Updating Facebook SDK Graph Request Implementation from Swift 3 to Swift 5

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1

I’m working on migrating an iOS app with Facebook login functionality from Swift 3 to Swift 5. The original code works fine in Swift 3, but I’m having trouble updating the Graph API calls to work with the newer Swift version.

Here’s my current Swift 3 implementation:

func fetchUserProfile(completion: @escaping (_ : [String: Any]?, _ : Error?) -> Void) {
    
    let graphRequest = GraphRequest(graphPath: "me", parameters: ["fields" : "id,email,picture"])

    graphRequest.start { response, result in
        
        switch result {
        case .failed(let error):
            completion(nil, error)
        case .success (let graphResponse):
            completion(graphResponse.dictionaryValue, nil)
        }
    }
}

When I try to use the same approach in Swift 5, the autocomplete suggests different method signatures. Instead of the completion handler I used before, it now shows:

graphRequest.start(completionHandler: GraphRequestBlock?)

I also tried using GraphRequestConnection approach:

func retrieveFacebookUserData() {
    let profileRequest = GraphRequest.init(graphPath: "me", parameters: ["fields" : "id,name,email,picture.type(large)"])
    
    let requestConnection = GraphRequestConnection()
    
    requestConnection.add(profileRequest, completionHandler: { (connection, response, error) in
          
        if let userData: [String : Any] = response as? [String : Any] {
            DispatchQueue.main.async {
                if let imageData: [String : Any] = userData["picture"] as? [String : Any] {
                    if let profileImage : [String: Any] = imageData["data"] as? [String: Any] {
                        print(profileImage)
                        print(userData["email"]!)
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    })
    requestConnection.start()
}

This second approach works, but I need help understanding the proper way to handle the response data and extract the user information correctly in Swift 5. What’s the recommended approach for Facebook Graph API calls in the latest Swift version?

2

hey! i had the same issue migrating my app too. your second method with GraphRequestConnection is the way to go for the new FB SDK. remember to handle response casting and errors tho - i totally overlooked that at first and learned the hard way lol

3

Your GraphRequestConnection approach is right for newer Facebook SDK versions. Just add error handling and nil checking to make it more solid. I hit similar issues during migration - the response structure can be inconsistent. Cast your responses safely and always check for nil before accessing nested dictionary properties. Also, wrap your data extraction in a do-catch block or use optional binding throughout to avoid crashes when the API response format changes.

4

Yeah, you’re using the right approach with GraphRequestConnection for Swift 5 and the newer Facebook SDK. But there’s room for improvement on error handling and data extraction. Skip the force unwrapping with exclamation marks - stick with optional binding throughout your response parsing. Always check if the error parameter is nil before processing the response. I ran into the same migration issues and found that wrapping all the response parsing logic in a guard statement prevents crashes when Facebook tweaks their API response format. The connection-based approach gives you way more control over the request lifecycle than the old direct GraphRequest method.