Overview #
The Facebook Import tool lets you bring events from Facebook into your WordPress site in a few clicks. You can import:
- One or more specific events using their Event IDs.
- All upcoming events from a Facebook Page.
- All upcoming events from a Facebook Group.
The setup runs once. After that, importing an event is a matter of pasting a Page username, previewing the results and clicking import.
1. Before you start #
You will need:
- A Facebook account that can manage the Page, Group, or events you want to import.
- The Eventin plugin installed and activated on your WordPress site.
- The free Migration Tool for Eventin extension enabled – see step 2.
- Your site running on HTTPS. Facebook will not accept an insecure redirect URI.
- A published Privacy Policy page on your site. Facebook asks for the URL.
- A Facebook App (free to create) – we will set this up below.
2. Enable Migration Tool from the Extensions page #
Navigate to WordPress Dashboard → Eventin → Extensions. On the Extensions page, find the Migration Tool for Eventin and enable it using the toggle switch in the top-right corner of the card. Once enabled, click the Activate button at the bottom of the card and the Migration Tool will be downloaded and activated automatically.
Until this extension is active you will not see an Import tab in Eventin’s settings at all, so do this first. The same extension also powers the Eventbrite and The Events Calendar importers.
3. Create a Facebook App #
Eventin talks to Facebook through your own Facebook App. It is free and you only create it once.
Step 1. Open the Meta for Developers dashboard #
Go to https://developers.facebook.com/apps and click the green Create App button in the top right.
Step 2. Enter your app details #
Give the app a name you will recognise later, for example Eventin Pages. Facebook fills in your account email automatically. Click Next.
Step 3. Choose the correct use case #
This is the most important step in the whole guide. Switch the filter to All, select Manage everything on your Page, then click Next.
Do not choose “Authenticate and request data from users with Facebook Login”. That use case only offers profile-level permissions such as email and public_profile. It does not include pages_show_list or pages_read_engagement, the two permissions Eventin needs to read events from a Page. The two use cases cannot be combined on one app, so choosing the wrong one means starting again with a new app.
Step 4. Skip the business portfolio #
Facebook asks which business portfolio to connect. If you do not have one, leave it empty and click Next. A verified portfolio is only needed later if you want the app available to the general public.
Step 5. Review the publishing requirements #
With the Pages use case selected, Facebook reports No requirements identified. Click Next.
Step 6. Create the app #
Check the summary and click Create app. Facebook will ask you to re-enter your password to confirm.
A ok
4. Configure your Facebook App #
The app exists, but it will not accept a login from your site until you fill in a few settings.
Step 1. Fill in the Basic settings #
In the left sidebar open App settings → Basic, complete these fields and click Save Changes:
- App domains – your site domain without the protocol, for example
yoursite.com. Type it and press Enter so it becomes a tag. - Privacy policy URL – the full URL of your privacy policy page.
- Category – choose Business and pages.
Your App ID and App secret are at the top of this page. Click Show to reveal the secret. Keep this tab open, you will paste both into Eventin in step 6.
Step 2. Add the Website platform #
At the bottom of the same page click + Add platform, choose Website, and enter your Site URL, for example https://yoursite.com/. Save again.
Step 3. Confirm the permissions #
Open Use cases, click Customize next to Manage everything on your Page and check the permissions table. These three must show the status Ready for testing:
public_profilepages_show_listpages_read_engagement– if it shows an Add button instead, click it.
Step 4. Add the OAuth redirect URI #
Open Facebook Login for Business → Settings. In Valid OAuth Redirect URIs paste your site’s Eventin callback URL, press Enter, then click Save Changes:
https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/admin-post.php?action=etn_facebook_authorizationEventin displays this exact URL for your site in the blue info box on the import settings page, so the safest approach is to copy it from there rather than typing it.
Step 5. Validate the redirect URI #
At the top of the same page paste the same URL into the Redirect URI Validator and click Check URI. You should see This is a valid redirect URI for this application. If not, the URI was not saved correctly.
5. Open the Facebook import page in Eventin #
In WordPress admin go to Eventin → Settings → Import → Facebook Events. Three sections appear one after another:
- App Configuration
- Facebook Authorization – appears after saving credentials
- Import Events – appears after authorizing
6. Connect your Facebook app to Eventin #
- Paste your Facebook App ID into the first field.
- Paste your Facebook App Secret into the second field.
- Click the save button. It reads Credentials Saved once the values are stored.
If you are replacing an older app, clear both fields completely before pasting the new values, then reload the page and confirm the new App ID is really saved. A stale App ID is the most common cause of authorization errors.
B ok
7. Authorize your Facebook account #
Scroll to the Facebook Authorization panel and click Authorize with Facebook. Facebook opens its consent screen.
Click Edit settings to choose which Pages the app may read. This screen matters more than it looks: Eventin can only import from Pages you tick here. Select the Page you want to import from, or choose Opt in to all current and future Pages, then click Continue.
Facebook then lists the access it is granting – reading content posted on the Page, and showing the list of Pages you manage. Click Save.
A confirmation screen appears. Click Got it and Facebook returns you to Eventin.
The Eventin panel now shows a green tick and Authorized as your Facebook name, plus a Reauthorize button you can use later to change the selected Pages.
8. Import your events #
The Import Events panel appears once the account is authorized. Choose a method from the Import From dropdown.
| Method | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Page | The Page username from its URL | For facebook.com/etnfbevents/ enter etnfbevents |
| Facebook Group | The Group ID or username | 123456789012345 |
| Facebook Event ID | The numeric ID of a single event | 987654321098765 |
Enter the value and click Preview. Eventin fetches the upcoming events and lists them with venue and start time so you can check what you are about to bring in. Every event is selected by default – untick anything you do not want, or use Deselect All to start from an empty selection.
When the selection looks right click Import. The button tells you how many events it will bring in, for example Import 2 Events.
9. Check your import result #
Eventin replaces the preview with an Import Results panel showing the outcome for each event. A first-time import reports Imported successfully in green.
Run the same import again and the events are reported as Already exists (skipped) instead. Eventin matches events on their Facebook event ID, so repeating an import will never create duplicates – but note that it also does not overwrite events you have already edited.
Now go to Eventin → Events. Imported events appear at the top of the list with a blue Facebook badge next to the title.
Imported events are saved with Draft status. Nothing appears on your site until you open each event, check the details and publish it. This is deliberate – it gives you a chance to add ticket types, pricing, a featured image or a fuller description before the event goes live.
C ok
10. Things to know #
- Only upcoming events are returned. Facebook does not expose past events through the API, so anything already finished will not appear in the preview.
- You must manage the source. Facebook only returns events for Pages you selected during authorization. Public Pages you do not administer cannot be imported.
- Imports are drafts. Every imported event lands as a draft and must be published manually.
- Re-running an import is safe. Events already in your site are skipped, so no duplicates are created. Equally, edits you made to an imported event will not be overwritten.
- Tickets and attendees are not imported. Facebook does not share attendee lists or ticketing data. Add your own ticket types after importing.
- The connection can expire. Facebook access tokens are long lived but not permanent. If imports stop working, click Reauthorize.
- Creating the app is free. There is no cost to create or run a Facebook App for this purpose.
11. Troubleshooting #
“App not active. This app is not accessible right now…” #
The App ID saved in Eventin points to an app that is deactivated, deleted, or belongs to a different Facebook account. Open developers.facebook.com/apps, confirm the app is listed under your account, and check that the App ID in Eventin matches it exactly.
“Invalid Scopes: pages_show_list, pages_read_engagement” #
Your app does not have the Pages permissions. This almost always means the app was created with the Authenticate and request data from users with Facebook Login use case instead of Manage everything on your Page. The two cannot be combined, so create a new app following section 3 and swap in the new App ID and App Secret.
It can also mean the credentials in Eventin were never updated. Reload the settings page and confirm the App ID really changed before testing again.
Nobody else can authorize the connection #
A new Facebook App starts in Development mode, where only people with a role on the app can log in. To let a colleague authorize, open App roles → Roles, click Add People and add them as an Administrator, Developer or Tester. They must accept the invitation before it works.
Taking the app live #
Development mode is enough if only your own team imports events. To make the app available to everyone, Facebook requires a verified business portfolio, a 1024×1024 app icon, a privacy policy and App Review for the Pages permissions. For a single site importing its own events, staying in Development mode is normally simpler.
D ok
FAQs #
Does the Facebook App cost anything? #
No. Creating and using a Facebook App for event imports is free.
Can I import past events? #
No. The Facebook API only returns upcoming events.
Can I import from any public Facebook Page? #
No. You can only import from Pages your Facebook account manages and which you selected during the authorization step. This is a Facebook privacy restriction, not an Eventin limitation.
Can I import many events at once? #
Yes. Choose Facebook Page or Facebook Group as the source and Eventin lists every upcoming event so you can import them together.
Can I edit an event after importing it? #
Yes. Imported events are ordinary Eventin events. Change the title, description, venue, schedule, ticket types and featured image freely, then publish.
Will importing the same Page twice create duplicates? #
No. Events already present are skipped, and your edits are left untouched.
Are attendees or ticket sales imported? #
No. Facebook does not share attendee data. Set up your own ticket types in Eventin after importing.
Do I need a separate app for each website? #
In practice yes. Each app stores its own list of Valid OAuth Redirect URIs. You can add several URIs to one app, but a separate app per site is easier to manage.
Conclusion #
Once the Facebook App is configured you will not need to touch it again. From then on, importing an event takes a Page username, a preview and a click – keeping all your events in one place in WordPress where you can sell tickets, manage attendees and control how everything looks.
E ok
