This guide explains how to install, activate, connect, configure and display Facebook Page Reviews on a Joomla website. It also covers the Visual Builder, responsive layouts, GDPR-Friendly Media Loading, shortcodes, translation and common troubleshooting steps.

Contents

Installation

After downloading Facebook Page Reviews from AllForJoomla, extract the downloaded archive first. The Joomla installation package is:

facebookpagereviews-package.zip

In Joomla administration, open System → Install → Extensions, upload facebookpagereviews-package.zip and complete the installation.

On older Joomla versions, make sure that the system plugin installed with the extension is enabled. Open the Joomla Plugins manager, find System - Facebook Page Reviews and enable it if necessary.

License Activation

Facebook Page Reviews uses your AllForJoomla License Key for extension updates.

  1. Log in to your account on AllForJoomla.
  2. Open your orders and copy the License Key for Facebook Page Reviews.
  3. In Joomla administration, open Components → Facebook Page Reviews → Options.
  4. Paste the key into the Premium License key field.
  5. Click Save & Close.

After activation, Joomla can use the configured update source to check for new Facebook Page Reviews releases.

Create a Facebook Reviews Widget

Facebook Page Reviews lets you create multiple widgets, each with its own Facebook Page, layout and display settings.

  1. Open Components → Facebook Page Reviews.
  2. Click New to create a widget.
  3. Enter a title to identify the widget in Joomla administration.
  4. Connect your Facebook account and select the Facebook Page.
  5. Configure the widget using the integrated Visual Builder.
  6. Click Save or Save & Close when finished.

The preview is updated while you configure the widget, so you can immediately see how changes affect the Facebook reviews before publishing them on your website.

Connect Your Facebook Page

Facebook Page Reviews does not require you to create your own Facebook App or enter your own Facebook API key.

  1. Open a Facebook Page Reviews widget for editing.
  2. Click Connect to Facebook.
  3. Complete the Facebook authorization process.
  4. Return to the widget editor.
  5. Select the required Facebook Page from the Facebook Page setting.

Only Facebook Pages available to the connected Facebook account can be selected. Make sure that the account has the required administrative access to the Page you want to use.

Main Settings

The Main section contains the Facebook source and general display settings for the widget.

Facebook Connection

Shows the current Facebook connection status and lets you connect the Facebook account used by the widget.

Facebook Page

Select the Facebook Page whose reviews and recommendations should be displayed.

Cache Lifetime

Controls how long retrieved Facebook data is stored in the widget cache before it is refreshed. The value is specified in minutes.

Width

Sets the widget width. You can use a fixed width or allow the widget to adapt to the available content area.

Height

Sets the widget height. Automatic height allows the widget to expand with its content, while a fixed height can be used when the widget needs to fit into a defined area.

Theme

Select the general appearance of the widget. The included themes provide a starting point that can be further customized using the Visual Builder.

Header Settings

The Header section controls the Facebook Page information displayed above the reviews.

The widget header can include Page information such as the Page name, rating and recommendation information. Individual elements can be enabled or disabled depending on the layout you want to create.

You can also disable the header completely when you want to display only the reviews.

The recommendation area can encourage website visitors to leave their own feedback on Facebook.

Reviews Settings

The Reviews section controls which Facebook reviews are displayed and how the review collection is arranged.

Total Reviews Limit

Sets the maximum number of reviews available to the widget.

Show Only

Filters the Facebook feedback included in the widget.

Exclude by Keyword

Use this setting when you want to exclude reviews containing a specific word in the review text or reviewer name.

Layout

Choose how the reviews are arranged. Available layouts include:

  • Grid
  • Masonry
  • Slider

Items per Page

Controls how many reviews are initially displayed before additional reviews are loaded.

Columns

Sets the number of review columns used by the selected layout.

Gutter

Controls the spacing between individual review items.

Responsive Breakpoints

Responsive breakpoints let you change the number of columns depending on the available widget width.

For each breakpoint, specify the maximum width and the number of columns that should be used below that width. This allows the same widget to adapt to desktop, tablet and mobile layouts.

Individual Review Settings

The Review section controls the appearance and information displayed inside each individual Facebook review.

Review Style

Choose the presentation style used for individual reviews. Available styles include:

  • Box
  • Spotlight
  • Card

Accent Color

Sets the accent color used by the selected review style.

Reviewer Picture

Choose whether the reviewer's Facebook profile image is displayed and configure its presentation.

Reviewer Name

Choose whether the reviewer's name is displayed.

Review Date

Choose whether the publication date is displayed with the review.

Facebook Review Link

Enable the review link when you want visitors to be able to open the corresponding content on Facebook.

GDPR-Friendly Media Loading

Facebook Page Reviews supports GDPR-Friendly Media Loading for Facebook images used by the extension.

By default, images can be displayed directly from Facebook servers. If you prefer to avoid direct Facebook image requests from the visitor's browser, the extension can download the images and serve them through your own website server instead.

To enable GDPR-Friendly Media Loading:

  1. Open Components → Facebook Page Reviews → Options.
  2. Find the Images Display Mode option.
  3. Select Download and display from this website server (GDPR-Friendly Media Loading).
  4. Click Save & Close.

With this mode enabled, supported Facebook images used by Facebook Page Reviews are downloaded and displayed from your Joomla website instead of being loaded directly from Facebook servers in the visitor's browser.

To load images directly from Facebook instead, set Images Display Mode to Display directly from Facebook servers.

GDPR-Friendly Media Loading helps reduce direct third-party media requests. It does not by itself guarantee complete GDPR compliance, because compliance depends on the overall configuration and data processing of your website.

For more information, see GDPR-Friendly Media Loading in Joomla.

Display the Widget with a Shortcode

After saving a widget, return to Components → Facebook Page Reviews. The widgets list contains a shortcode for each created widget.

  1. Copy the shortcode of the widget you want to display.
  2. Open the Joomla article, module or other supported content area where the reviews should appear.
  3. Paste the shortcode into the desired position.
  4. Save the content and open the frontend page to check the result.

You can create multiple Facebook Page Reviews widgets with different layouts and settings and use their individual shortcodes in different locations on the same website.

Translation

Quick Translation with Language Overrides

If you only need to change several labels displayed by Facebook Page Reviews, Joomla Language Overrides are the easiest method.

Open Joomla Language Overrides, select the required language and create a new override. Enter the required language constant and your translated text. If appropriate for your Joomla configuration, select For Both Locations and save the override.

Common Facebook Page Reviews language constants include:

  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_RATED_BY
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_NO_REVIEWS
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_NOT_AVAILABLE
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_VIEW_ON_FB
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_LOAD_MORE
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_SHOW_MORE
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_SHOW_LESS
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_AJAX_ERROR
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_NETWORK_ERROR
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_CONNECT_TO_FACEBOOK
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_NO_REVIEWS_FOUND
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_RATE_REQUEST_TEXT
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_YES
  • COM_FACEBOOKPAGEREVIEWS_NO

Repeat the process for each text you want to customize.

Full Extension Translation

For a complete translation, use the Facebook Page Reviews language files:

  • en-GB.com_facebookpagereviews.ini
  • en-GB.com_facebookpagereviews.sys.ini

In Joomla 6, the English administrator language files are located in:

  • /administrator/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_facebookpagereviews.ini
  • /administrator/language/en-GB/en-GB.com_facebookpagereviews.sys.ini

Copy both files, translate the values and replace en-GB with the Joomla language code you are translating to.

For example, an Italian translation uses:

  • it-IT.com_facebookpagereviews.ini
  • it-IT.com_facebookpagereviews.sys.ini

Place the translated files in:

/administrator/language/it-IT/

For another language, replace it-IT with the corresponding Joomla language code.

Troubleshooting

The Widget Does Not Appear on the Frontend

Make sure the widget is saved and that you copied the correct shortcode.

On older Joomla versions, also check that System - Facebook Page Reviews is enabled in the Plugins manager.

If the shortcode itself is visible as plain text on the frontend, verify that it is placed in a content area where Joomla content plugins are processed.

My Facebook Page Is Not Available

Make sure that you connected the correct Facebook account and that the account has the required access to the Facebook Page.

If necessary, reconnect the Facebook account and complete the authorization process again.

Some Reviews Are Not Displayed

Check the review settings, especially Total Reviews Limit, Show Only and Exclude by Keyword.

Also check the cache settings if the Facebook content has recently changed.

The Layout Does Not Look Correct on Mobile Devices

Check the Responsive Breakpoints, column settings and widget width.

Use the Visual Builder preview while adjusting these settings until the widget has the required responsive layout.

Facebook Images Are Still Loaded Directly from Facebook

Open Components → Facebook Page Reviews → Options and check the Images Display Mode setting.

Select Download and display from this website server (GDPR-Friendly Media Loading) and save the configuration.

Extension Updates Are Not Available

Open Components → Facebook Page Reviews → Options and verify that the correct License Key is saved in the Premium License key field.