will be here
Extract post ID, link and page name
In this code, we will get the post ID and page name. We will also build the link to the original post on Facebook. Replace // post id, link, and page name will be here comment with the following code.
// post id, link, and page name
$id = isset($post['id']) ? $post['id'] : "";
$link = "https://www.facebook.com/{$id}";
$page_name = isset($post['from']['name']) ? $post['from']['name'] : "";
Extract post date
The following code retrieves the post date and time. We convert this value to a "time ago" value. Post date will look like this: 4 weeks ago. 3 days ago, 1 month ago, 2 years ago. We are using the time_elapsed_string() function from functions.php file in this part of the code. Replace // when it was posted will be here comment with the following code.
// when it was posted
$created_time = isset($post['created_time']) ? $post['created_time'] : "";
$converted_date_time = date( 'Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime($created_time));
$ago_value = time_elapsed_string($converted_date_time);
Extract attachments
We will get the post attachments. Attachments contains the post type, image or thumbnail, post title, and description. These data makes a post look more informative. Replace // attachments will be here comment with the following code.
// attachments
$att_type = "";
$att_title = "";
$att_description = "";
$att_image = "";
if(isset($post['attachments'])){
$att_type = isset($post['attachments']['data'][0]['type'])
? $post['attachments']['data'][0]['type'] : "";
$att_title = isset($post['attachments']['data'][0]['title'])
? $post['attachments']['data'][0]['title'] : "";
$att_description = isset($post['attachments']['data'][0]['description'])
? $post['attachments']['data'][0]['description'] : "";
$att_image = isset($post['attachments']['data'][0]['media']['image']['src'])
? $post['attachments']['data'][0]['media']['image']['src'] : "";
}
Extract message and story
The $message variable contains the custom text entered by the user for the post. The $story variable contains values such as "added an even" or "updated their status". Replace // message and story will be here comment with the following code.
// message and story ("updated their status." or "added an event")
$message=isset($post['message']) ? $post['message'] : "";
$message=htmlspecialchars_decode(str_replace("\n", "<br>", $message));
$story = isset($post['story']) ? $post['story'] : "";
Extract likes and comments count
The likes and comments count are important signals of engagement. The following code is how we get these values. Replace // likes and comments count will be here comment with the following code.
// likes and comments count
$likes_count=isset($post['likes']['summary']['total_count'])
? $post['likes']['summary']['total_count'] : 0;
$comments_count=isset($post['comments']['summary']['total_count'])
? $post['comments']['summary']['total_count'] : 0;
Display values
Create display_values.php file
This file was also used inside facebook_page_posts.php file. Create display_values.php file. Put the following code.
<?php
echo "<div class='item_box'>
<div class='row'>";
<!-- left side of the post will be here -->
<!-- right side of the post will be here -->
echo "</div>
<hr />
</div>";
Display profile photo, story, post date, and message
The following code will display the page's profile photo, page name, date posted, and message. All on the right side of the post. Replace <! -- left side of the post will be here --> comment with the following code.
// left side
echo "<div class='col-md-4'>
<div class='profile-info'>
<div class='profile-photo'>
<a href='https://fb.com/{$fb_page_id}' target='_blank'>
<img src='{$profile_photo_src}' />
</a>
</div>
<div class='profile-name'>
<div>";
echo !empty($story) ? $story : $page_name;
echo "</div>
<div class='time-ago'>{$ago_value}</div>
</div>
</div>
<p class='profile-message'>
{$message}
</p>
</div>";
Display attachments, likes, and comments count
The following code will display the attachment image, title, and description on the right side of the post. There is a link to the post on Facebook. It will also display the likes and comments count. Replace <! -- right side of the post will be here --> comment with the following code.
// right side
echo "<div class='col-md-8'>
<a href='{$link}' target='_blank' class='post-link'>
<div class='post-content'>";
if($att_image){
echo "<div class='post-picture'>
<img src='{$att_image}' />
</div>";
}
else{
echo "<div class='post-status'>
View on Facebook
</div>";
}
// if there's an attached title and description
if($att_title && $att_description){
echo "<div class='post-info'>
<div class='post-info-name'>{$att_title}</div>
<div class='post-info-description'>{$att_description}</div>
</div>";
}
echo "</div>
</a>
<div class='like-count-summary'>
<div style='float:left; margin:0 .6em 0 0;'>
<i class='far fa-thumbs-up'></i> {$likes_count}
</div>
<div style='float:left;'>
<i class='far fa-comments'></i> {$comments_count}
</div>
</div>
</div>";
Source code or SociableKIT?
You can choose whether to download our source code or use the SociableKIT Facebook page events widget.
| FEATURES | Code | SociableKIT |
|---|---|---|
| Do it once: post on your Facebook page and automatically show it on your website | ✔ | ✔ |
| Save time studying and coding these features on your website | ✔ | ✔ |
| Automatically show the type of post. It can be status, link, video, etc. | ✔ | ✔ |
| Posts are linked to your Facebook page. Engage your visitors to your Facebook page. | ✔ | ✔ |
| The status post will have a “View On Facebook” link | ✔ | ✔ |
| Posts will show the link thumbnail, title, and description | ✔ | ✔ |
| Shows posted photo | ✔ | ✔ |
| Display the number of likes | ✔ | ✔ |
| Display the number of comments | ✔ | ✔ |
| Responsive layout (great for mobile devices!) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Show “time ago” of posts | ✔ | ✔ |
| Show like and comment icons | ✔ | ✔ |
| No coding required | - | ✔ |
| Works with any website builders like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix | - | ✔ |
| Customize colors, font, and more | - | ✔ |
| Priority chat and email support | - | ✔ |
| Lifetime support and system updates | - | ✔ |
| No need to worry about Facebook API updates | - | ✔ |
| Use the buttons below. ↓ | Code | SociableKIT |
What's Next?
Today we have learned how to show your Facebook page posts on your website. Did you know that you can also display Instagram feed on your website?
Let us go to the next tutorial: How to display an Instagram feed on website using PHP?
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