FQL:stream

Query this table to return posts from a user's stream or the user's profile.

You can get two types of data when you query this table:

• You can get public data (viewable to anyone on Facebook) without needing an extended permission.
• You can get more data if you prompt the user for the read_stream extended permission.

The stream table is really two concepts built into one table. If you specify a filter_key and/or multiple users, the results will behave like the stream in Facebook's home page. If only one user is specified, and no filter_key is specified, the table will assume that you want a profile-like view, and all that implies.

Those behaviors differ significantly. For example, the homepage-like view only aggregates data over the last few days. The profile-like view gets much older data from our databases. Also, in the case of a page, the profile view also includes posts by fans.

If you want to return all the posts from a user's stream that were published through your application, make sure you include the app_id in your query.

For example to get a viewing user's stream, use SELECT message FROM stream WHERE filter_key="nf".

The stream table is limited to the last 30 days or 50 posts, whichever is greater.

Columns

Highlighted rows are indexable / searchable and one is usually required in the WHERE portion of the query.

Name	Type	Description
post_id	string	The ID of the post from the user's stream. This field, when used as an index, is primarily used to re-retrieve posts. Otherwise, it is used to specify a post when using any of the stream setters.
viewer_id	int	The ID of the user whose stream you are querying. The viewer_id defaults to the active session key.
app_id	int	The application ID for the application through which the post was published. This includes application IDs for Facebook applications like Photos and Video.
source_id	int	The ID of the user, Page, group, or event whose posts you want to retrieve. This includes both posts that the user or Page has authored (that is, the actor_id is the source_id) and posts that have been directed at this target user, Page, group, or event (that is, the target_id is the source_id).
updated_time	time	The time the post was last updated, which occurs when a user comments on the post.
created_time	time	The time the post was published to the user's stream.
filter_key	string	The filter key to fetch data with. This key should be retrieved from stream.getFilters or querying the stream_filter FQL table. (apparently not returned for Pages)
attribution	string	For posts published by applications, this is the string that states through which application the post was published. For example, "Joe loves the Social Web (by MicroBloggerApp)."
actor_id	string	The user ID of the person who is the user taking the action in the post.
target_id	string	The user or Page to whom the post was directed.
message	string	The message written by the user.
app_data	array	An array of application-specific information supplied to Facebook to create the attachment to the post. This information is not needed to render a user's stream in your application, unless you need this information for special handing of your own application posts. This array includes: tbid (i64): A 64-bit int representing the template bundle ID, for posts that entered the stream through the now discontinued method feed.publishUserAction and similar calls that are not stream publishing methods (like stream.publish or Facebook.streamPublish). attachment_data (array): An array containing the template data, for posts that entered the stream through the now discontinued method feed.publishUserAction and similar calls that are not stream publishing methods (like stream.publish or Facebook.streamPublish). images (array): A JSON-encoded object containing any images associated with the story. These images are specified in Attachment (Streams) (and used to be specified in Template Data, if an application used a now discontinued method like feed.publishUserAction to create the post originally). action_links (array): An array containing the text and URL for each action link.
action_links	array	An array containing the text and URL for each action link.
attachment	array	An array of information about the attachment to the post. This is the attachment that Facebook returns.
impressions	int	Number of impressions of this post. This data is visible only if the you have read_insights extended permission of any of the page owners.
comments	array	A sample array of comments added to a post. This list contains up to two comments to display along with stream content. To get the full list of comments, use stream.getComments or query the comment FQL table using the post_id of this post. The array contains the following fields: can_remove (bool): Indicates whether users can remove comments. can_post (bool): Indicates whether users can post comments. count (i32): The total number of comments added to the post. comment_list (array): A list of comment-type comments for this post. Comments are formatted as they would be when returned by the comment (FQL) table.
likes	array	An array of likes associated with the post. The array contains the following fields: href (string): The URL to a page showing the other users who've liked this post. count (i32): The total number of times users like the post. sample (array): A sample of users who like the post. friends (array): A list of the viewing user's friends who like the post. user_likes (bool): Indicates whether the viewing user likes the post. can_like (bool): Indicates whether the post can be liked.
privacy	array	The privacy setting for a post, indicating which of a user's friends or others can see the content.
type	string	Do not use this field as it's been deprecated. To determine what sort of post gets returned, look for the presence of an attachment (lack of an attachment indicates a status update), and if one is present, look at the attachment's media type (photo, Flash, mp3) to determine how you want to handle the post. Facebook for Adobe AIR uses this method, for example. This column returns following integers: 80 for links, 247 for mobile uploads, 237 for check-ins, 56 for wall posts by someone else, 46 for user's own wall posts, 66 for notes
permalink	string	A link to the stream post.
xid	int	When querying for the feed of a live stream box, this is the xid associated with the Live Stream box (you can provide 'default' if one is not available).

Examples

Get the visible stream of all of a user's connections (regardless of following status).

SELECT post_id, actor_id, target_id, message FROM stream WHERE source_id in 
   (SELECT target_id FROM connection WHERE source_id=<uid>) AND is_hidden = 0

Retrieve a user's home page stream (News Feed) based on the user's following status for his or her connections.

SELECT post_id, actor_id, target_id, message FROM stream WHERE source_id in 
   (SELECT target_id FROM connection WHERE source_id=<uid> AND is_following=1) AND is_hidden = 0

A typical use case for the stream table using a filter_key from the stream_filter FQL table, in this case retrieving the user's News Feed.

SELECT post_id, actor_id, target_id, message FROM stream WHERE filter_key in 
   (SELECT filter_key FROM stream_filter WHERE uid=<uid> AND type='newsfeed') AND is_hidden = 0

Refresh posts by getting new posts newer than some time.

SELECT post_id, actor_id, target_id, message FROM stream 
   WHERE source_id = <source_id> AND updated_time > <newest_time>

Get posts before current set of posts. (use in place of OFFSET).

SELECT post_id, actor_id, target_id, message FROM stream 
   WHERE source_id = <source_id> AND updated_time < <oldest_time> LIMIT 50

Retrieve a user's wall posts (stories on their profile).

SELECT actor_id, message FROM stream WHERE source_id = <user id> limit 50

Retrieve the action links in a user's stream, and remove any HTML markup and encoding.

SELECT strip_tags(action_links) FROM stream WHERE source_id = <user id>

Retrieve the stream for a Live Stream plugin.

SELECT post_id, message FROM stream WHERE app_id = <app id> AND xid = 'default'

See Also

• Stream filter (FQL)
• Stream tag (FQL)
• Connection (FQL)
• User /feed connection (Graph API)

Notes/Bugs/Gotchas

The stream table is limited to the last 30 days or 50 posts, whichever is greater.

This is unreliable. If you do not specify a created_time the query will sometimes return a much larger data sample, sometimes from the moment the page was created.

Requires an active access token

From June 3 2011 a token is required to query this table. You can use any application or user token to make the query.