 PAGE 17Forum.Nokia.com Figure 8: Do elements in an options list. The options list is focused. Each WML deck can have a template element. The template contains do elements that are to be displayed on each card of the deck. A card’s do elements can either override or hide the template’s do elements. Hidden do elements will not be shown. The order of the card’s do elements in the options list is the same as in which they are defined on the card, unless they override the template’s do elements. Forum.Nokia. Forum.Nokia.com 3.6 WML Input Processing 3.6.1 Input elements Figure 9: Input element – focus is in the input box with numeric format. An input element specifies a text entry object for data input. It is shown as an input box in a card. The text entered in the input element can be determined by the format attribute. The format string specifies that a particular character must be a number, an uppercase character, or a lowercase character, for example. Forum.Nokia.com Input your birthday:
Date of birth:
Example 6: Input element – Input box. 3.6.2 Selection lists Figure 10: Simple single-selection list.Forum.Nokia.com Optgroup on a deeper level is ignored and its options are handled as if they were under the first level optgroup (that is, intended as one level). Figure 11: Multiple-selection list. Forum.Nokia.com Example 7: Selection lists. 3.7 Titles and Labels 3.7.1 Titles A title bar is divided in two parts, on the left is the card title and on the right is space for element titles, which are shown only when the element is focused. The card title is displayed continuously and if there is no card title, the actual URL of the card is displayed instead. Below is a list of element titles, which use the right side of the title bar. Forum.Nokia.com 4 General Usability Issues – Guidelines for Design 4.1 WML History Navigation Due to the differences in the processing of the history between WAP and WEB, only the history processing described in the WML specifications is followed. This means that the service provider has to take care of the navigation as a whole. 4.2 Validate Your WML There are several XML validators available that validate your documents against WML Document Type Definition. Forum.Nokia.com 4.3.6 Use of do elements Always use descriptive and short labels for all do elements. Favor local do elements instead of anchored links that are totally out of context. Always include the prev element in each card to enable backward navigation. 4.4 Pictures, Tables, and Color 4.4.1 Avoid Useless Images Downloading images takes time, and many users may switch off the loading of images for more speed. Try to optimise the size of images. Forum.Nokia.com Proportional fonts are used in header texts, and if the header text is too long, it is automatically truncated. Truncation is usually better than abbreviation, because the user might be confused by unfamiliar abbreviations that are difficult to understand. 4.6 Perform Usability Test It is always good to perform a usability test for new applications. Forum.Nokia.com 5 Terms and Abbreviations Term or Abbreviation Description Card Deck A single WML unit of navigation and user interface. A collection of WML cards that is the smallest downloadable unit. A single card in a deck cannot be downloaded; the entire deck must be downloaded. Service developers should be aware of this, and not create large applications in a single deck. A way of defining the binding between events (such as a user selection) and a task (for example, to go somewhere). Forum.Nokia.com Word wrapping WML WSP Formatting rule for text appearance. Wireless Markup Language. Markup language based on Extensible Markup Language (XML), which is intended for use in specifying content and user interface for narrowband devices, including cellular phones and pagers. Wireless Session Protocol. A layer of WAP stack, which is optimized for low bandwidth bearer networks with long latency. Forum.Nokia.com 6 References • User's guide for Nokia 9200 Communicator Series devices, http://www.nokia.com • Nokia Mobile Internet Toolkit, http://www.forum.nokia.com • Nokia 9200 Communicator Series SDK for Symbian OS (including an emulator), http://www.forum.nokia.com • Wireless application protocol specifications, http://www.openmobilealliance. Forum.Nokia.com 7 Appendix A. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) 7.1 Introduction The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a set of protocols that allow the development of applications and services for use with mobile phones and other mobile devices. The WAP Forum maintains these protocols and their related standards and specifications. The WAP Forum consists of a number of high-tech companies from the information technology, software, and telecommunication industries. Forum.Nokia.com • Wireless Markup Language (WML) - a lightweight presentation language, similar to HyperText Markup Language (HTML) but optimised for use with mobile terminals. • Wireless Markup Language Script (WMLS) - a lightweight script language, similar to Java ScriptTM. • Wireless Telephony Application / Interface (WTA / WTAI) - telephony services and programming interfaces. • Content formats - defined data formats, such as vCard and vCalendar. 7.2. Forum.Nokia.com Web Server HTML WML WML HTML Filter WAP Proxy Binary Wireless Network WTA Server Binary WML Figure 13: Elements related to mobile browsing. Web server The Web server stores the applications written in WML. Alternatively, existing HTML applications can be used. HTML filter Any applications written in HTML will have to be converted to WML before they are sent to the mobile terminal. This HTML filter may form part of the Web server or the WAP proxy. Forum.Nokia.com Build Test Sell Developing and marketing mobile applications with Nokia Go to Forum.Nokia.com 1 Forum.Nokia.com provides the tools and resources you need for content and application development as well as the channels for sales to operators, enterprises, and consumers. Forum.Nokia.com Download tools and emulators 2 Forum.Nokia.com/tools has links to tools from Nokia and other industry leaders including Borland, Adobe, AppForge, Macromedia, Metrowerks, and Sun. Forum.Nokia. | 
