1.1 What is WAP?
1.2 What is WML?
1.3 What is WMLScript?
1.4 What is HDML and where can I learn it?
1.5 How to get started?
1.6 Is there a list of WAP keywords with explanations?1.1 What is WAP?
Definition
The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a set of open,
global protocols for developing applications and services that use wireless networks. The
WAP protocols are mainly based on already existing Internet protocols, but are optimized
for mobile users with wireless devices.
History
Phone.com, Ericsson, Nokia and many others began developing
standards independently of each other, but soon they realized that it would make more
sense to focus development around a common standard. They all wanted to establish a common
format for Internet transfers to mobile telephones, without having to customize the
Internet pages for the particular display on every different mobile telephone or personal
organizer. With WAP Forum they were able to find such a protocol.
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1.2 What is WML?
WML is the WAP equivalent to HTML (HyperText Markup
Language), which is a markup language used to construct web pages. WML stands for Wireless
Markup Language. Pages written in WML can be read by a WAP phone or similar device. Since
WML is actually an application of XML (eXtensible Markup Language), the syntax reminds of
XML, with it’s strictness. If you have some experince with HTML, it is not difficult
to learn WML; many tags and attributes are almost the same, but there are fewer tags.
Unlike HTML, you can play around with variables in WML, making it more dynamic. It is also
possible to have many sub-pages (called 'cards') in one WML page (called a 'deck'). Each
WML card works like a web page and it's content is displayed to the user.
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1.3 What is WMLScript?
WMLScript (Wireless Markup Language Script) is a client side
script language for use with WML.
In HTML pages, you can use JavaScript to make the pages more dynamic, and to perform
advanced mathematical calculations. WMLScript is very similar to JavaScript, and therefore
easy to learn for those who have used that before.
A big difference though, is that WMLScript must be kept in a separate file, and can not be
used with inline tags like JavaScript. WMLScript can perform math’s, manipulate
strings of text, make redirections etc.
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1.4 What is HDML and where can I learn it?
HDML stands for Handheld Device Markup Language, and was the
first markup language to be used with WAP. Some older WAP browsers support only HDML. The
new UP.Browsers from Phone.com support both HDML and WML, but WML seems to be the most
used and supported language now, at least in Europe.
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1.5 How to get started?
Whether you are an experienced web programmer or a newcomer
to computers and Internet, we recommend you to get at least one WAP Development Kit when
starting with WAP and WML. There are several such SDKs (Software Development Kits)
available for download from the web sites of many phone manufacturers. First choise could
probably be the Nokia WAP Developer Toolkit, version 1.2 or 2.0. In this toolkit you get
phone simulator, WML & WMLScript templates and examples, WBMP picture editor,
compilator for WML & WMLScript and WML/WMLScript syntax reference with examples. The
version 2.0 toolkit contains support for developing WAP 1.2 applications in addition to
the current WAP version 1.1. In order to download the Toolkit, you have to register here.
Also recommended is Phone.com’s SDK, which you can download after signing in at developer.phone.com
With this tool you have a phone simulator for testing the code, and you can also view the
source of browsed pages. But the phone is only an emulator and not pretending to simulate
a certain phone model. Ericsson provides a SDK with a R320s simulator for registered
developers, you can sign in at Ericsson Developers’ zone.
Here you will also find Symbian’s
emulator for the Ericsson Smartphone R380s.
The SDKs mentioned above can browse WAP sites, so they are cheap tools both for testing
your applications and checking out other sites. If you are going to develop
commercial/public WAP applications, you should at least have one WAP enabled phone to test
your applications on. The more devices you test them on, the better. Recommended is a
phone with the UP.Browser, which is used in several phone models by Siemens, Motorola and
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1.6 Is there a list of WAP keywords with
explanations?
WAP development
| ASP |
Active Server Pages -
ASP pages are web documents (HTML and WML) that use an embedded script language to provide
dynamic content like displaying the results of a database or perform calculations.
Normally, ASP pages are written using VBScript, but Jscript and PerlScript is also
possible. |
| Card |
In WML, a card is the
page that is displayed to the user. A card must be contained in a WML deck |
| Deck |
In WML, a deck is the
container for one or more cards. The deck provides necessary information about the
document type, markup language and navigational templates for the cards incorporated in
it. |
| HDML |
Handheld Device Markup
Language - A subset of HTML supported by some microbrowsers, it can be compared to WML,
but is not widely used now. |
| HTML |
HyperText Markup
Language - Language for describing data interpreted by a web browser. |
| HTTP |
HyperText Transfer
Protocol - A protocol that defines the communication between a web server and a client. |
| PDA |
Personal Digital
Assistant - An electronic mobile device that provides storage and editing of information
such as phone numbers, calendar, notes or emails. |
| PHP |
Personal Homepage Tool
- Server side scripting language used to provide dynamic content. It’s syntax reminds
of the C programming language. |
| SDK |
Software Development
Kit. |
| SMS |
Short Messaging
Service - A technology for sending text to and from mobile phones. The message is sent
through an SMS Cervice Center that pushedes it to the recipient(s). If the phone is turned
off for a shorter time (normally 1-24 hours), the message can be received after it is
turned on again. |
| SSL |
Secure Socket Layer |
| UP |
Unwired Planet |
| W3C |
World Wide Web
Consortium - Defines and develops standards for web development. |
| WAP |
Wireless Application
Protocol - A set of open, global protocols for developing applications and services that
use wireless networks. |
| WAP Forum |
’The industry
association comprising of hundreds of members that have developed the de facto world
standard for wireless information and telephony services on digital mobile phones and
other wireless terminals.’(from www.wapforum.org)
|
| WBMP |
Wireless BitMaP - WBMP
is the default picture format for WAP. |
| WML |
Wireless Markup
Language - An application of XML used as the default markup language for WAP content. |
| WMLScript |
Wireless Markup
Language Script - A client side script language for use with WML. Written in a separate
file and called from a WML card. |
| WSP |
Wireless Session
Protocol - A layer in the WAP protocol stack, similar to the HTTP protocol. It controls
the connection between a client and the server. |
| WTA |
Wireless Telephony
Application - Providing interfaces to the telephony part of a mobile phone |
| WTAI |
Wireless Telephony
Application Interface - makes it possible to develop telephony applications within WAP. |
| WTLS |
Wireless Transport
Layer Security - - A layer in the WAP protocol stack that handles security and extends SSL
(Secure Sockets Layer) to the mobile device. |
Wireless telephony:
| GSM |
Global Standard for
Mobile Communications (originally ’Groupe Spécial Mobile’) - Digital mobile
telephony system mainly used in Europe, South Africa, Australia and many countries in the
Middle and Far East. In commercial service since 1991. Frequencies are 900, 1800 and 1900
(in the US & Canada) MHz. Requires a GSM phone. |
| PCS |
Personal Communication
System - Digital wireless telephony system. Coverage only available in some parts of the
US. Uses 1900 Mhz frequency. Requires a PCS phone. |
| TDMA |
Time Division Multiple
Access - A digital wireless access standard mainly used in the US. Frequencies are
normally 800 and 1900 MHz |
| CDMA |
Code Division Multiple
Access - A digital wireless access standard |
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