The Background to WAP Specifications
In much the same way as there is a set of Standards for writing web pages for conventional web sites using HTML there are also standards for writing web pages for mobile devices like mobile phones and PDA's. The standards are the Wireless Access Protocol (WAP).
The original WAP initiative began in June 1997 when people involved in the the Internet and the wider communication industry realised that mobile devices like cell-phones could be used for Internet access. The WAP Forum (founded in December 1997) drafted the WAP 1.0 specification. It defined the Wireless Mark-up Language (WML) 1.x as the mark-up language for global wireless networks. However while Nokia and Openwave developed WML for Europe and America, Japan’s DoCoMo created its own iMode system based on Compact HTML (cHTML).
Mobile Technology Developemnts
Meanwhile, the mobile phone companies were quickly developing new technology in their phones, so the The WAP Forum had to come up with a new specification. The WAP 2.0 specification was agreed in October 2001. It specifies a cut down version of eXtensible HyperText Mark-up Language (xHTML) called xHTML Mobile Profile (xHTML MP).
Should I use WML or xHTML MP?
WML and xHTML MP are both very similar to HTML. They both use tags and are written in plain text format. If you have experience in using the HTML markup language, you can learn WML or xHTML MP quickly.
Most new mobile phone models are WAP 2.0-enabled. As WAP 2.0 is backward compatible to WAP 1.x, WAP 2.0-enabled mobile devices can display both XHTML MP and WML documents. If you write your mobile Internet site in WML, both old and new WAP-enabled wireless devices can be used to view your mobile site.
- Note: Not all Web servers will be set up for WAP use - you need to check that the MIME types (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) that WAP protocols use are configured. Your Web host can provide this information.
Easy Guides
There are simple guides for WML and xHTML MP that give you the basics for creating your mobile WAP web site. They do not describe every possible situation and tag/attribute combination, but they will give you a good understanding of the basics to allow you to create simple WAP web sites.
Easy Guide to WML:
Basic WML - Create Decks and Cards with WML.
Formatting Text - Text size and style.
Hyperlinks and Images - Adding Hyperlinks and Images to your pages.
WML WAP Page Essentials - Things to remember when creating your WML WAP pages.
WML Template and Demo - A template WML file and Emulator Demonstration.
Easy Guide to xHTML MP:
Basic xHTML MP - Create the basic page.
Formatting Text - Text size and style.
Advanced Formatting - Colour, etc.
Hyperlinks - Adding Hyperlinks and Images to your pages.
xHTML WAP Page Essentials - Things to remember when creating your xHTML WAP pages.
xHTML MP Template and Demo - A template xHTML MP file and Emulator Demonstration.