WAP FAQ Collection (II)
2. Frequently Asked Questions about WML
1. What does WML stand for simply?
WML stands for "Wireless Markup Language". WML is a wireless markup language (Wireless Markup Language), a micro browser built into mobile devices can interpret this markup language. Although it is very similar to the HTML language, WML is actually a subset of applications of XML.
2. What is WML?
WML stands for Wireless Markup Language, just like HTML is for ordinary Web browsers. Some people say it is based on XML, but to be more precise, WML is an application of XML. Although syntactically similar to HTML, it is more XML. If you are planning to go from HTML to WML, but without any XML knowledge, you will find that WML is "very" strict. Just like HTML, WML is read and interpreted through a browser in the WAP device and then displayed on the screen. For WAP devices, browsers, or user agents, they are usually called mini browsers. The functions of micro browsers are limited by WAP devices.
Why use WML instead of using extensive HTML is due to the way WAP works and that WAP works for a "narrow" wireless world. Displaying HTML on Netscape, Opera, or IE requires stronger computing power. Computational power is in a sense the electrical energy in mobile devices. Since the power in mobile devices is limited, WML is usually converted and compressed before being sent to WAP devices. So WAP uses WML.
Readers may think that WML is very simple and cannot even handle multimedia types in HTML. This is not a problem. Markup languages (WML, HTML, etc.) do not have permission to operate the device, such as playing sounds or displaying animations. If you look at the HTML carefully, you will find that no HTML tag can display animations or play music. The limitation comes from browsers running markup languages. After all, in most cases, it’s talking about mobile phones. However, this restriction should be gradually lifted with the development of wireless Internet.
3. What is the difference between WML and HTML?
Although WML looks very much like HTML, there is still a big difference in technology. WML is a subset of HTML designed for micro browsers. The standard definition of WML is based on XML.
4. What is the difference between HDML and WML? Is there a phone that supports HDML now?
HDML (Hand-held Devices Markup Language) is developed. It enables web pages to be displayed on mobile phones, and the publication of its standards precedes the WAP standard. The browser used by phones of Motorola, Neopoint, Qualcomm and other companies, supports HDML. Latest support for HDML and WAP.
5. Why use WML instead of HTML?
First of all, the WAP protocol requires the use of WML. There may already be WAP devices that can support HTML, but that's not true. Some WAP devices that are very similar to wireless devices support HTML, but they do not directly use HTML (for example: Microsoft Mobile Explorer supports HTML and WML). The MME device just makes the two separate parts together. Of course, there are also variants of HTML, such as the iMode browser uses Compact HTML. Simply put, if you talk about WAP devices, then the markup language is WML.
There are many reasons to choose WML instead of HTML. The most important reason now is that WML requires very small bandwidth compared to HTML. With the improvement of wireless technology, the bandwidth will become wider and wider. This reason may no longer be the main reason, but it will take many years before reaching such high bandwidth.
Another one is that HTML requires a relatively strong processor. The processor's capabilities mean stronger energy is needed. In wireless devices, energy comes from the battery. A low processing capability processor means that the battery can last longer.
In addition, HTML does require a large display screen. The screen on the mobile phone obviously does not meet the requirements. Of course there may be a large screen mobile phone, but this way it will be farther away from mobile (that is, the less like a mobile phone). Even if iMode supports color and an HTML-like display, its size is already the largest size you can easily carry.
6. Why do wireless devices need to be specially designed to access the Internet?
Over the years, HTML tags have become more and more abundant and larger. In addition, browsers support for various HTML tags is also very different. This situation is contrary to the original intention of establishing a simple standard.
Mobile devices (such as mobile phones) have the characteristics of small screen, low memory, lack of convenient input devices and narrow bandwidth. This situation drove the WAP discussion group to develop a new language used for wireless devices, and WML was born.
7. Can wireless devices also support HTML format?
From a technical point of view, the answer is yes. Since HTML is written for ordinary PC browsers, you can also use a micro browser to browse an HTML page, but it may not work. Because the mobile phone doesn't know how to display the file. This often leads to confusion in microbrowsers. And HTML pages are usually relatively large, which will "break" the mobile device.
8. How to convert HTML to WML?
When considering converting HTML, it is impossible to think that WML is designed for small screens, as rich and varied as HTML. Any conversion will ignore a lot of HTML tags and many embedded scripts. Only some simple HTML pages can be converted satisfactorily. The conversion can be done using a toolkit such as Spyglass Prism, or filtered through an online WAP gateway.
9. What can I use to browse to the WML page?
First of all, you need a mobile phone with WAP function, such as: Nokia 71110, Ericsson R320, etc. There are also many desktop WML browsers for PCs, such as WinWap, WapMan, etc.
10. Where can I learn more about XML?
You can access the site: /xml. There are many detailed explanations about XML on this website.
11. What is the general syntax of WML?
WML is very similar to XML. Compared with HTML, its syntax rules are stricter, so that there will be no too much error information when the microbrowser parses and interprets.
Like HTML, WML uses formatted tags composed of "<" and ">". Many tags start with <tag> and end with</tag>. The part contained in the beginning or end is called an element. Some tags are called short elements, with only tags and no content, such as: <tag/>.
Many elements have attributes to describe what content should be. The attribute name must be lowercase, and the attribute value must be enclosed in double quotes. Some properties are required, and some are optional. The general attribute tag format is like: <tag attribute1="value">.
Variables can be defined in WML cards, and their general format is $(variablename).
A WML page has a special format, which must start with an XML document declaration:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE wml PUBLIC "-//WAPFORUM/DTD WML 1.1//EN" "/DTD/wml_1.">
All elements in the page must be between the <wml> and </wml> tags.
2. Frequently Asked Questions about WML
1. What does WML stand for simply?
WML stands for "Wireless Markup Language". WML is a wireless markup language (Wireless Markup Language), a micro browser built into mobile devices can interpret this markup language. Although it is very similar to the HTML language, WML is actually a subset of applications of XML.
2. What is WML?
WML stands for Wireless Markup Language, just like HTML is for ordinary Web browsers. Some people say it is based on XML, but to be more precise, WML is an application of XML. Although syntactically similar to HTML, it is more XML. If you are planning to go from HTML to WML, but without any XML knowledge, you will find that WML is "very" strict. Just like HTML, WML is read and interpreted through a browser in the WAP device and then displayed on the screen. For WAP devices, browsers, or user agents, they are usually called mini browsers. The functions of micro browsers are limited by WAP devices.
Why use WML instead of using extensive HTML is due to the way WAP works and that WAP works for a "narrow" wireless world. Displaying HTML on Netscape, Opera, or IE requires stronger computing power. Computational power is in a sense the electrical energy in mobile devices. Since the power in mobile devices is limited, WML is usually converted and compressed before being sent to WAP devices. So WAP uses WML.
Readers may think that WML is very simple and cannot even handle multimedia types in HTML. This is not a problem. Markup languages (WML, HTML, etc.) do not have permission to operate the device, such as playing sounds or displaying animations. If you look at the HTML carefully, you will find that no HTML tag can display animations or play music. The limitation comes from browsers running markup languages. After all, in most cases, it’s talking about mobile phones. However, this restriction should be gradually lifted with the development of wireless Internet.
3. What is the difference between WML and HTML?
Although WML looks very much like HTML, there is still a big difference in technology. WML is a subset of HTML designed for micro browsers. The standard definition of WML is based on XML.
4. What is the difference between HDML and WML? Is there a phone that supports HDML now?
HDML (Hand-held Devices Markup Language) is developed. It enables web pages to be displayed on mobile phones, and the publication of its standards precedes the WAP standard. The browser used by phones of Motorola, Neopoint, Qualcomm and other companies, supports HDML. Latest support for HDML and WAP.
5. Why use WML instead of HTML?
First of all, the WAP protocol requires the use of WML. There may already be WAP devices that can support HTML, but that's not true. Some WAP devices that are very similar to wireless devices support HTML, but they do not directly use HTML (for example: Microsoft Mobile Explorer supports HTML and WML). The MME device just makes the two separate parts together. Of course, there are also variants of HTML, such as the iMode browser uses Compact HTML. Simply put, if you talk about WAP devices, then the markup language is WML.
There are many reasons to choose WML instead of HTML. The most important reason now is that WML requires very small bandwidth compared to HTML. With the improvement of wireless technology, the bandwidth will become wider and wider. This reason may no longer be the main reason, but it will take many years before reaching such high bandwidth.
Another one is that HTML requires a relatively strong processor. The processor's capabilities mean stronger energy is needed. In wireless devices, energy comes from the battery. A low processing capability processor means that the battery can last longer.
In addition, HTML does require a large display screen. The screen on the mobile phone obviously does not meet the requirements. Of course there may be a large screen mobile phone, but this way it will be farther away from mobile (that is, the less like a mobile phone). Even if iMode supports color and an HTML-like display, its size is already the largest size you can easily carry.
6. Why do wireless devices need to be specially designed to access the Internet?
Over the years, HTML tags have become more and more abundant and larger. In addition, browsers support for various HTML tags is also very different. This situation is contrary to the original intention of establishing a simple standard.
Mobile devices (such as mobile phones) have the characteristics of small screen, low memory, lack of convenient input devices and narrow bandwidth. This situation drove the WAP discussion group to develop a new language used for wireless devices, and WML was born.
7. Can wireless devices also support HTML format?
From a technical point of view, the answer is yes. Since HTML is written for ordinary PC browsers, you can also use a micro browser to browse an HTML page, but it may not work. Because the mobile phone doesn't know how to display the file. This often leads to confusion in microbrowsers. And HTML pages are usually relatively large, which will "break" the mobile device.
8. How to convert HTML to WML?
When considering converting HTML, it is impossible to think that WML is designed for small screens, as rich and varied as HTML. Any conversion will ignore a lot of HTML tags and many embedded scripts. Only some simple HTML pages can be converted satisfactorily. The conversion can be done using a toolkit such as Spyglass Prism, or filtered through an online WAP gateway.
9. What can I use to browse to the WML page?
First of all, you need a mobile phone with WAP function, such as: Nokia 71110, Ericsson R320, etc. There are also many desktop WML browsers for PCs, such as WinWap, WapMan, etc.
10. Where can I learn more about XML?
You can access the site: /xml. There are many detailed explanations about XML on this website.
11. What is the general syntax of WML?
WML is very similar to XML. Compared with HTML, its syntax rules are stricter, so that there will be no too much error information when the microbrowser parses and interprets.
Like HTML, WML uses formatted tags composed of "<" and ">". Many tags start with <tag> and end with</tag>. The part contained in the beginning or end is called an element. Some tags are called short elements, with only tags and no content, such as: <tag/>.
Many elements have attributes to describe what content should be. The attribute name must be lowercase, and the attribute value must be enclosed in double quotes. Some properties are required, and some are optional. The general attribute tag format is like: <tag attribute1="value">.
Variables can be defined in WML cards, and their general format is $(variablename).
A WML page has a special format, which must start with an XML document declaration:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE wml PUBLIC "-//WAPFORUM/DTD WML 1.1//EN" "/DTD/wml_1.">
All elements in the page must be between the <wml> and </wml> tags.
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