SocketException timed out when calling Facebook graph API

[Ray Clark]

When calling Facebook the call works sometimes and then the same call will fail with a SocketException timed out, and then work on the next call. I've tried closing the connection when the SocketException happens but nothing seems to work, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Here's the code:

	public String getJSONWithURL(String url) throws Exception {
		GetMethod httpget = null;
		try {
			String _url = makeURL(url);
			
			httpget = new GetMethod(_url);
			int httpResponseCode = 0;
			int count = 0;
			boolean continueLoop = true;
			do {
				try {
					count_overall_calls++;
					httpResponseCode  = httpClient.executeMethod(httpget);
				} catch (SocketException e) {
					httpResponseCode = 1;

					log.error("Received SocketException", e);
					// TODO try rebuilding the httpClient object
				}
				if (httpResponseCode != 200) {
					log.error("Recieved error code "+httpResponseCode);
					Thread.sleep(10000);
				}
				if (httpResponseCode == 500 && count >= 1) {
					access_token = "";
					URI uri = new URI(makeURL(url),false);
					httpget.setURI(uri);
				}
				count++;
				if (count++  < 10 && (httpResponseCode == 500 || httpResponseCode == 403 || httpResponseCode == 1)) {
					continueLoop = true;
				} else {
					continueLoop = false;
				}
			} while (continueLoop);
			...
			processing of the response goes here
			...
		} finally {
			//Not sure how or why httpget can become null,
			//but it throws a NPE occasionally.
			if (httpget != null)
				httpget.abort();
				httpget.releaseConnection();
		}
		return null;
	}

[Luan Cestari]

As far I remember, there is a limit of number of calls you can make during a period of time. After that the provider can ignore your calls. I remember very well this in Twitter. Check this out in the facebook documentation.

[Ray Clark]

Thank you. I don't think that rate limiting is the problem. I switched to the Spring Social API and now it is running fine.

Hopefully my Architect will let me use the Spring Social API lol.