Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Phoca plugins - support for all Phoca plugins except Phoca Gallery plugins
jc-rocks
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Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by jc-rocks »

Hi,

I am using Open Graph tags on my Joomla 3 site, jc-rocks.com on a per article basis.

I have posted my latest blog article (http://www.jc-rocks.com/writing/news-pr ... ysubmitted) about finally submitting my first book for publishing and I included the following open graph tag in the description (pasted into the edit article tags):

"og:image" content="http://www.jc-rocks.com/images/shyf-cover.jpg";

It doesn't work, it just displays my site logo. This is confusing as hell because, on my previous article (http://www.jc-rocks.com/writing/news-pr ... passengers), similar to ones before that, it worked OK using the following:

"og:image" content="http://www.jc-rocks.com/images/film-passengers-2016.jpg";

I have tried everything I can think from reading the manual to trying to paste something like the following into the code for the article:

<meta property="og:image" content="http://www.jc-rocks.com/images/shyf-cover.jpg"/>;

... it just doesn't work (doesn't take). I have tried at one Joomla site to get an explanation but I don't understand what he told me and maybe I am stupid, maybe not, but I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me simple and easy how these things work because I am really having problems understanding it.

Clearly, this is me doing something wrong so all I can do is ask for... Help!

James
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Jan
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Re: Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by Jan »

Hi, see:
https://www.phoca.cz/documents/70-phoca ... open-graph

you can see which way the images will be displayed in the meta tags. Try to check if the image is set in some of the point listed there :idea:

Jan
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jc-rocks
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Re: Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by jc-rocks »

Hi Jan,

I'm sorry but I'm still confused! I mean I shouldn't be, I'm a semi-retired IT professional and quite used to building websites. Of course, I'm old school and before Joomla came along I did it HTML style, Joomla was the first content management system I ever used. Something to do with being 60 years old I suppose.

Can we start with basics? Am I actually supposed to be putting this stuff in the article tags? With respect to Joomla, are article tags the same things as meta tags? Have I even got the basic syntax right? I've got one plugin installed, "Phoca Open Graph Plugin" ... that's all... is that right?
Unfortunately, this is the level I'm at and it seems that despite being an (ageing/ex) "IT professional" I'm just not getting it through my thick skull.

James
jc-rocks
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Re: Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by jc-rocks »

Can someone at least give me an example of how these work on an article in a Joomla site? So I can see how the article and tags are designed?

Pictures would do I reckon.

James
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Jan
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Re: Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by Jan »

Hi, first of all you should know what is a system plugin and what is a content plugin in Joomla!

In short, content plugin is set in Joomla! content area (article, list of articles, blog of articles), system plugin is set for all Joomla! pages. The open graph content plugin is here to product open graph tags for content/articles. In case you use other pages in Joomla! than articles, you should even use the system plugin.

Images. There are a lot of places in Joomla! where you can set image for the article - e.g. you can set it in options, you can add the image to article, etc. So when one article renders, the open graph plugin can set the image and can use different sources of the images (it can look to options of article, if there is no image, it tries to find some in content, if you set that image in plugin parameters should be used, then such will be used instead the images used in articles - just see the documentation link to know which ordering is used there)

In short:
the plugin just creates meta tag on your site (content plugin on content sites, system plugin on other sites) and in case of image meta tag, it has a lot of options where to get the image: https://www.phoca.cz/documents/70-phoca ... open-graph - so it tries step by step find some image and such will be displayed in the image meta tag.

Just imagine the plugin as something which just setup the meta tags but it has a lot of options where to get the data for this and there needs to be some ordering where to look first.

Jan
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jc-rocks
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Re: Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by jc-rocks »

So you're saying I need more than one plugin?

I'm sorry but I've looked at your documentation and obviously your brain functions (in this respect at least) at a far higher level than mine ... I honestly haven't got a clue what it is on about (and I have tried). That's why I am asking for basic instructions.

If a paid extension/plugin would get me what I want, I'd buy it but I want to try before I buy ... I want to know that it works and that I actually understand it and I'm beginning to think this isn't the plugin for me. Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying your plugin doesn't work, just that I don't get it so I need some way of doing this that I do understand.

Thanks for trying anyway.

James
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Jan
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Re: Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by Jan »

Hi, all the needed information are based on Joomla! knowledge. First you should know what is the difference between the system plugin and content plugin in Joomla! So then you will know which part of your site uses content plugin (all articles including list of articles, etc.) and which part uses other than content plugin (system plugin)

I don't know which way your website uses for displaying the content, so I cannot say which plugin you need. :idea:

It is good to start with small steps and then extend it to whole page.

So, if you have some article displayed on your site, just install the Phoca Cart Open Graph content plugin, enable it in plugin manager and then you should see the open tags in the source code of your site (on the page where the article is displayed)

Jan
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Poussemousse
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Re: Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by Poussemousse »

Hi Jan,
thank you for your answer, but I feel as confused as jc-rocks.

To be short, if we want to set a specific image different for each article, is it possible to acheive this with Phoca Open Graph Plugin ? and if Yes how ?

Regards,
Poussemousse
jc-rocks
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Re: Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by jc-rocks »

Thx Poussemousse ... at least I now know it's not just me.

Interestingly the link I said wasn't working started working ... I've no idea why. I found out because I asked a friend of mine who builds websites to take a look, he did and couldn't find anything wrong but the guy who runs Build a Joomla Website said I was doing it all wrong.

I'm still no wiser.

James
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Re: Phoca Open Graph Plugin

Post by Poussemousse »

Hi James,
I am still unable to make the plugin work...
When I use Facebook developper debug tool (https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/sharing/) it always returns my general image I have set in my JOOMLA index.php file.
Do I need to remove this line in my file ?

I think I have tried everything with PHOCA, could you please send me some pictures of you PHOCA plugin configuration in order to me to check where I am wrong ?

What I want, is to set this image http://www.badvern.com/images/BadVern-A ... cebook.jpg for this article page http://www.badvern.com/index.php/les-to ... n-nov-2017

Thxs in advance for your help,
Poussemousse
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