Q: Messages - Facebook ID numbers instead of Names

Today I noticed that all chat apps did not change to numbers, and that if I selected "auto detect server" in Messages, I was able to connect to facebook.  Maybe they fixed this error?

Yes, I spoke way too soon.  Back to numbers it is today for me.

I finally stopped the extra verification step a couple of days ago, and haven't had to log in since. I'm still getting the numbers for any friends I haven't added the code to in Contacts (-1111111111111@chat.facebook.com, added as a Jabber account), but, as long as Contacts has the code, I get the friend's name.

Hi Steve,

Someone Posted a link to a Discussion at Pidgin about this and in amongst that was some code about the issue.

I would agree that it appears to be linked to the way Facebook handles an "Alias".

I have Psi, a Mac Jabber app that i got to add MSN contacts to a Jabber Buddy list  (my link to ther instructions does not work at the moment)

Anyhow this allows you to publish a  vCard if you wish.

This includes your "Real Name" and an Nickname as well if you wish.

What I have never done is use this or tested what is actually shown in iChat (or Messages)

From the way I read the Pidgin stuff, I was under the impression that Facebook is already committed to using the Facebook Email (ID) as one "Alias" let alone link though to the Facebook Display name that shows on your web pages.

A second issue might be the use of a Facebook Address Book compared to a Mac only one.

This would probably call on the vCard at Facebook and "Sync" the current display name - be that the Jabber ID itself, the Alias or the Facebook ID or as people are seeing a Number associated with the account.

8:45 PM      Wednesday; August 28, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

I'm curious if you see errors such as this in your log:

8/28/13 1:55:55.871 AM AddressBookSourceSync[3202]: AOSKit ERROR: RAF: Invalid url -- https://[USERNAME]@webdav.facebook.com/664094105/

I wonder if it is related to the issue with Messages.....

Hi Roy,

Not having a Facebook Account I don't actually have this issue.

My Address Book (Contacts App) is or rather was created over time on several older computers and then Migrated to the iMac as part of a Mac User I transferred.

It syncs with my iPad and iPhone via iCloud.

I take it the UserName is the "name" by which you can look the person up on Facebook or the name you know them by.

I would expect the bit with the Number in it to display the Jabber ID rather then their Number.

I suspect that no-one is supposed to see the number at all.

9:02 PM      Wednesday; August 28, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

{USERNAME} is my facebook username which I took out.  It seems Contacts is not syncing facebook, and that syncing feeds Messages.... 

HI,

That is an issue we have not considered.

That the issue is with the Address Book (Contacts app) and the Facebook Syncing.

9:28 PM      Wednesday; August 28, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Yeah, so based on my error, the url location where Contacts (or AddressBookSourceSync more specifically) has coded is now wrong...  Contacts  displays what it has stored, but Mesages will switch to Jabber ID upon the failure...  Is there a way to edit that URL if someone tells us what the new one is?  I am trying to see if I can spot what happens on my system log at the time of the number switch and will post here if it is anything of note.

as I edit this a switch occured with no entry in the log at all. 

....but then a few moments later I see that same error again I posted prior, as well as this entry:

8/28/13 4:49:18.617 PM Contacts[2499]: AOSKit ERROR: RAF: Invalid url -- https:////{username}@webdav.facebook.com/664094105/contacts/addressbook/

"webdav.facebook.com/664094105/contacts/addressbook/" is no longer valid.   I am not sure if that number is unique to myself or not...  when I look back in my log it is the same number every time.

Humm,

History.  (Mostly because I still think in an AIM sort of way about this)

You can have  AIM Name or a Jabber iD  (we'll forget about Yahoo for now).

You can add Buddies as plaid Screen Names or Jabber IDs.

In all cases these are held at the Server you are using.

From iChat/Messages you can highlight a name/ID in the Buddy List and then do a Get Info (CMD + i keys together)

This brings up the Info Card and will tend to show the Address Card info.

If you Add a Real (First Name, Last Name) then this will be added to the Contacts App/Address Book.

(or you can open up the Address Book/Contacts App, create a Card and Add the Jabber or AIM Info on to the card).

AIM have a way of describing this.

Buddies are "Food"

"Food" is kept in "Feedbags"

The Buddy List is one Feedbag and the Address Book/Contacts app is another.

So the Buddy List could have "cereal" and the Address Book has "Bran & Oat Flakes" if you like.

Once the Address card has a AIM name or Jabber ID linked to the Real Name then the Buddy List will display the Real Name.  (You see Bran & Oat Flakes)

Now the Contacts app in Mountain Lion has various ways you can Sync the info.

The most basic is to use iCloud and it will reflect changes made on the Mac or the iPhone across the devices linked/Synced with that iCloud ID.

My Contacts app shows an iCloud option (enabled)

An On My Mac option (Not enabled but offering to Sync with Google)

and a greyed out Inactive Yahoo option (I have used the Yahoo for Mac app to test before).

I would guess you either have a Facebook option of the ON my Mac version has an option to sync with Facebook.

At a point you  are showing All Names you could turn the Sync option Off and rely on what is stored on the Mac.

You may have to consider what any iOS device is doing regarding Address Book Syncing.

This will only be a work around though.

10:00 PM      Wednesday; August 28, 2013

  iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.4)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

This is completly random. I was messing around on my Mac. In Messages app> enabled bonjour. Then I went to my System Preferrences> Mail, contacts & calendar> facebook and enabled contacts. Just for fun I then updated profiles while I was there. No more issue now, whatever I did seemed to have resolved the issue. Will report back if anything changes, have not rebooted yet.

Interestingly when I changed to using my facebook username instead of my email address as the account credentials for the facebook entry in "mail, contacts & calendars" the AOSKIT error went away....  I also have names and not numbers in Messages, but it may go away.  One may not be related to the other at all.  I do know that you can log in to facebook with either item.