Mobile Converter
"The easy way to develop WAP applications"

18-Dec-2000

Copyright: ATIMA AB

    1. Introduction
           1.1. What is WAP ?
           1.2. What is Mobile Converter ?
    2. Installation
    3. Testing
           3.1. What do I need ?
           3.2. Where do I find a WAP-Emulator ?
    4. Limitations
    5. Sales & Support
    6. Disclaimer

Appendix A. Mobile Converter - Supported HTML tags
Appendix B. Preformatting tags (Not Supported in DEMO version)

1. Introduction

1.1. What is WAP ?

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is an open, global specification that empowers mobile users with wireless devices to easily access and interact with information and services instantly. A large number of device manufacturers (Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola...) and software developers (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle) have agreed on one common standard for small devices to communicate.

Wireless Markup Language (WML) is a new markup language that must be used when creating WAP applications. WML is a XML based language that is designed to work with small, wireless devices. Instead of learning a new markup languge, Mobile Converter allows you to keep using HTML for your WAP application.

You can learn more about WAP at Wapforum, Phone, Cellular, Ericsson and Nokia

1.2. What is "Mobile Converter" ?

Mobile Converter is a plug-in for your Web-server that converts any HTML code to WML code and validates any WML code, making it accepted by your WAP application. Mobile Converter will let you keep using HTML code instead of writing WML code when building your WAP applications.

Using HTML instead of WML will bring you the following advantages:

You don't need to learn a new markup language.
You can keep using the HTML editor and environment you are used to.
HTML is a forgiving language, while a single error in your WML page will spoil the whole content.
Future versions of WAP are considering to drop WML for a more HTML like language !
You can make applications that are supported by both WML and HTML compliant clients.

Mobile Converter is a plugin for your WebServer (currently supports IIS 4 & 5) and will detect if the client is a WAP client, and then transparently:

Performs an online convertion of HTML code to WML code immediately before it is sent to the client. You can even "WAP" to your existing HTML site as long as the content fits into the WAP limitations.
Performs an online validation of any WML output so it will be accepted by the Wap device even if you have a few errors in the WML code.
The Mobile Converter will work with both static HTML pages as well as dynamic HTML applications, for example, ASP, Java Servlets, CGI.

2. Installation

Mobile Converter is currently supporting the following webservers:

Microsoft Internet Information Server 4 (IIS 4)
Microsoft Internet Information Server 5 (IIS 5)

Mobile Converter will later support:

Apache (Windows and Linux)
Netscape (Windows and Linux)

Installing Mobile Converter:

1) Copy the file "MobileConverter_IIS.dll" to your server.
2) Open the Internet Service Manager
3) Select the Website where you want to install the HtmlWmlConverter.
4) Press right mouse button and then select menu option "properties".
5) Select the "Isapi Filters" tab.
6) Press the "Add" button and then set "Mobile Converter" as filter name and the full path to "MobileConverter_IIS.dll" as the executable.
7) Press "OK" button and then "OK" again.
8) Best performance is achieved if "Buffering" is enabled on your IIS Website. This is default in IIS5 but not in IIS4. (You enable buffering in you Website by checking
"Enable buffering" check box in your Website. Checkbox is found in dialog "Properties - Home Directory - Configuration - App Options")
9) Restart the WebServer and you can now start wapping to your website !!!

3. How do I test my Wap application ?

3.1. What do I need ?

To access your WAP enabled website you need:

1) A WAP-Emulator or WAP-Device (Ericsson 320, Nokia 7150 etc).
2) To setup an address to a proper WAP-Gateway in your-WAP Device.

A WAP-Gateway is the connection between the WAP-Device and the Internet (similar to the need of a SMTP-server when sending email).

Ericsson provides the following WAP Gateway for external test use:
IP-Address:195.58.110.201

3.3. Where do I find a WAP emulator ?

You will find Wap emulators at the following locations:

Ericsson: Developers' Zone (Download WapIde) or Online Ericsson R380 emulator!

Nokia: WAP Toolkit

Phone.com: UP.SDK

4. Limitations

The following must be considered when building your WAP-applications:

1) Most WAP-clients will only accept 1400 BYTES !! This mean that:
a) The byte coded WML page must not be larger than 1400 bytes (Rough estimation: Consider each tag name as 1 byte and each character as 1 byte)
b) Images must not be larger than 1400 bytes.
2) WML is a more limited language than HTML, thus only a subset of HTML tags is supported by the Mobile Converter.
3) Nested table tags are not allowed, due to limitations in the WAP specifications !!!
4) Sometimes it seems like WAP-browsers will cache everything, so you have to do test all possible tricks to avoid the cache ;-)

5. Sales & Support

Please send all Sales&Support questions to waptool@telia.com

6. Disclaimer

The Author (ATIMA AB) cannot and does not warrant that any functions contained in the Software will meet your requirements, or that its operations will be error free. The entire risk as to the Software performance or quality, or both, is solely with the user and not the Author. You assume responsibility for the selection of the component to achieve your intended results, and for the installation, use, and results obtained from the Software.

The Author makes no warranty, either implied or expressed, including with- out limitation any warranty with respect to this Software documented here, its quality,
performance, or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall the Author be liable to you for damages, whether direct or indirect, incidental, special, or consequential arising out the use of or any defect in the Software, even if the Author has been advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other party.

All other warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, are expressly excluded.

Appendix A. WAP HTML KIT - Supported Tags

Mobile Converter will support all HTML tags included in Compact-HTML, the markup language used by I-Mode (The Japanese alternative to WAP). Compact-HTML ( http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/NOTE-compactHTML-19980209/ ) defines a subset of HTML for small information appliances such as smart phones, smart communicators etc.

**Mobile Converter supports the following HTML Tags**
No	Elements	Comments
1	<!-- -->	-- Comment
2	<!DOCTYPE >	--
3	&xxx;	--&,©,>,<,",®,  --`
4	<A href=""></A> <A name="" id=""></A>	-- -- Represents card number 2..n of the WML deck
5	<B></B>	--
6	<BIG></BIG>	--
7	<BODY id=""></BODY>	-- The body tag represents the first card of the WML Deck.
8	<BR>	--
9	<CENTER></CENTER>	--
10	<FONT size="1..7"></FONT>	-- n= 1..7
11	<FORM method="get/post" action="">	--
12	<HEAD></HEAD>	--
13	<H?></H?>	-- = 1..7
14	<HR>	-- Translated as <BR>
15	<HTML></HTML>	--
16	<I></I>	--
17	<IMG src=""></IMG>	-- Note! An image must not be bigger than 1400 bytes.
18	<INPUT type="text" name="" value="" size="" maxlength=""> <INPUT type="password" name="" value=""> <INPUT type="hidden" name="" value=""> <INPUT type="submit" name="" value="">








19	<NOFRAMES></NOFRAMES>	-- Wap devices do not support frames !!
20	<OPTION></OPTION>	--
21	<P align="left/center/right"></p>	--
22	<SELECT name="" value=""></SELECT>
23	<SMALL></SMALL>	--Only one font.
24	<TABLE></TABLE>	-- Note! Nested tables are not allowed !!!
25	<TD></TD>	--
26	<TH></TH>	--
27	<TITLE></TITLE>	-- The title of the first card of the WML Deck
28	<TR></TR>	--

Appendix B. Preformatting tags (Not Supported in DEMO version)

Since mobile devices have a wide range of resolutions and capabilities and since highly graphical and complicated HTML pages are nearly impossible to convert to small mobile devices, there is a need to customize the content from a web page based on what device it was requested by.

Mobile Converter will give you a wide range of possibilities to tune this:

1) You will be able to group devices into "device group", each having a customised profile based on the resolution and capabilities.
2) You will be able to setup a profile for each single device.
3) Mobile Converter can run in two modes: "All text is by default visible in WAP devices" or "No text is by default visible in WAP devices"

You use the following tags to customize the HTML code depending on what device it was requested by:

a) Specify what device group(s) or device(s) the content of the tag shall be sent to:
 …  (Not Supported in DEMO version)
Parameters: device - The device group(s) or device(s) for which the content of this tag will be visible.

b) Specify what device group(s) or device(s) the content of the tag shall not be sent to.
 …  (Not Supported in DEMO version)
Parameters: device - The device group(s) or device(s) for which the content of this tag will not be visible.

Note! The preformatting tags are not calculated when the page is called by a HTML browsers, since Mobile Converter is not active when called by HTML browsers.

HTML Example:

<html>
<body>
This text will be visible for all WAP devices.<br>

This text will not be visible in small WAP devices.<br>


This text will not be visible in small and medium WAP devices.<br>

</body>
</html>

Mobile Converter"The easy way to develop WAP applications"