Support of Private Groups

Hey Brad,

Thank you for reaching out with your inquiry. Facebook provides three types of Group Accounts (Open, Closed, and Secret). For the purposes of this response to make sure we are both talking about the same thing… I am going to assume by “Private Groups” you are referring to “Closed Groups” and not “Secret Groups”.

If this is the group type you are referring to then it is sometimes possible to retrieve data from a closed group and display it in a feed on a website page. To do this it does require the administrator of the Group to obtain a “User Access Token” (they are free to get through Facebook and we provide instruction on how to do this). Please go to this FAQ here which will explain this in further detail.

This can be tested when using the Free version of our plugin as well which can be obtained here.

If you have additional questions just let me know. In the meantime I hope you find your week is going smoothly.

I want to add a private Facebook group to a WordPress tutorial web page.

I implemented https://smashballoon.com/can-display-feed-facebook-group/ steps outlined.

Also https://smashballoon.com/custom-facebook-feed/docs/get-extended-facebook-user-access-token/

Plus https://smashballoon.com/custom-facebook-feed/access-token/

Installed free plugin to test and got the following errors.

Using Splash Ballon credentials
Error: (#803) Some of the aliases you requested do not exist: 1868084463521732|Yp_qAQehGOz70loA_WMLbZvBWyg Type: OAuthException Code: 803

Using Facebook credentials
Error: (#100) Tried accessing nonexisting field (posts) on node type (Application)
Type: OAuthException
Code: 100

Can I assume private groups cannot be used in this way?

I should add at present I haven’t any contributions for the group.

Thank you.

Hi @christopherbirduk,

It’s difficult to determine the exact issue just based on that information, but it looks like there could be two issues:

1) You’re using a regular access token instead of a “User” token. See this FAQ for what a User token looks like. You’d need to follow the directions in this article all the way to the bottom, with the final step being the most important one.

2) It looks like you may be entering the token into the “Facebook Page ID” field instead of the Access Token field.

If you get stuck, then would it be possible to submit a support ticket on our website here and include your “System Info” from the plugin? This can be found in the following location in WordPress: Facebook Feed > Support > System Info

Please don’t post it here as it will contain your Access Token which is best not to share publicly. Also, it’s probably best to edit your last message to remove the Access Token included in the error message. It’s best not to share that information on a public forum if possible.

Many thanks,

John

Hi buddies,
tried to show on a WP site of mine the posts from a closed group of mine and could not get it done. I’ve followed the procedure as per your first reply, got the Access token, saved into WP plugin settings, but i still get “Unable to display Facebook posts.
Show error” error. Any idea?
Many thanks
r

Hey Brad,

To dig further into the issue I will need you to submit your plugin’s System Info which will allow us to take a look at your current settings, etc. to see where the conflict might lie.

As this is an open public forum it would be best for you to send your request and your personal plugin’s System Info through our support page here.

On the form page you will see an area of where to include your plugin’s System Info and also where to find it within your plugin’s settings. Thank you and I will await receiving the requested information through our Support center so I can provide better assistance.